Cell 2455 Death Row Blu-ray - William Campbell

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

(aka "Cell 2455, Death Row" )

directed by Fred Sears
USA 1955

Based on the autobiographical book by Caryl Chessman, this fictionalized account of how a boy becomes a brutal criminal is both shocking and sensational. William Campbell plays Whit Whittier, who begins with petty crime, escalating to violence, and finally convicted on charges of robbery and rape, is sent to San Quentin's Death Row. While awaiting execution, Whittier studies law and manages to successfully represent himself in appeal after appeal. The real story of Chessman was controversial for the prosecutor's use of the Lindbergh kidnap law, in an unorthodox way, resulting in Chessman's death sentence for crimes that did not amount to murder. A gripping, shocking film, particularly for its time, which explores the problems of juvenile delinquency and the justice system without shying away from controversy. Directed by Fred F. Sears (Earth vs. The Flying Saucers and Rock Around the Clock), with Marian Carr, Kathryn Grant and Vince Edwards.

Poster and one Book Cover

Theatrical Release: April 19th, 1955

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Sony - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover

Distribution	Sony Region 0 - NTSC	Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:16:54	1:17:04.620
Video	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.32 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,813,861,592 bytes Feature: 15,751,446,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 24.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Blu-ray
Audio	Dolby Digital 1.0 (English)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 894 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 894 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Sony Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical trailer (2:13) DVD Release Date: March 5th, 2011 Keep Case Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: Kit Parker 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,813,861,592 bytes Feature: 15,751,446,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 24.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • No extras - shares the disc with Bait and The Crooked Web Blu-ray Release Date: July 16th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments

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

ADDITION: Kit Parker Blu-ray (August 2019): Kit Parker Films in association with Millcreek Entertainment have released the first (of three announced) of these 3 Blu-ray / 9 Film Noir features Boxsets. Volume Two is has:

Bait (1954), The Crooked Web (1955), The Night Holds Terror (1955), Footsteps in the Fog (1955), Cell 2455, Death Row (1955), 5 Against the House (1955), New Orleans Uncensored (1955), Spin a Dark Web (1955), and Rumble on the Docks (1956)

Volume One was described as "Stalwart noir directors and casts highlight these hard to find features Address Unknown (1944) dir/William Cameron Menzies, cast/Paul Lukas, Carl Esmond, Peter Van Eyck; Escape in the Fog (1945) dir/Oscar (Budd) Boetticher cast/Otto Kruger, Nina Foch, William Wright; The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947) dir/Henry Levin cast/Rosalind Russell, Melvyn Douglas, Sid Caesar; The Black Book (aka The Reign of Terror) (1949) dir/Anthony Mann cast/Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Arlene Dahl; Johnny Allegro (1949) dir/Ted Tetzlaff cast/George Raft, Nina Foch, George Macready; 711 Ocean Drive (1950) dir/Joseph M. Newman cast/Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto Kruger; The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) dir/Earl McEvoy cast/Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, William Bishop; Assignment Paris (1952) dir/Earl McEvoy cast/Dana Andrews, Marta Toren, George Sanders; The Miami Story (1954) dir/Fred F. Sears cast/Barry Sullivan, Luther Adler, John Baer - all in high definition presented in their original aspect ratios."

So, also 3 films on a dual-layered Blu-ray, with a decent bitrate in 1080P and this is in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This has the same light marks as the Sony DVD - but is brighter with more detail in close-ups, and the higher resolution exports more texture. The differences are certainly there but will be notable dependant on how large your system is.

The audio is 24-bit lossless (DTS-HD Master mono) exporting the score from Mischa Bakaleinikoff (Comanche Station, It Came from Beneath the Sea, The Giant Claw, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, The 27th Day, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Lady for a Day) which carries more ominous-mood depth than on the DVD. The Blu-ray offers optional English subtitles (see sample) on this Region FREE Blu-ray package.

No supplements - but the disc is shared with Bait and The Crooked Web. Crime-Drama fans get to revisit these minor and often flawed gems in a far more film-like presentation with optional subtitles. This is a decent bio-drama with the obvious prison milieu and robbery-crime heist angles. It shows a sympathetic side to the condemned prisoner with the early sequences of his unfortunate childhood. It's a worthy addition to this Blu-ray set.

Gary Tooze

***

ON THE DVD: I was starting to really get into Cell 2455 Death Row and then it seemed to abruptly conclude. It didn't feel like a 'B'-picture as I viewed it (it has some superior attributes) but certainly finished with, what felt like, time to spare.

It's standard single-layered but progressive in, and around, the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. IMDb says it was originally 1.66:1 - which I suppose is possible but seems odd to me. This is another Sony MoD and is watchable but certainly nothing stellar in terms of a visual presentation. Contrast is a bit muddy.

The mono sound is decent but unremarkable and there are no subtitles offered. The only supplement is the film's trailer.

I could help but think of ToS every time I saw actor William Campbell - playing the protagonist Whit Whittier. He was the memorable 'Trelane' in The Squire of Gothos. I like prison dramas although this views it from an unusual angle. It was okay, but I probably wouldn't recommend at the offered price.