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The Collector's Choice: The Samuel Fuller Collection vs. Sam Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961 - Limited Edition Blu Ray |
It Happened in Hollywood (1937) Adventure in
Sahara (1938)
Power of the Press (1943) Shockproof (1949)
Scandal Sheet (1952)
The Crimson Kimono (1959) Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
In a career spanning more than 60 years, Samuel Fuller never stopped
looking for truth and never shied away from controversy. His films
were as rough and gritty as the stories he told, combining incisive,
intelligent storytelling, with passionate, two-fisted, direction,
creating a singularly unique body of work. Now Sony Pictures and the
Film Foundation have gathered together all 7 Columbia Pictures
features in which he participated as writer or director into an
electrifying set - all restored, remastered and new to DVD.
About Samuel Fuller: |
Titles
It Happened in Hollywood (1937) was one of Fuller’s first
screenwriting credits, a credit he shared with Ethel Hill (The Little Princess)
and Harvey Fergusson (Hot Saturday). Fay Wray (King Kong) stars alongside
Academy Award nominee Richard Dix (1930, Best Actor, Cimarron), who plays a
famous Hollywood western star at a time when audiences’ changing preferences for
Gangster films might imperil the Cowboy’s career. One of the most notable
features of Director Harry Lachman’s comedy is a lavish party scene, featuring
look-a-like doubles of top stars James Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields,
Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Mae West, and Ginger Rogers. It
Happened in Hollywood has a running time of 67 minutes and is not rated. |
Posters
Theatrical Releases: 1937 - 1961
Comparison:
Sony (7-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Indicator (4 disc) Blu-ray
1) Sony - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT 2) Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT |
Box Cover |
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Distribution | Sony - Region 1 - NTSC |
Indicator Region FREE Blu-ray |
Time: | Respectively - 1:07:22, :56:22, 1:03:54, 1:19:39, 1:21:36, 1:21:18 + 1:38:15 | Respectively - 1:07:31.046, 0:56:25.423, 1:03:58.042, 1:19:47.574, 1:21:44.649, 1:21:24.838 + 1:38:24.481 |
Audio | English (original mono) |
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Masterclass audio onDolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | English, French, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details:
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Release
Information: Studio: Indicator
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
Disc One Size: 49,887,587,776 bytes
It Happened in Hollywood Feature Size: 15,527,816,448 bytes Video bitrate: 26.90 Mbps
Adventure in Sahara Feature Size: 14,335,860,480 bytes Video bitrate: 29.99 Mbps
Power of the Press Feature Size: 16,272,234,048 bytes Video bitrate: 30.01 Mbps
Disc Two Size: 45,455,259,207 bytes
Shockproof Feature Size:22,163,347,008 bytes Video bitrate: 33.01 Mbps
Scandal Sheet Feature Size: 22,705,284,672 bytes Video bitrate: 33.00 Mbps
Disc Three Size: 38,064,646,134 bytes
The Crimson Kimono Feature Size: 23,880,263,232 bytes Video bitrate: 35.00 Mbps
Disc Four Size: 38,064,646,134 bytes
Underworld U.S.A. Feature Size: 26,718,895,680 bytes Video bitrate: 32.00 Mbps
Edition Details: • Sam Fuller Storyteller (2009): Christa and Samantha Fuller, Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Tim Robbins and Curtis Hanson on the life and work of Sam Fuller (24:17) • Unedited rushes of The Typewriter, The Rifle and the Movie Camera (1996) - (36:02) (33:55) (33:16) (28:40) (38:55) (38:46) (36:15) (34:52) (32:09) (30:57) (19:50) (39:01) • Sam Fuller's Search for Truth (2009): celebrated actor and director Tim Robbins discusses Fuller's philosophy of cinema (7:08) • The Culture of 'The Crimson Kimono’ (2009, 9:27): filmmaker Curtis Hanson considers the impact of The Crimson Kimono (39:01) • Martin Scorsese on 'Underworld U.S.A' (2009, 5:14): the renowned filmmaker discusses one of his favourite Fuller works • Switch Hitting Between Three Triangles in Chrisom Kimono (14:41) • Barry Forshaw on 'Underworld U.S.A.' (2018, 9:33): an appreciation by the author of American Noir • Original theatrical trailers
