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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Killer Bait" )

 

directed by Byron Haskin
USA 1949

 

Too Late for Tears has all the elements of my favorite type of film noir: a vicious woman--so crafty and so evil she fools, manipulates and destroys the men in her life, a once-in a lifetime opportunity to get rich (so what if it involves a few corpses), the double cross when you least expect it, and a fast trip all the way down that slippery moral slope to film noir purgatory. Directed by Byron Haskin (I Walk Alone and The Naked Jungle) and based on a novel by Roy Huggins, Too Late for Tears showcases former fashion model, gravel-voiced Lizabeth Scott in one of the two major roles she played in Hollywood.

Too Late for Tears is a very tight film with no wasted scenes and no fluff...

Excerpt of review from Guy Savage for Film Noir of the Week located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 13 August 1949 (USA)

Reviews                                                                 More Reviews                                                          DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the DVD Screen Caps!

Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Image Entertainment

Region 0 - NTSC

Alpha
Region 0 - NTSC
Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:38:33 1:38:33 1:41:08.270 1:41:08.270
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.6 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.5 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,613,761,351 bytes

Feature: 22,317,091,968 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,613,761,351 bytes

Feature: 22,317,091,968 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

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

Bitrate:

Image Entertainment (Special Edition)

 

Bitrate:

 

Alpha

 

Bitrate: Flicker Alley Blu-ray

 

Bitrate: Arrow Blu-ray

 

Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (English)

Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (English)

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles None None English (SDH), None English (SDH), None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Image Entertainment

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Still and Lobby Card Gallery
• Cast and Crew Filmographies
• Dan Duryea: Lady Killer (Video essay by Eddie Muller) (5:03))
• Lizabeth Scott: Femme Fatale (Video essay by Eddie Muller) (8:18)

DVD Release Date: May 25, 2004
Snap Case

Chapters 12

Release Information:
Studio: Alpha

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• None

 

DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003
Keep Case

Chapters 6

Release Information:
Studio: Flicker Alley

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,613,761,351 bytes

Feature: 22,317,091,968 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Edition Details:

• Audio Commentary Track - By writer, historian, and film programmer Alan K. Rode.
• Chance Of A Lifetime: The Making of Too Late For Tears Produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation and featuring Eddie Muller, Kim Morgan, and Julie Kirgo, this mini-doc offers a behind-the-scenes examination of the film s original production (16:26)
• Tiger Hunt: Restoring Too Late For Tears Produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation, this is a chronicle of the multi-year mission to rescue this lost noir classic. (4:31)
• 24-Page Souvenir Booklet Featuring rare photographs, poster art, original lobby cards, and an essay by writer and noir-expert Brian Light

DVD

Blu-ray Release Date: May 17th, 2016
Transparent
Blu-ray Case

Chapters:  13

Release Information:
Studio: Arrow

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,613,761,351 bytes

Feature: 22,317,091,968 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Edition Details:

• Audio Commentary by writer, historian, and film programmer Alan K. Rode
• Chance Of A Lifetime: The Making of Too Late For Tears a new behind-the-scenes examination of the film s original production produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation and featuring noir experts Eddie Muller, Kim Morgan, and Julie Kirgo
• Tiger Hunt: Restoring Too Late For Tears a chronicle of the multi-year mission to rescue this lost noir classic produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation
• Gallery featuring rare photographs, poster art and original lobby cards
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
• Booklet featuring new writing by writer and noir expert Brian Light

• DVD

Blu-ray Release Date: June 13th, 2016
Transparent
Blu-ray Case

Chapters: 13

 

 

 

Comments

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

ADDITION: Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray (May 2016): The Arrow is the exact same disc as the Flicker Alley - exact same disc size. feature size, running time to the 1000th of a second - same extras - same menus. Our review details below will be identical for the Arrow. Only the cover is different... it seems the package used the duplicate restoration and they decided to share in the Blu-ray production. It is also region free. This still gets a massive recommendation!

***

ADDITION: Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray (May 2016): The elements literally hunted down - detective style - for Too Late For Tears are superior to the simultaneously released Woman on the Run. Flicker Alley have put the classic to Blu-ray - it's from the recent restoration that involved, among other things, a French DUP negative and plenty of persistence. It's grainy but you can see from the captures the advancement over the past DVDs. It is not without inconsistencies, speckles, marks, but it's the best I have ever seen the film - and probably the best it's looked for a half-century. It has more information in the frame (than the DVDs) and is appropriately dark and heavy.

Flicker Alley use a linear PCM mono track and it sounds consistent with only minor imperfections. The score is by R. Dale Butts (No Man's Woman, The Shanghai Story, Stranger at My Door, Hell's Half Acre, City That Never Sleeps) is almost non-existent - not adding much to the atmosphere.  Flicker Alley also add optional English subtitles to their region FREE Blu-ray disc.

We get an audio commentary by writer, historian, and film programmer Alan K. Rode who exposes his expertise in Too Late For Tears most minute details and it's a pleasure to listen to. Chance Of A Lifetime: The Making of Too Late For Tears is 16.5 minutes and produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation and features Eddie Muller, Kim Morgan, and Julie Kirgo. It offers a behind-the-scenes examination of the film's original production and is very worthwhile. Tiger Hunt: Restoring Too Late For Tears is likewise produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation and it chronicles the multi-year mission to rescue this lost noir classic. There is a 24-Page Souvenir Booklet Featuring rare photographs, poster art, original lobby cards, and an essay by writer and noir-expert Brian Light and the package also has a second disc DVD.

Perhaps Lizabeth Scott's most 'noir' role (pragmatic money-hungry femme fatale in the extreme), Duryea's typical evil-ness and Too Late For Tears is one of the more important titles from the cycle. We are so pleased to have this restored and in 1080P - we give this Blu-ray a very strong recommendation! How can we resist?

***

ON THE DVDs: One of the best B film noirs from 1949, Too Late for Tears is unfortunately not available in any decent copy on DVD. All public domain discs are sourced from the same beat-up 16 mm print with audio drops  and very bad scratches (notice the same damage spots). The contrast is muddy, so all the scenes in the dark (and there are many of those) are really hard to see. We compared 2 versions from Image (labeled as Special Edition) and Alpha and both look very weak.

There is a slight edge to the Image disc due to better contrast, but we still can not recommend this release for image quality. Image disc also includes an informative video essays by film noir csar Eddie Muller and some stills in a photo gallery, but I can't wait for the time when Eddie can provide a full-length audio commentary for this title. Film Noir Foundation already announced Too Late for Tears as one of their next projects for restoration, so hopefully we will see it in our lifetime - a release worthy of this underrated classic.

 - Gregory Meshman

 


DVD Menus
(
Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)


 

 

 

 

Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray Subtitle Sample

 

 

Screen Captures

 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Image Entertainment (Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2)
Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Flicker Alley and Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

More Blu-ray Captures


 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Blu-ray

Sound:

Blu-ray

Extras: Blu-ray

 
Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Image Entertainment

Region 0 - NTSC

Alpha
Region 0 - NTSC
Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Flicker Alley Blu-rays Reviewed at DVDBeaver:





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