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World For Ransom [Blu-ray]
(Robert Aldrich, 1954)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Plaza Productions Video: Olive Films
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:22:17.974 Disc Size: 22,236,670,425 bytes Feature Size: 22,106,984,448 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.99 Mbps Chapters: 8 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: January 20th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 2002 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2002 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: • None
Extras: • None
Bitrate:
Description: An exotic film noir set against the backdrop of
Cold War Shanghai, World for Ransom stars Dan Duryea (Scarlet
Street) a roguish detective Mike Callahan, who is
drawn into a plot to kidnap a nuclear scientist (Arthur
Shields). But the deeper Callahan delves into the mystery,
the more labyrinthine the conspiracy becomes, as military
intelligence (led by Reginald Denny), a criminal mastermind
(Gene Lockhart), and a cross-dressing femme fatale (Marian
Carr) all vie to control his fate.
The Film: World for Ransom is an unofficial extension of the popular 1950s TV series China Smith. Most of the Smith personnel, including star Dan Duryea, director Robert Aldrich and cinematographer Joseph Biroc, are on hand for this inexpensive but well-mounted melodrama. Duryea plays a mercenary adventurer who gets mixed up in a scheme by foreign spies (who wear baggy suits and speak with Slavic accents) to kidnap a nuclear scientist. Actually it isn't the whole world that's held for ransom--only the city of Singapore, which the spies threaten with nuclear annihilation. World for Ransom star Dan Duryea is solidly supported by old pros Gene Lockhart, Patric Knowles, Reginald Denny and Nigel Bruce. A Monogram cheapie derived from the NBC TV series China Smith, this is a seminal Aldrich movie with Duryea, as private eye Mike Callahan, the first in a long line of compromised idealists who recur throughout the director's work. The plot concerns a kidnapped nuclear scientist - we're in Cold War country here - and the story's set in a Poverty Row Singapore. 'It was a parody on the usual exotic espionage adventure films' Aldrich remarked in an interview. He thought it 'interesting', indeed 'pretty good', but was sore about the excision of a scene which portrayed the girl Duryea loves as a lesbian (after Dietrich in Morocco). The whole point, he explained, was that Duryea could forgive her past life with men, but couldn't handle her love for women. Nor could the censors, it seems. Boy's Own material on the surface, maybe, but on the level of characterisation a compelling exploration of partnerships, brotherly bonds, and the fallibility of trust. Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. World For Ransom has a far amount of softness in the 1080P, single-layered, bare-bones, Blu-ray transfer from Olive Films. It has an extremely high bitrate but the source has some issues that result in inordinate softness. The film has a few speckles but it is the inconsistencies that are the most troubling flaws. It is transferred in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The black levels appear acceptable - occasionally strong - but there is a softness that comes and goes depending on the scene. Overall it can tend to look less presentable than we have seen in the past - this is solely because of the compromised source, IMO. The 1080P Blu-ray is based on a unrestored print but it is not a film that will receive any extensive film-level work. I, still, suspect this is the best it will ever look for your home viewing pleasure.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Occasionally scattered audio through some of the film. Olive's DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 2002 kbps seems to export as well as could be expected with only minor issues. There are minor issues but nothing untoward. Frank De Vol's (The Dirty Dozen, Kiss Me Deadly, The Big Knife (1955), What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, McLintock) score attractively runs beside the film dark aura. There is a touch of depth in spots. There are no subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : No supplements - not even a trailer which is the bare-bones route that Olive are going with most of their Blu-ray releases.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze January 28th, 2015 |
About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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