NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (June 2022): Indicator have transferred a fifth installment of their Columbia Noir series to Blu-ray. This is 'Humphrey Bogart '-centric with Dead Reckoning (1947), Knock on Any Door (1949,) Tokyo Joe (1949), Sirocco (1951), The Family Secret (1951) and his last film The Harder They Fall (1956) each on their own Blu-ray disc. They are cited as being a "4K restoration of The Harder They Fall and HD presentations of Dead Reckoning, Knock on Any Door, Tokyo Joe, Sirocco and The Family Secret".

We had already done extensive DVD comparisons of Dead Reckoning (HERE), Knock on Any Door (HERE), Tokyo Joe (HERE), Sirocco (HERE), and The Harder They Fall (HERE) so have matched some 1080P to the SD captures - shown below. There is a DVD of, the odd-ball film in the set, The Family Secret but we don't own it. It was was produced by Bogart’s Santana Pictures and had his previous co-stars Lee J. Cobb (Sirocco) and John Derek (Knock on Any Door.)

Not surprisingly the image quality is an outstanding upgrade with much more grain texture support (Dead Reckoning is very heavy), beautifully layered contrast and an notable advancement in detail. Tokyo Joe and The Harder They Fall are on dual-layered discs and the rest are housed single-layered. I had a small concern with The Family Secret seeing it as a shade waxy and flat. The other films show a few small marks that match up with the DVDs - obviously from the same source but the improved resolution and higher bitrates exemplify the superiority. Many of the film show depth but it is the grain, detail and strong contrast that distinguish them from the old SD renderings. It's easy to see in the samples below.   

NOTE: We have added 246 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-rays, Indicator use linear PCM mono tracks (24-bit) in the original English language for all six films. There are plenty of effects-mostly gunfire, planes, a train, an explosion and fire - supported with minor depth but the film's audio transfers are authentically flat sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the uncompressed transfers. Film scores are by composer Marlin Skiles (Flat Top, The Maze, My Gun is Quick, Queen of Outer Space) on Dead Reckoning, avant garde classical composer and pianist George Antheil - who has written music for Zombies of the Mora Tau, Dementia, The Sniper, Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), House by the River (1950) Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place on Knock on Any Door Tokyo Joe and Sirocco, while George Duning (Five Against the House, Assignment Paris, The Guilt of Janet Ames, The Man From Laramie, 3:10 to Yuma, Jeanne Eagels, The Shadow on the Window, Tight Spot, etc.) did the music for The Family Secret and Bogart's last film The Harder They Fall was scored by Hugo Friedhofer (Vera Cruz, Plunder in the Sun, One-Eyed Jacks Two Flags West, Man in the Attic, Ace in the Hole, Body and Soul, Gilda, The Bishop's Wife.) I detected no anomalies - the audio is authentically flat, clear and even. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their six Region 'B' Blu-rays.

The Indicator Blu-ray package offers a new commentary for each film with film scholar and preservationist Alan K. Rode on Dead Reckoning, film historians Pamela Hutchinson on Knock on Any Door, Nora Fiore on Tokyo Joe, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson on Sirocco - professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney on The Family Secret and critics and writers Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme on The Harder They Fall. These are all serious analyses with reflections on Bogart's career, examination of the directors, cast, crew and juicer tidbits or anecdotal stories. I was particularly keen on Rode's observations for the noir Dead Reckoning and his comments on Lizabeth Scott (not knowing about her collecting little glass animals) and director of photography Leo Tover. I've enjoyed previous commentaries and essays by Pamela Hutchinson - and her comments on Knock on Any Door, Nicholas Ray, the film's structure etc. was no exception. Professor Jason A. Ney discusses how The Family Secret fits in the timeline of the performers and Bogart's Santana Pictures which was it was named after his yacht (and the cabin cruiser in Key Largo.) Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson discuss the history of Syrian and how they feel Sirocco is long-overdue for a critical re-evaluation. They work well together and have some fun. I was also very keen on Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme's commentary on The Harder They Fall sharing their insights on writer Philip Yordan, director Mark Robson, stars Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, boxers Max Baer and Jersey Joe Walcott plus, of course Bogart and his character's redemption in the film that was shot totally on location. I always love Nora Fiore - the Nitrate Diva - who covers plenty of Tokyo Joe's background (the first film allowed to shoot in Japan after the war.) All commentaries have essential value in the boxset. There are so many more supplements with the 51-minute The South Bank Show: 'Bogart: Here's Looking at You, Kid' episode from 1997. One of the British arts television series pieces devoted to the iconic actor. I can't get enough of Tony Rayns and his new (2022) 1/4 hour appreciation of 'Dead Reckoning'. Geoff Andrew discusses Bogart and Nicholas Ray's collaboration in 'Knock on Any Door' for 20-minutes. We get two video pieces with Bertrand Tavernier- an archival appreciation on 'Tokyo Joe' from 2017 and a 1/2 hour on 'The Harder They Fall'. Tom Vincent looks at the career and stardom of Sessue Hayakawa (Tokyo Joe actor) from the silent film era through to his Oscar-nominated role in The Bridge on the River Kwai. It runs shy of 1/4 hour. Christina Newland talks Bogart, boxing and Budd Schulberg regarding 'The Harder They Fall'. Included are a few 1940-1950 short documentaries (one Nicholas Ray served as assistant director!), a couple of short Super 8 Boxing highlights of Max Baer (his famous bout with Primo Carnera that he would recreate in the film,) trailers, image galleries and more plus a limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by favorite Imogen Sara Smith, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits. There is no question that Indicator do the best and most extensive extras - this is a prime example. 

Indicator's Columbia Noir #5: Humphrey Bogart Blu-ray package will be another fan favorite. It's less-noirish, overall, but heavy on the iconic Bogie. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart as the greatest male star of classic American cinema. Bogart signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation for $750 a week, where he met Broadway actor Spencer Tracy. The two men became drinking buddies and best friends. In 1930, it was Tracy who first called him "Bogie". I was always a huge fan of Dead Reckoning and The Harder They Fall, but gained new appreciation for Knock on Any Door, Tokyo Joe and was surprised how much I enjoyed The Family Secret and its moral conundrums. It was my first viewing of that film. So... the best Blu-ray production company on the planet comes out with a Humphrey Bogart set. It stacked to the gills commentaries, new analysis and a 120-page booklet, plus the a/v has extensive advancement over the ancient DVDs. Yes, get excited - this is a must-own - limited to 6,000 copies. I wouldn't wait. Our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze