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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
USA 1946
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (pre - A Letter To Three Wives and All About Eve and only his 2nd directorial effort) turns a modest budget 'B' cast with quintessential "amnesia victim" ploy into Film Noir excellence. Actually the villains, anti-heroes and conventions of Noir were just formulating with this little 1946 gem. It actually helped define the genre. A complex film, evenly paced and excellent performances from the likes of John Hodiak (as a soldier who returns to the front with his amnesia slowly determining if, in his former life, he may or may not have been a murderer), Lloyd Nolan and the ever faithful Noir companion - Richard Conte. Lets not forget the ladies - watch for Nancy Guild who had never acted before being signed to a movie contract - she is perfect for the cycle. |
Poster
Theatrical Release: June 12th, 1946
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Rimini Editions - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
1)
20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT
2)
Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT
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Distribution | 20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC | Rimini Editions - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:48:04 | 1:48:10.984 |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 9.16 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 31,873,368,296 bytes Feature: 24,107,821,056 bytesCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 1.0), DUB: Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0) | LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit) |
Subtitles | English, Spanish, None | French, None |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Commentary
by author Eddie Muller |
Release Information: Studio: Rimini
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 31,873,368,296 bytes Feature: 24,107,821,056 bytesCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps
• Patrick Brion discusses Joseph Mankiewicz (38:50
in French - no subtitles) • Trailer
(1:44) Black thin Blu-ray case Blu-ray Release Date: May 18th, 2016 Chapters: 13 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were obtained directly from the Blu-ray disc.
ADDITION: Rimini - Region 'B' - Blu-ray June 16': I was suspicious of Rimini as I didn't think I had reviewed any thing from them before. I was fearing non-removable subtitles - no, thankfully - they are fully removable. As to the video transfer, the French Blu-ray generally looks excellent. There are a few instances where I had to zoom-in fearing waxy digitization, but I think overall it's a very remarkable 1080P image - sublime black levels and beside the 2005 DVD - that SD looks vertically stretched. It shows a few different damage marks, a cue-blip here and there (see samples below) and some minor compression artifacts but overall the flat visuals are acceptable if you don't pull out the magnifying glass, if you aren't too picky - I enjoyed the HD presentation although really discerning viewers (those who project) may be more sensitive to these issues than I am. It's a shade bright and I wish there was more grain replacing the compression issues.
Audio goes linear PCM 2.0 channel in original English and there is an option for French subtitles (fully optional). The score by David Buttolph (Pete Kelly's Blues, Rope, Three Secrets, Kiss of Death, Blood and Sand and many more) works very well with the building tension and drama of Somewhere in the Night. It sounds super in the uncompressed and dialogue is clear and consistent. The Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.
Extras include a 1/2 of Patrick Brion talking about Joseph L. Mankiewicz (in French - no subtitles) and a trailer.
Noir lovers may want to jump all over this - Somewhere in the Night gets better each time I see it and the richness of this 1080P image and the lossless audio only add to the appreciation. Recommended if you aren't too discerning over the perceived image deficiencies! *** ON THE DVD: Aside from many scratches and marks this is an excellent transfer. Sharp with good contrast and shadow detail. Some grain peeks through now and again and it really had a filmic appearance for me. The awfully bright yellow subtitles are not appreciated, but the fine Eddie Muller commentary is. Great job Fox - I see no reason yet not to own all of the 'Fox Film Noir' collection. This is a solid Noir and strong DVD! |
DVD Menus
Rimini - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
1)
20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC
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Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC
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Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1)
20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC
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Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1)
20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC
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Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC
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Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC
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Rimini -
Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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More Blu-ray Captures
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Shades of Noir: A Reader by Joan Copjec |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Box Covers |
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Distribution | 20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 8) - Region 1 - NTSC | Rimini Editions - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |