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Cover Up [Blu-ray]
(Alfred E. Green, 1949)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Strand Productions Video: Kino Lorber
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:22:39.996 Disc Size: 16,764,836,917 bytes Feature Size: 16,705,689,600 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.90 Mbps Chapters: 8 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: March 24th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles: • None
Extras: • None
Bitrate:
Description: Newly Re-mastered in HD. A Small Town...with Big Secrets! Sam Donovan (Dennis O'Keefe, T-Men, Raw Deal) is an insurance investigator sent to a small Midwest town, to find out whether the death of one of its policyholders was a suicide or murder. Sam is convinced that he was murdered but the entire town, led by the sheriff (William Bendix, Lifeboat), is not talking. It's only when local girl Anita (Barbara Britton, I Shot Jesse James) breaks her silence does Sam begin to uncover the truth. As he falls in love with Anita, he begins to unravel the secret everyone in the town is keeping. Directed by Alfred E. Green (Baby Face), with stunning black-and-white cinematography by the great Ernest Laszlo (Judgment at Nuremberg).
The Film:
Dennis O’Keefe, who gets second billing, even though
it’s his actions (and reactions) we follow throughout
the movie, plays an insurance investigator in Cover Up.
In the unnamed small town somewhere in the Midwest (near
Chicago, apparently) where he’s been sent to look into a
reported case of suicide, he runs straight into a stone
wall. Excerpt from MysteryFile located HERE
Alfred E. Green ("Baby Face"/"The Jolson Story"/"Sierra") directs this pleasing old-fashioned crime drama that's written in a Christmas spirit way by Dennis O'Keefe and Jerome Odlum. It's about Chicago insurance detective Sam Donovan (Dennis O'Keefe) who investigates in the rural peaceful Midwestern small town of Cleberg, during the Christmas holiday season, the supposed suicide of a hated elderly local named Roger Phillips. Why the town hates him is never clarified with specifics, but he was reputed to be a scoundrel. Things don't add up to suicide for Sam when Sheriff Larry Best (William Bendix) informs him there was no gun found and no coroner's report. But no one in town, including the sheriff, wants to call it murder. Sam forces the reluctant sheriff to show him the recovered bullet from the missing Luger murder weapon. The beneficiary of the estate, the victim's niece (Virginia Christine), doesn't want an investigation even if the insurance policy has a double indemnity in case of murder--meaning she would receive twice as much in benefits. Excerpt from Dennis Schwartz located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Cover Up comes to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The source is in solid shape and despite a few very minor vertical scratches - it is exceptionally clean - with hardly any speckles. The image certainly advances over the sloppy DVDs that have surfaced. This is only single-layered with modest bitrate but I expect this is as good as the film has ever looked on digital. There is a touch of depth - and contrast layers are pleasing. Detail wavers a shade, but that is probably the original production. Pretty solid overall with some nice grain textures and only a minor few artifacts. The cinematography by master Ernest Laszlo (Ten Seconds to Hell, While the City Sleeps, Kiss Me Deadly, D.O.A.) embodies his realistic and naturalistic visuals and is supported well by the 1080P.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :What has become a standard DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono at 1554 kbps significantly elevates the Hans J. Salter (Man Without a Star, Scarlet Street, The Land Unknown, The War Lord, The Mole People) score. It sounds almost Herrmann-esque at times with its depth. There are no subtitles offered and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : None. Not even a trailer - a true bare-bones disc.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze February 17th, 2015
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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.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
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