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directed by Robert Aldrich
USA 1955
| Academy Award winners* Jack Palance, Rod
Steiger and Shelley Winters deliver knockout performances in
this vicious "poison-pen letter to the movie business" (American
Cinematheque)that's an extreme close-up of greed, lust and
murder! Hollywood superstar Charlie Castle (Palance) has it all
except a way out. When he tries to leave show business, his
tyrannical studio boss Stanley Hoff (Steiger) blackmails him
with a lethal, covered-up secret that could land him in jail. A
loose-lipped starlet (Winters) also knows too much, and when she
starts talking, Hoff plans murder. Now Charlie is more cornered
than ever on the brink of losing his wealth, his power and his
soul.
*** A dynamite portrait of a man on the verge of total psychological and moral collapse, Robert Aldrich's 1955 indictment of Hollywood stars Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, and Rod Steiger. Adapted from a series of plays by Clifford Odets, Aldrich's film focuses on the ways in which a man's freedom is systematically denied him by the forces that control his world, whether that world is the arts, business, or politics. Palance is superb as the Hollywood star who now has to be blackmailed to continue starring in the dreadful films produced by Rod Steiger (in a magnificent portrayal of Harry Cohn, Louis B. Mayer, and Jack Warner rolled into one). Electric, exciting, and ultimately very depressing. |
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Theatrical Release: 25 October 1955 (Los Angeles, California)
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DVD Review: MGM - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!
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| Distribution |
MGM Region 1 - NTSC |
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| Runtime | 1:53:52 | |
| Video |
1.33:1 Open Matte format |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, French, None | |
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Release Information: Studio: MGM Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 16 |
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| Comments |
MGM's DVD release of The Big Knife dates back to 2002 and unfortunately, the print used for this transfer has seen the better days. The film is presented open matte so there is a lot of head room. A 1.85:1, or 1.66:1, aspect ratio with higher resolution and anamorphic enhancement would have probably improved the image detail. There are some marks and specks on the print and 2 sequences at 1:23 have some noticeable damage for about 2-3 frames (see the last capture).
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio is fine and there are optional yellow subtitles provided in English, French or Spanish. In 2009 Optimum released this film on DVD in UK HERE and in 2010 MGM released it in Australia, but we don't have those discs to compare. The US disc was recently discontinued, so if you can find it for the right price, pick it up. But otherwise, this film deserves a better release. |
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Damage
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| Distribution |
MGM Region 1 - NTSC |
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