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

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (January 2021): Indicator have transferred six more Columbia Film Noirs - as part of their Volume 2 boxset. The six films, on individual Blu-ray discs are; Framed (Richard Wallace, 1947), 711 Ocean Drive (Joseph M Newman, 1950), The Mob (Robert Parrish, 1951), Affair in Trinidad (Vincent Sherman, 1952), Tight Spot (Phil Karlson, 1955) and Murder By Contract (Irving Lerner, 1958,) Indicator's Columbia Noir #1 Blu-ray set was voted the third best Boxset of the Year in our 2020 Poll.

The image quality is at Indicator's lofty standard. For the other Blu-ray transfer of these films - the UK renderings are superior. NOTE: On Framed we lost that strange vertical and uniform combing that we commented on in the Imprint Essential Noir Blu-ray Box review. Indicator present these all in 1080P and they looks consistent with plenty of grain texture and rare damage marks (you can se on 711 Ocean Drive - the subtitle sample - the Kit Parker has the same vertical scratch on the left side). Tight Spot is a shade dark but I have no reason not to believe that this is accurate. I had no issues at all with the HD presentations - great contrast and occasional depth. These looked great - hopefully the compared captures below will support that.  

NOTE: We have added 114 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator use linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The effects reflect the era and budget that they were made and gunfire can export some minor depth but the film's audio transfers are authentically flat supported by scores for three of the films (The Mob, Affair in Trinidad and Tight Spot) by George Duning (Two Rode Together, The Eddy Duchin Story, 3:10 to Yuma, Jeanne Eagels, The Shadow on the Window, My Sister Eileen, etc.) and composers, for the other 3 films, such as, for Framed, Marlin Skiles (My Gun is Quick, Queen of Outer Space, Flat Top, The Maze, Dead Reckoning) and on Murder By Contract; Perry Botkin Sr. (The Beverly Hillbillies TV series), and for 711 Ocean Drive; Sol Kaplan (Trapped, Deadline USA, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Seven Wonders of the World, Niagara, The House on Telegraph Hill.) They all sound clear and clean. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-rays.

The Indicator Blu-rays offer a new (2021) commentary for every film in the set - starting with one of my favorites; Imogen Sara Smith (author of In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City) on Richard Wallace's 1947 Framed, discussing it as an economical example of pragmatic Noir produced in the 40's and 50's - starting with the no-nonsense, single word, title and later discussing how the gold/silver mining brings an element of the western genre to this prototypical Noir. She is always excellent. On 711 Ocean Drive we are privy to a commentary by Glenn Kenny who discusses it as a borderline 'crime procedural' blending into a Noir also describing the latter's film lineage. I enjoyed his insights. For Robert Parrish's The Mob we get a commentary by filmmaker, editor and writer Gina Telaroli. She starts by discussing the George Dunning score - also used in the opening of, what she considers the quintessential Noir, Fritz Lang's The Big Heat. She observes that both films share an editor in Charles Nelson. It's great to listen to someone who knows film and makes observations about subtleties in the dialogue, plot and performances. For Affair in Trinidad we get film historian and author Lee Gambin who discusses the film in terms of Rita Hayworth's 'comeback' and how it was considered part of the swan song of the classic and more influential Noirs (coming off the heels of Gilda) and much more. He's always informative and you always sense his love of film. In Phil Karlson's Tight Spot we get Nora Fiore (The Nitrate Diva) delivering a lively, witty and detailed commentary. I also enjoyed her commentary on Orson Welles' The Stranger. She's a pleasure to listen to. Lastly, we get a Farran Smith Nehme commentary for Irving Lerner's Murder By Contract where she expands upon, and explains, Martin Scorsese's championing of this unique Noir as well as discussing many of the performers, director and crew.

Other supplements include The Steps of Age a 1951 dramatized documentary written and directed by Ben Maddow, screenwriter of Framed, demonstrating the challenges of growing old as seen through of the eyes of a retired widow. On 711 Ocean Drive Indicator include Diary of a Sergeant - Joseph M Newman’s 24-minue 1945 documentary portrait of Harold Russell, a soldier who lost his hands during World War II and would later win an Oscar for his performance in The Best Years of Our Lives. The Mob Blu-ray offers an audio Guardian Interview with Ernest Borgnine from 2001 running over 1 1/4 hours - playing to the film. It is an archival recording of the much-loved character actor in conversation with Clyde Jeavons at the National Film Theatre, London. Also included is a 50-minute Ernest Borgnine in Conversation from 2009 - an archival video recording of the actor discussing his eventful career with Adrian Wootton at the BFI Southbank, London. Affair in Trinidad shares the disc with 2012's The End of the Affair - a 24-minute conversation with Peter Ford, son of Glenn Ford, who discusses the life and career of his father with the Film Noir Foundation’s Eddie Muller. Also on that Blu-ray is 1951's Caribbean - a documentary by the Crown Film Unit, released the same year as Affair in Trinidad, depicting life and culture in the West Indies, British Guiana, and British Honduras. I enjoyed indulging in the 1951 The Senate Crime Investigations raw extracts from unedited telerecordings of the US senate committee’s hearings into organized crime, originally compiled by the British Film Institute and presented in four parts, including footage of Virginia Hill, who partly inspired Tight Spot. It runs an hour. On the Murder By Contract disc we get a 5-minute, 2014, introduction by Martin Scorsese plus 'Swedes in America' from 1943. It is Irving Lerner’s 18-minute Oscar-nominated short film, presented by Ingrid Bergman, detailing the influence of Swedish immigrants on the United States. Each film / Blu-ray is supplemented by a Three Stooges short, Image gallery and all but Framed have trailers. Also included is another of Indicator's impressive books; this has a 120-page offering strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units. 

I am thrilled to have improved transfer for Framed and 711 Ocean Drive in 1080P plus The Mob (1951,) Affair in Trinidad (1952,) Tight Spot (1955) and Murder By Contract (1958) on stellar Blu-ray - each with first-class commentaries. This may be better than their Columbia Noir #1 Blu-ray set . The package itself is irresistible for Film Noir devotees. It has our highest recommendation. This is a keeper!

Gary Tooze