Calcutta Blu-ray - Alan Ladd

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

Directed by John Farrow
USA 1947

From John Farrow, the acclaimed director of Wake Island, The Big Clock, Alias Nick Beal, His Kind of Woman, Hondo and Back from Eternity, comes this classic film noir starring screen legend Alan Ladd (This Gun for Hire, The Blue Dahlia, Shane) with Gail Russell (The Uninvited, Angel and the Badman) and William Bendix (Lifeboat, The Glass Key). Neale (Ladd) and Pedro (Bendix) fly cargo between Chungking and Calcutta. When their friend and fellow pilot Bill is murdered, Neale vows to play judge and jury and bring the criminals to justice himself. Along the way, he meets Bill’s fiancée Virginia (Russell) and becomes suspicious of a deeper plot while also falling for her charms. Beautifully shot by John F. Seitz (The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity) and co-starring June Duprez (And Then There Were None), this heart-pounding thriller simmers with postwar intrigue.

***

Neale and Pedro fly cargo between Chungking and Calcutta. When their buddy Bill is murdered they investigate. Neale meets Bill's fiancée Virginia and becomes suspicious of a deeper plot while also falling for her charms.

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 20th, 1946

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Only available at present as part of Kino's Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema IV with Calcutta, An Act of Murder and Six Bridges to Cross
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:23:27.711
Video	1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 20,719,410,298 bytes Feature: 19,833,434,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.88Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 20,719,410,298 bytes Feature: 19,833,434,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.88Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Nick Pinkerton • Calcutta Trailer (2:20) Blu-ray Release Date: July 14th, 2020 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (June 2020): Kino have transferred John Farrow's Calcutta to Blu-ray as part of Kino's Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema IV with Calcutta, An Act of Murder and Six Bridges to Cross.

The single-layered transfer has a supportive bitrate but the source has weaknesses - frequently looking 'rough' with damage (see last captures below) and clunky texture. It is inconsistent as quite a few sequences look much stronger with superior contrast. There may be density problems with the print as the DVD I have seen has similar issues.

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. The film's audio, like the video, is imperfect with some rougher patches - there are plane engine effects and a song-dance number with This Is Madness performed by June Duprez. There is a solid score by Victor Young's (The Accused, Strategic Air Command, The Sun Shines Bright, Johnny Guitar, China Gate etc.) sounding supportive for an exotic adventure. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton. He has researched the film and its participants (cast and crew) thoroughly and rarely takes a break in exporting resume-like data on the stars, director Farrow with plenty of negatives and his penchant for the long take, etc. He always reveals details that I find both interesting and educational (ex. John Farrow was husband to Tarzan's 'Jane' - Maureen O'Sullivan who bore him 7 children including daughter Mia.) Pinkerton is incredibly knowledgeable and really adds value to have his commentary on the Blu-ray. There is also a theatrical trailer.

John Farrow's Calcutta is a Noir with the pairing of Ladd + Bendix who were together in two classics of the 'dark cinema'; The Blue Dahlia and The Glass Key. It has Ladd in his prime - a bonus - and is a slightly above average crime-intrigue-adventure - one of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between the years 1929 to 1949, and sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution. They have been owned and controlled by Universal since then. The Kino Blu-ray is likely as good as the film will get and has the Pinkerton commentary to augment value. A decent start to the Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema IV boxset with its inclusion on our 'essential list."