Classic Film Noir Double Feature
The Scar (1948) The Limping Man (1948)
Product description: VCI Entertainment presents a double feature
of classic film noir to die for... "The Scar" (1948) and "The Limping
Man" (1953)
First up we have "The Scar" (1948) Originally released under the
title "Hollow Triumph," (and also known as The Man Who Murdered Himself),
this dandy little film noir thriller from Eagle Lion features Paul Henreid with
a chance to lose his leading man image for not one, but two sinister
performances. When crooked gambler (Henreid) seeks to hide from a rival mobster,
he hatches a plot to take the place of a psychiatrist that he's a dead-ringer
for. But it's not long before the good doctor's secretary (Joan Bennett) is on
to his scheme.
Second on the double bill is "The Limping Man" (1953) (76 min.
B/W)....Our story opens with Lloyd Bridges
returning to Britain to visit a long lost love Moira Lister from the war...a
murder takes place right in front of him at the airport...Scotland Yard enters
the picture and Bridges becomes involved and is a suspect...who is "The Limping
Man", what part in this mysterious murder and intrigue does he play...watch the
story unfold as this film has more twist and turns than a roller coaster and
you're loving every minute of it....
(aka "Hollow Triumph" or "The Scar")
directed by Steve Sekely
USA 1948
Not half bad, despite a loopy plot about a conman/thief hiding from pursuit who kills a look-alike psychiatrist and assumes his identity (conveniently skilled in surgery through interrupted studies, he is even able to reproduce a facial scar). The tension is kept ticking nicely by a flaw in the impersonation (working by mirror, he scars the wrong cheek), even more so by the fact that he unexpectedly inherits dire troubles from the dead man's past. Good supporting performances, a satisfyingly bleak ending, and absolutely stunning lighting and LA location shooting from John Alton.
Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
Posters
 |
 |
Theatrical Release: 10 August 1948
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: VCI - Region 0 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution |
VCI Region 0 - NTSC |
|
| Runtime | 1:20:00 | |
| Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
|
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
|
| Comments |
NOTE: The Scar (Hollow Triumph)
VCI transfer is compared to the vastly superior German Koch Media
edition
HERE. The Scar (aka Hollow Triumph) is a very dark film noir, not just for the great cinematography of John Alton, but also for the plot. Paul Henreid is a criminal who thinks he can have a better life by becoming somebody else. Joan Bennett is wonderful as his love interest and there's Blonde Ice herself, Leslie Brooks in a small roles. |
DVD Menus
|
|
|
|
|
|
Screen Captures
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Film: The Critics' Choice by Geoff Andrew |
Shades of Noir: A Reader by Joan Copjec |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Check out more in "The Library"
directed by Cy Endfield
UK 1953
Though this watchable and moody English thriller--about an American (Lloyd Bridges) visiting a former lover (Moira Lister) in London and becoming involved in a murder case--is signed by one "Charles De Lautour," it's actually the first English feature of the black-listed American director Cy Endfield, who had to work anonymously or pseudonymously even in England during this period. (De Lautour was in fact a real director whom Endfield paid to "front" for him.) Despite an unsatisfying denouement that suggests hasty script work (the credited writers are Ian Stuart and Reginald Long), this manages to pack a lot into its tidy 74 minutes.
Excerpt from Jonathan Rosenbaum's review at the Chicago Reader located HERE
Posters
 |
Theatrical Release: November 1953 (UK)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: VCI - Region 0 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution |
VCI Region 0 - NTSC |
|
| Runtime | 1:15:45 | |
| Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
|
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
|
| Comments | The Limping Man must be one of the most disappointing film noirs (if you can call it). Unlike the memorable ending of its co-feature on this disc, The Scar, the ending of this film is one of the worst. VCI presents the usual to their early standard passable interlaced transfer. |
DVD Menus
|
|
|
|
|
|
Screen Captures
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution |
VCI Region 0 - NTSC |
|
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Thank You!
