The House on 92nd Street Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Now It Can Be Told')

directed by Henry Hathaway
USA 1945

Taut and tense mystery thriller that paved the way for many imitators and was one of the first 'Hollywood' pictures to use real locations. Hathaway used advanced camera techniques and a semi-documentary style to tell the tale of a Nazi spy ring in Washington DC during the early years of the Second World War. When college graduate Dietrich (Eythe) is recruited by the Nazis, he runs straight to the FBI and Inspector Briggs (Nolan). Turned into a double agent, Dietrich is sent back out to find the head of the spy ring.

Excerpt from Channel Four's capsule located HERE

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Theatrical Release: September 10th, 1945

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Comparison

20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Covers
Distribution	20th Century Fox (Fox Film Noir # 7) - Region 1 - NTSC	Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:27:45	1:27:53.268
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.74 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 20,086,923,707 bytes Feature: 17,981,853,696 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 23.95 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), English (Dolby Digital 1.0), DUB: Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Subtitles	English, Spanish, None	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller • Photo gallery • Original press booklet DVD Release Date: September 6th, 2005 Keep Case Chapters: 20	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 20,086,923,707 bytes Feature: 17,981,853,696 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 23.95 Mbps Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Film Noir Historian Eddie Muller • Animated Montage of images (3:10) • Trailers *Cry of the City* - 2:33, *Boomerang* - 2:30, *I Wake Up Screaming* - 2:16, *99 River Street* - 2:13, *Shield For Murder* - 1:45, *Daisy Kenyon* - 2:45 Blu-ray Release Date: November 15th, 2016 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters:8

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray November 16': Kino's 2016 Blu-ray transfer is a not a gigantic leap for this semi-documentary Noir. Mostly because the film is not utilizing the typical stylistic shadows and lighting for atmosphere and simply relying on the straightforward look of an dryer expose. The 1080P does improve over SD - notably in grain support. The Kino seems to show more information on the top and right edges but it is negligible. The grain is far more consistent in the higher resolution. It's not much a visually satisfying Noir but I did appreciate the audio improvement via a DTS-HD Master. This was apparent both in narrator Reed Hadley's voice and the score by David Buttolph's (Rope, Three Secrets, Kiss of Death, Blood and Sand, Boomerang) and supports the film very nicely. The Kino does not offer subtitles and is region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Kino offers the same, excellent, Muller commentary, an animated Montage of images and trailers for Cry of the City, Boomerang, I Wake Up Screaming, 99 River Street, Shield For Murder and, Daisy Kenyon.

Not my favorite Noir but I always find it an interesting watch. It goes deep inside the investigatory machinations - impress even at 70-years ago. I re-watch House on 92nd Street - just not as often as... say, Gilda.

***

ON THE DVD: This print was quite dirty and still shows numerous scratches and marks. Some may find close-ups overly grainy at times, but I wasn't bothered. It is, for the most part, a very sharp image. There could have been some slight manipulation in the contrast, its quite hard to be certain, but blacks are pitch and grey levels well defined. Eddie Muller's commentary is a good one expanding upon his, already, bountiful noir knowledge. Yes, this is a typical and hence very appealing Fox Noir product (#7 on the spine). We recommend all of them to date and this included.

Gary W. Tooze