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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (June 2020): Kino have transferred the George Sherman directed, Richard Conte Noir The Sleeping City to Blu-ray. It is part of their Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III with Abandoned, The Lady Gambles and The Sleeping City. This is transferred to a single-layered disc but the 1080P is very pleasing with fine consistent grain, improved detail and some depth. Like The Lady Gambles it shows the same marks and speckles - quite a few more - but the overall HD presentation is quite an improvement over the interlaced, bare-bones, SD from only 4 years ago.

NOTE: We have added 36 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. It advances the film's audio and moody 'dark cinema' score by Frank Skinner (The World in His Arms, Arabian Nights, The Lady Gambles, The Appaloosa, Madame X, Magnificent Obsession, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, All That Heaven Allows, Thunder Bay, and The Naked City) that that adds further atmosphere. Kino offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray has a wonderful commentary by Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith. She is extremely professional and fully prepared - very eloquent - almost poetic using expressions like "coup de foudre" (I learned something!) and her tone suits the film absolutely perfectly. She is specific analyzing the narrative while exporting dark cinema descriptors in her, carefully chosen, words. Excellent. There is also a trailer.

The Sleeping City is another unjustly forgotten Noir - very atmospheric - filmed on location at Bellevue Hospital, some period-scrumptious decor, the dingy waterfront... with intrepid undercover Conte seeking and finding corruption in the medical system with suspicions rising with his gal-pal sweetie - one of my favorites - Coleen Gray. It's one of the better 'B'-tradition entries in the dark cinema cycle. It's a film I am very happy to own on Blu-ray - vastly improved a/v and a fabulous commentary. More value here for Kino's Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III.

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVD (2016): The Sleeping City is another, superior and, elusive Essential Noir that hasn't surfaced on digital.... until now! It's a cracker with the perfect noirish pairing of Richard Conte and Coleen Gray! Ohh yeah - there is some romance here too.

The disc is predictably single-layered and has no menus, or extras, and the transfer is interlaced (see combing in bottom capture.) Aside from that it was acceptable with some contrast layering and decent detail. The image was clean (some dirt in the beginning) and consistent with no major artefacts or damage (a few, light, vertical scratches - see below.)

The audio is a factor of the production - but dialogue is easily discernable and the score by Frank Skinner (Canyon Passage, Magnificent Obsession, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, All That Heaven Allows, and The Naked City) is a good one and sounds clear. There is some bona-fide tension exported. There are no subtitles and the media is region FREE.

We continue to voice our displeasure at the pricing, made-on-demand status, and lack of any extras. Only Noir addicts (yes, YOU) need apply.  

Gary Tooze