• Sam Fuller Masterclass with Wim Wenders
(1993, 62 mins): archival audio recording of the two
friends and collaborators in conversation at the Arri
Cinema, Munich Chapters: 14 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. NOTE: We previously compared both Twilight Time versions of The Crimson Kimono on Blu-ray HERE, and Underworld U.S.A. is compared on Blu-ray HERE with the Sony DVD and marginally below. Indicator's HD transfers are at their usual high standard combined with the pristine condition of the old Columbia prints. Grain is fine and rich, detail in the higher resolution handily advances over the SD, there is almost no damage and we've compared a bunch below for your inspection. They all look great to me - love the textures and contrast layers. NOTE: Underworld U.S.A. looks almost exactly the same as the Twilight Time, but the Indicator is notably superior to the US The Crimson Kimono 1080P transfer. It is clearer with more consistent grain. There are four dual-layered Blu-rays - the first has the three short early features - It Happened in Hollywood (1937), Adventure in Sahara (1938) and Power of the Press (1943). The Second Blu-ray has Shockproof (1949) and Scandal Sheet (1952), the third has The Crimson Kimono and the fourth Underworld U.S.A. . All audio is transferred in linear PCM (24-bit) mono in the original English language. Effects exist - but aren't overwhelming and are predictably flat but carry some depth. Score are by the likes of Paul Sawtell (A Game of Death, Inferno, Silver City, The Fly, Denver and Rio Grande, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea etc.), Harry Sukman (Forty Guns, Verboten!, The Crimson Kimono, A Bullet For Joey, Someone's Watching Me!), George Duning (The Man From Laramie, Two Rode Together, The Eddy Duchin Story, 3:10 to Yuma, Jeanne Eagels, The Shadow on the Window, Tight Spot, etc.) and the audio is as flawless as the video. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles for all seven films and the Blu-ray disc are Region FREE - playable worldwide.Indicator duplicate the Search for Truth with Sam Fuller with Tim Robbins discussing Fuller's philosophy of cinema, Sam Fuller Storyteller with Samantha and Christa Fuller, Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Tim Robbins and Curtis Hanson on the life and work of Sam Fuller, The Culture of The Crimson Kimono that has filmmaker Curtis Hanson considering the impact of The Crimson Kimono plus Martin Scorsese on Underworld U.S.A. with him discussing one of his favorite Fuller works. These video supplements are found on the 2009 Sony DVD. But they add significantly more starting with a 22-minute 'Sam Fuller in Conversation with Henry Chapier' from 1989: archival recording from the French TV series Le divan d'Henry Chapier. The most amazing extras are the dozen unedited rushes of The Typewriter, The Rifle and the Movie Camera (1996) - almost seven hours' worth of unedited interview footage of Sam Fuller in conversation with actor Tim Robbins, recorded for Adam Simon’s classic documentary. It should be a release of its own. Switch-Hitting Between Three Triangles is a new 1/4 hour audiovisual essay on The Crimson Kimono by Cristina Álvarez López. Barry Forshaw on 'Underworld U.S.A.' spends 10-minutes as an appreciation by the author of American Noir and as an archival audio only running to Underworld U.S.A. is a hour-long Sam Fuller Masterclass with Wim Wenders from a 1993 audio recording of the two friends and collaborators in conversation at the Arri Cinema, Munich. There are image galleries of publicity photography and promotional material and a few original theatrical trailers plus the package has a limited edition exclusive booklets containing newly commissioned essays by Pamela Hutchinson and Lindsay Ann Hallam, archival interviews with director Sam Fuller, historic articles, a critical anthology, and full film credits. There is only 6,000 numbered copies - so if you are keen, don't delay.
What
a wonderful Blu-ray package - one of the
best of the year - if not THE BEST! Iconic Sam Fuller - seven films -
and stacked supplements. Our highest recommendation.
