Jigsaw - Franchot Tone

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Gun Moll" )

directed by Fletcher Markle
USA 1949

NOTE: The 1962 British Noir 'Jigsaw' is reviewed on Blu-ray HERE

This mild little melodrama, which was produced right here in New York by Edward J. and Harry Lee Danziger of Eastern Sound Studios, with actual locations as its settings and a largely local-talent cast, is too much like a standard Hollywood thriller to provoke great surprise or alarm.

In fact, its modest story of a young "assistant D. A." who investigates two murders and uncovers a vicious "hate group" is a neatly blueprinted fiction in every detailed respect, except that the jowlish villains are some vague sort of "mongers of hate." It is sluggishly directed by Fletcher Markle, who also co-authored the script, and almost indifferently played, where good playing would do the most for it, by Franchot Tone in the principal role.

But, for all that, a blessed simplicity and integrity within the pictorial frame have been achieved in this little effort which you seldom find in standard "quickie" films. The streets are the city's own canyons, the interiors of homes and offices, of night clubs and even a museum, are the genuine and unmistakable thing. More than that, the sensible producers have seen to it that they actually conform to the natures and tastes and income-levels of the people who inhabit them.

Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: 28 May 1949 (New York City, New York)

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DVD Review: Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Alpha Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:11:27
Video	1.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.1 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	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: Alpha Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.30:1 Edition Details: • Trailers for Alpha New Cinema releases DVD Release Date: October 26, 2004 Keep Case Chapters 6

Comments

This is a forgettable independent film noir, that features a nice turn by Franchot Tone and the only movie role by a theater actress Winifred Lenihan, but mostly memorable by cameo appearances by a number of Hollywood actors (two of them you can see in the captures below).

By Alpha standards, this is a watchable transfer. There are a lot of vertical lines that come and go away (see captures 3, 6, 7), but at least you can see the image most of the time - some of the scenes in the dark like attack on the newspaper reporter is very hard to see. Fortunately, there are only a few such scenes. The audio is acceptable, but unrestored.

- Gregory Meshman

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