Too Late For Tears - Lizabeth Scott

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

(aka "Killer Bait" )

directed by Byron Haskin
USA 1949

Too Late for Tears has all the elements of my favorite type of film noir: a vicious woman--so crafty and so evil she fools, manipulates and destroys the men in her life, a once-in a lifetime opportunity to get rich (so what if it involves a few corpses), the double cross when you least expect it, and a fast trip all the way down that slippery moral slope to film noir purgatory. Directed by Byron Haskin (I Walk Alone and The Naked Jungle) and based on a novel by Roy Huggins, Too Late for Tears showcases former fashion model, gravel-voiced Lizabeth Scott in one of the two major roles she played in Hollywood.

Too Late for Tears is a very tight film with no wasted scenes and no fluff...

Excerpt of review from Guy Savage for Film Noir of the Week located HERE

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Theatrical Release: 13 August 1949 (USA)

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DVD Comparison:

Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the Screen Caps!

(Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Image Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC	Alpha Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:38:33	1:38:33
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.6 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.5 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: Image Entertainment (Special Edition)
Bitrate: Alpha
Audio	Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (English)	Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (English)
Subtitles	None	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Still and Lobby Card Gallery • Cast and Crew Filmographies • Dan Duryea: Lady Killer (Video essay by Eddie Muller) (5:03)) • Lizabeth Scott: Femme Fatale (Video essay by Eddie Muller) (8:18) DVD Release Date: May 25, 2004 Snap Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Alpha Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 6

Comments

One of the best B film noirs from 1949, Too Late for Tears is unfortunately not available in any decent copy on DVD. All public domain discs are sourced from the same beat-up 16 mm print with audio drops and very bad scratches (notice the same damage spots). The contrast is muddy, so all the scenes in the dark (and there are many of those) are really hard to see. We compared 2 versions from Image (labeled as Special Edition) and Alpha and both look very weak.

There is a slight edge to the Image disc due to better contrast, but we still can not recommend this release for image quality. Image disc also includes an informative video essays by film noir csar Eddie Muller and some stills in a photo gallery, but I can't wait for the time when Eddie can provide a full-length audio commentary for this title. Film Noir Foundation already announced Too Late for Tears as one of their next projects for restoration, so hopefully we will see it in our lifetime - a release worthy of this underrated classic.

- Gregory Meshman

DVD Menus
(Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)