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(aka "Battle Shock" or "War Shock" or "Brief Rapture")

 

Directed by Paul Henreid
US 19
56

 

Trevor Stevenson (Ralph Meeker, Big House, U.S.A., Kiss Me Deadly), a well-known painter and highly decorated WWII hero, and his new bride Stella (Janice Rule, Invitation to a Gunfighter, The Swimmer) travel to Acapulco for their honeymoon. Soon young women are turning up dead in the area and Trevor who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, is accused of the murders. He believes he may be responsible, since he has long stretches of amnesia where he can't remember anything. Actor/director Paul Henreid (The Scar, Dead Ringer) directed this noirish thriller and co-starred as Police Captain Henrique Monteros, the man investigating the grisly killings. Screenplay by Robert Hill (Female on the Beach) and music score by Les Baxter (Panic in Year Zero!).

***

Any list of the classic attributes of this thing called film noir congers up images of high heels on wet pavement, dark & gritty urban landscapes, double crosses and that four lettered F word; fate.

So how then do honeymooners frolicking on the sun splashed beaches of Acapulco cut the mustard as noir? In no less the works of noted noir authorities Mike Keaney and Art Lyons in their books on the subject; Film Noir Guide and Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir is this film found. As the debate continues to rage over the merits of style vs. theme we’ll have to op out for theme on this hard to find entry. The oft told tale of the unstable WWII vet plays out again with disastrous consequents for any female near our protagonist when a loud noise is heard.

Excerpt from Noir of the Week located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: November 16th, 1956

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

   

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Distribution Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:28:20.670   
Video

Disc Size: 20,502,847,752 bytes

Feature Size: 19,195,951,104 bytes

Average Bitrate: 25.84 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video

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

Bitrate:

Audio

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) 

Subtitles None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Kino

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1

Disc Size: 20,502,847,752 bytes

Feature Size: 19,195,951,104 bytes

Average Bitrate: 25.84 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video

Edition Details:

• 4 film trailers

Blu-ray Release Date: March 13th, 2018
Standard
Blu-ray Case
Chapters: 8

 

 

Comments:

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

This new Kino 1080P is advertised as a "Brand New HD Master from a 4K Scan of the Original 35mm Negative & Positive Separations by Paramount Pictures Archives! " and the Blu-ray image frequently looks strong. It is rich with consistent grain textures, depth of colors and pleasing detail, notable in the close-ups. There are some minor marks, scratches and speckles but they are rare. Overall the 4K restoration looks exquisite. 

The audio has the option of DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono (16-bit.) There are very few aggressive effects as we are not privy to the murders. The score is by Les Baxter (Tales of Terror, X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, Panic in the Year Zero, US version of Baron Blood, The Beast Within) and sounds solid adding atmosphere. There are optional English subtitles on the Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Supplements include only trailers of 4 other films.

I'm appreciative of this Blu-ray package because of its noir-leanings and conventions (murder, amnesia, potential anti-hero protagonist, etc.). I thought I had the ending solved - but I was wrong and that, in itself, is a worthy attribute. This will appeal to fans of 50's crime-thrillers and it has some romance. I have watched it twice, so far. Recommended!

Gary W. Tooze

 


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Distribution Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray



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