***
ON THE DVDs:
It should be noted, right out of the gate, that only two
of these films are Fuller directorial efforts - BUT they happen to both
be extremely desirable to fans; The Crimson Kimono and Underworld
U.S.A. The other five, actually the first five, have him listed as
the screenwriter, co-screenwriter, or author of the story on which
the film was based. Many were hoping for some other obscure titles like
Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street (rumored for many years) or the
1957 China Gate but these weren't Columbia holdings and Sony
obviously doesn't have the rights to include them in this set. While the
first three in this package are relatively minor works in his oeuvre
(where he had less control of the output) - both Douglas Sirk's
Shockproof and Phil Karlson's Scandal Sheet are solid films
and a bit more representative of Fuller material - although I read
somewhere that he was quite
dissatisfied with the end result of the latter movie.
The seven feature films of this boxset are all black and white and
reside on individual, progressively transferred DVD discs. The first 5
are single-layered in the 1.33 aspect ratio and the final two are
dual-layered, anamorphic, in the original (me thinks) 1.85:1. Each
disc is coded for Region 1 in the NTSC standard. They have original mono
audio (or 2.0 channel stereo) and each offer optional English or French subtitles
in a bright yellow font. The
package (image below) is a four tiered Digi-pak housed inside a
handsome cardboard slipcase. As we
stated - none of the films have been on legitimate DVD previously. There
are four supplemental documentary featurettes that we will discuss
below.
Image quality: Quality is not always directly representative of the age
of the feature and
Audio was acceptable with all dialogue discernable and
without major faux-pas like devastating dropouts, pops or background
hiss. It was
consistent and clear enough and is supported with optional
subtitles.
Extras aren't totally satisfying with no commentaries but I don't
want to look at gift-horse in the mouth. All four featurettes appear new for this package
release. On disc one we get previews of The Norman Lear Collection,
Three Stooges, and Columbia Classics. On the Power of the Press
disc we get about 7-minutes of Tim Robbins Search for Truth with Sam Fuller
where the actor/director discusses a lengthy conversation they had once with the
auteur many years ago. As an extra with Scandal Sheet we get, probably,
the best featurette entitled Sam Fuller Storyteller running just shy of
25-minutes. It explores Fuller’s life and filmmaking through the eyes of his
family - wife Christa and daughter Samantha Fuller, and filmmakers Martin
Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Tim Robbins, and Curtis Hanson who, by the way, also
gives an additional 10-minutes for The Culture of The Crimson Kimono on that film's
DVD extra. Lastly, we get a scant 5-minutes with Martin Scorsese on Underworld
U.S.A. that fans will wish was extensively longer. I certainly don't want to
complain - these were interesting to watch, interspersed with scenes from the
films, although lacking the depth some
may have hoped for in the collection with Fuller's name attached.
Fuller may not be totally covered on DVD now but with Criterion
releasing
White Dog,
The Naked Kiss,
Shock Corridor and
Pickup on South Street plus their Eclipse label picking up the
early
The Steel Helmet,
The Baron of
Arizona and
I Shot Jesse James - Warner looking after
The Big Red One with a solid Special Edition I might add - Fox and Optimum
giving us the fabulous
Forty Guns - PLUS those disregarding
region-coding can also nab the heavily under-rated
Verboten!. Sundry we have
Merrill's Marauders,
House of
Bamboo and
Hell and High
Water, and this new set fills in two more holes. It appears to be a good
time for fans of the director. We just require a few more - and how about some
Blu-ray?
I was thrilled to receive this collection and went through it
rapid-fire. The last four films are worth the price alone and I suspect that is
what most Noir fans will be seeking. Shockproof,
Scandal Sheet, The Crimson Kimono and Underworld U.S.A. (and
the latter 3 considered quintessential to the style) makes the package an
absolute must-own... especially with the limited number of similar releases
available this year. It's been a a bit of a drought and those four selections
are like a fountain in the desert. Obviously, we highly recommend! |
Packaging
Sony - Region 1 - NTSC
Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Sample Sony - Region 1 - NTSC Menus
Supplements
Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
It Happened in Hollywood (1937)
Director: Harry Lachman
Writing credits: Harvey Fergusson, Samuel Fuller and Ethel Hill
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Adventure in Sahara (1938)
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Power of the Press (1943)
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Shockproof (1949)
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Scandal Sheet (1952)
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he Crimson Kimono (1959)
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Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
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