The Chase Blu-ray - Robert Cummings

directed by Arthur Ripley
USA 1946

The Chase, an obscure, forgotten film, turns out to be a lesser noir, but it nonetheless boasts an intriguing dreamlike atmosphere with expressionistic photography from Franz Planer. Robert Cummings stars as a WWII vet who falls into a job as chauffeur for gangster Steve Cochran and henchman Peter Lorre. Cochran turns out to have an unhappy and unfaithful wife (Michele Morgan), whom Cummings, in classic noir tradition, promptly falls for and plans to run away with. From there the plot takes on surprising twists. Cochran almost steals the show (the scene where he is brutal to his manicurist is memorably nasty), but it is the pictorialism and a few original story elements which lift this movie above the average. The most bizarre of these is a James Bond-like backseat accelerator in Cochran's car that must be seen to be believed! Another sequence involving an attack dog in a wine cellar is an imaginative and spooky idea carried out to only moderate effect. In the hands of a stronger director it could have been a real winner.

Excerpt from Turner Classic Movies located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 16 November 1946

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Comparison:

VCI - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the DVD Review!

1) VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers
Distribution	VCI Region 0 - NTSC	Kino Lorber Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:24:36	1:25:52.313
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.37 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,976,430,695 bytes Feature: 19,572,252,672 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 26.99 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Blu-ray
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Subtitles	None	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Superman cartoon - Showdown (1942) (8:15) • Death by Proxy (26:44 TV edit of Bury Me Dead) • Bios of Robert Cummings, Peter Lorre, June Lockhart, Hugh Beaumont • Film Noir Trailers • Film Noir Movie Poster Gallery • Commentaries on both films by Jay Fenton • Liner notes on both films by Jay Fenton DVD Release Date: August 31, 2004 Keepcase Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Kino Lorber 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,976,430,695 bytes Feature: 19,572,252,672 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 26.99 Mbps Edition Details: • Audio commentary by filmmaker Guy Maddin • First Radio programme (29:21) • Second Radio Programme (26:49) • Trailers: A Bullet For Joey, He Ran All the Way and Witness to Murder Standard Blu-ray case Blu-ray Release Date: May 24th, 2016 Chapters: 8

Comments

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

ADDITION: Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray April 16': This new 1080P image is from the 2012 restoration - mastered in HD from 35mm elements preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive. It's such a giant leap beyond the old DVD but there are still some imperfections - mostly a few speckles, small marks etc. but the improvement is so immense the inconsistencies are totally forgivable.

The audio is in a linear PCM (16-bit). There is no depth or range to speak of but it probably a faithful transfer without any 'pop' or dropout flaws. The film has original music by Michel Michelet who is notable for Diary of a Chambermaid and some noirs of the time period including Impact. It has a harsh edge at times but is supportive without eclipsing the narrative. There are no subtitles and it as being a region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

I really enjoyed the audio commentary by filmmaker, and fellow Canuck, Guy Maddin looking at the film in uique ways and exporting some enjoyable information. There is also an hour's worth of two radio adaptations of Cornell Woolrich's source novel, The Black Path of Fear, starring Brian Donlevy and Cary Grant plus three trailers.

Absolute must-own for the lovers of Noir - and 33% off at the writing of this review. Kino put a lot into this Blu-ray. It deserves a large audience.

***

ON THE DVD: A very important independent noir from from Nero Films, distributed by United Artists. Hopefully, MGM still has a 35-mm film in the archives to be released in the future. Meanwhile, this is the best quality DVD now on the market. I included the restoration statement from Jay Fenton and the sound does suffer with extra noise and distortion from time to time, but it's still very acceptable quality. The disc is packed with extras and you can't beat the low price.

- Gregory Meshman

DVD Menus

Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

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