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

Another incredible Lang masterpiece and despite my reservations on the image quality - this is easily the best I have seen Scarlet Street. For those who haven't heard the Kalat commentary - it is a treat for the director's fans. It's amazing to see the evolution of this film from PD domain SD (Alpha Video) to this HD version. We've come a long way and we can recommend this - as a must own.

***

ADDITION: Odeon Entertainment - Region 0 - PAL: Big thanks to Luke Scoffield you sent us the dual-layered Odeon DVD screen captures and told us: "I've just taken a gamble on a recent release of Scarlet Street here in the UK - it's from Odeon Entertainment, who seem to only release little-known British films, with this as a major exception. I took a chance because the cover makes the claim of a "new digitally remastered version" - as far as I can tell it was released in September 2008, but I've only just come across it, having assumed all current versions here would be dreck.

However, and fortunately (!), the transfer is very good. This is, for a start, as I only found out by the logo following the film (the information isn't anywhere else on the set), because it's the Library of Congress print, which therefore must be the same as the Kino. Having watched it closely, it's very good, quite sharp with excellent tones most of the time, but with frequent little speckles and scratches of print damage, the odd (faint) vertical line and a few cue blips - but this doesn't detract from the viewing very much. In fact, having seen the film in a far worse state on television, I was marveling at the clarity of each puff of smoke and drop of rain. I would suggest this is a better transfer of the same print than the Kino, from the information in DVDBeaver's comparison: the film's on DVD-9, presumably therefore progressive, as it shows none of the combing you find in the Kino. In the following emails are screen caps I've taken, trying to match the existing comparison, adding a couple for the menus and those which I think show off the strength of the image.

The DVD is PAL, encoded for all regions. It sounds good - the volume level is high with only a couple of crackles, not really much distortion, say in the higher or lower registers, although I suppose the score does sound aged; there's a bit of sibilance and fuzziness to those crucial whispers at the end of the film, but I can't say that's not how they were intended; it certainly enhances their creepy intimacy. It's all very good, but where Odeon let themselves down is in not knowing what to do with the film having got it - only six chapter points and the only relevant extra (they have a booklet about and trailers for their other releases) is a pamphlet with about half a side of brief biography for each of Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea and Fritz Lang - which feels like a token gesture at best. For me, a good copy for enjoying the film (which I consider a collection essential), but it misses out on making more of the opportunity.

Hope all this helps!"

It does help Luke! Thank very much - this indeed looks like it has, by far, the best image of this important Noir film - and the price sure is right!

ADDITION- Kino - Region 1 - NTSC - November 05' : Kino transferred a fine grain print from the National Film and Television Archive but it seems they couldn't afford to make it progressive as there is prevalent combing in the images. Again, like House By the River, it is only on a single-layered DVD. I still feel this price is exorbitant but as the images will bear out it is the best release to date of this film that is in the purgatory of the Public Domain. The Kalat commentary is a nice addition and it reveals much about this Noir gem. It is easily cleaner, sharper and brighter than the other 3 compared releases and definitely the one to own. Great film!

*****

NOTE: Daryl Chin says:
The problem with SCARLET STREET is one of domain, i.e., who exactly owns the copyright is in question. A lot of that has to do with the rights retained by the original (French) publisher of the novel LA CHIENNE.

BUT I do know that a very good (if not perfect) restoration exists. When The Museum of Modern Art did its Edward G. Robinson retrospective about five years ago, they played an excellent print of SCARLET STREET that had been restored by the UCLA Film Archives and the Library of Congress. I should say that, though good, it was not quite as pristine as the print of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. But it was amazing to see the image not blurred and filled with dirt, but pretty much clean and sharp.

But the question is how can a company get the rights to that print?

(I noticed that you mentioned that, in England, Eureka had put out a PD DVD of SCARLET STREET; perhaps they could find a way to access the UCLA print.)

NOTE: From Eureka - "We withdrew Scarlet Street about a year ago due to the quality not being up to the Eureka standard."