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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

directed by King Vidor

USA 1949

 

"What a dump!" That's the classic line delivered by Bette Davis at the halfway point of Beyond the Forest, her final Warner Bros. effort of the 1940s. Some Davis devotees feel as though this vituperative utterance is the high point of an otherwise turgid melodrama; others consider the line a succinct assessment of the entire film. Based on a best-selling novel by Stuart Engstrand, the film stars Davis as Rosa Moline, a small-town girl with big-city ambitions. Trapped in a dull marriage to just-getting-by lawyer Lewis Moline (Joseph Cotten), Rosa plots and plans to sexually entrap millionaire industrialist Neil Latimer (David Brian). That Rosa's scheme is doomed from the start is telegraphed at every juncture by Max Steiner's sledgehammer musical score (few will ever want to hear the song "Chicago" again after this). Hampered by the censorship standards of the era, the film is prevented from being as frank as the novel; in one scene, for example, Rosa is obviously visiting an abortionist, but the sign on the door reads "Psychiatrist." A standard entry in most film historians' "Worst Movies" lists (even Davis herself hated it), Beyond the Forest is rather entertaining in its own schlocky fashion.

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 21st, 1949

 

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DVD Comparison: 

Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL vs. la Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL

1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL LEFT

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL RIGHT

 

DVD Box Covers

 

 

Distribution

Llamentol

Region 2 - PAL

La Collection TCM

Region 2 - PAL

Runtime 1:29:00 (4% PAL speedup) 1:29:12 (4% PAL speedup)
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.5 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.1 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Bitrate

Audio English 1.0, DUB: Spanish 1.0 English 1.0
Subtitles Spanish, none French, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Llamentol

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• none

DVD Release Date: June 11th, 2013
Amaray

Chapters 8

Release Information:
Studio: L
a Collection TCM

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• none

DVD Release Date: March, 2014
Amaray

Chapters 9

 

Comments

ADDITION- La Collection TCM - PAL - July 4th, 2014: Yes, it is superior - both in video (more solid contrast, richer black levels) and audio - perhaps the latter even more significant. I did note one instance of chroma (Bette's skirt on the witness stand) but otherwise the higher bitrate and, possibly a more stable source, looks quite a bit improved. Optional French subtitles, no extras - but this is the edition to get to watch this above-average Noir!

***

Very cool, over-the-top, Noir. Bette Davis 'bad girl' performance is... rich dark cinema fodder. I've wanted to see Beyond the Forest for years. There is a French DVD, HERE, that we will compare to as this Spanish disc obviously has issues.

The Spanish SD-transfer disc is single-layered and looks to have come from some modest analog source. It has artefacts and looks quite hazy. I see brightness boosting but the image quality improves as it runs along. It is strongest through the middle 1/3.

 

The audio is about the same level as the video - it is inconsistent and sounds scattered at times. The Spanish DUB is tinny and the original English seems like the sync may be slightly off. There are also optional Spanish subtitles and the disc is PAL - region 2-locked. There are no extras.

Obviously, this is a very flawed DVD, and we can only recommend to Noir devotees who are ultra-keen to see the film. This is a keen part of the cycle and I'm glad I was able to watch it - which I will definitely do again. We will try to get our hands on the French DVD soon to compare.

  - Gary Tooze

 


DVD Menus

1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL LEFT

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL RIGHT

 


Screen Captures

 

1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


 

1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


 

1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


 

1) Llamentol - Region 2 - PAL TOP

2) La Collection TCM - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM

 


DVD Box Covers

 

 

Distribution

Llamentol

Region 2 - PAL

La Collection TCM

Region 2 - PAL

 



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