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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (January 2021): Kino Lorber have released Jack Smight's "The Secret War of Harry Frigg'' on an all-new, dual-layered Blu-ray. The film was shot in Techniscope (much like Kino's other current release of "Texas Across the River") and shows a healthy amount of grain. The 2.35:1 HD image features a wide representation of color, with lush greens and reds in particular, some frames do look a little bland, but they are rare. There is a fairly robust contrast as well, which comes in handy during the finale caper's nighttime shots. There is a moderate amount of discernible detail within the frame, though the image looks to be on the softer side. This is all rather interesting given that Roger Ebert once wrote (in his review of 'Counterpoint') that "the movie is shot in Techniscope, a process designed to give a wide-screen picture while saving film and avoiding payment of royalties to the patented processes like Panavision. In this film, as in "Harry Frigg," Techniscope causes washed-out color and a loss of detail. Universal shouldn't be so cheap." This seems to not always be the case here, so perhaps this transfer shows a deeper range of colors than what Ebert viewed. This Ebert quote is also mentioned in the fabulous audio commentary mentioned below.

NOTE: We have added 28 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray features a 16-bit 2.0 DTS-HD Master audio track. This is a pretty clean sounding track, lacking any distracting audio degradations, which helps to make the dialogue more intelligible. The tense final act of the picture especially relies on the score from Carlo Rustichelli (Night Ripper, The Long Hair of Death, The Whip and the Body, Seduced and Abandoned, Divorce - Italian Style, 1974's Ten Little Indians). There are optional English SDH subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray of Jack Smight's "The Secret War of Harry Frigg'' features a new audio commentary by film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer and film historian/biographer Nat Segaloff. They start out the track by mentioning that the film has many detractors, and later on they mention Tarantino's disregard for the picture. Kremer and Segaloff prove to be an exceptional pair, when discussing this film and the cast/crew involved. They even slide down some particularly interesting rabbit holes, such as when they mention that the film's Italian villa was actually shot in Sierra Madre, CA (only a short drive from my childhood home). I also particularly appreciated Segaloff furthering my knowledge of the oft-maligned 'Techniscope' format. Raw stock was one of the cheapest aspects of a Hollywood picture's budget, but one of the advantages of a director working with 2-perf Technicsope was, as Nat Segaloff explains, they could shoot "without having to shoot with the same kind of anamorphic lens, you give yourself another F-stop, you don't have to put another big gob of glass in front of your prime lens. You could get a lot more exposure and a lot more freedom in lighting your sets." Very interesting. Many more topics are discussed within the commentary and I really look forward to listening to more from the two film historians. The only other extra included on Kino's Blu-ray is the film's trailer, and a handful of trailers for other films.

"The Secret War of Harry Frigg'' perhaps took some people aback, with Paul Newman making his first outing into a comedic role. As Kremer and Segaloff mention in their commentary, it is hard for Newman to play this somewhat aloof, silly character, without his intelligence shining through. Kino's Blu-ray certainly benefits from said commentary, and features a solid transfer of the picture. While personally I found it to drag in sections, it is worth seeing for Paul Newman trying something different. The cast is also full of superb comedic character actors.

Colin Zavitz