Cast a Dark Shadow / Wanted for Murder Blu-ray

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

Directed by Lewis Gilbert / Lawrence Huntington
UK 1955 / UK 1946

Death and seduction are the themes of these newly-restored thrillers from the golden age of British noir. In Cast a Dark Shadow, Dirk Bogarde (The Servant, The Damned) stars as Teddy Bare, a smooth-talking cad who maintains a life of leisure by preying on a series of lonely, wealthy women. But the headstrong sister (Kay Walsh) of one of his late wives is determined to bring Teddy's killing streak to an end. In Wanted for Murder, the polished exterior of a refined gentleman (Eric Portman) conceals the heart of a strangler. A young record shop clerk (Dulcie Gray) holds the key to his capture, which puts her at the head of the queue to become his next victim.

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 20th, 1955 / May 23rd, 1946

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Review: Cohen Media - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Cohen Media - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	Cast a Dark Shadow: 1:23:24.250 Wanted for Murder: 1:42:22.000
Video	1.66:1 / 1:33 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 44,915,666,199 bytes Cast a Dark Shadow: 19,767,580,224 bytes Wanted for Murder: 24,324,701,760 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.38 / 28.45 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Cast a Dark Shadow Blu-ray:
Bitrate Wanted for Murder Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Cohen Media 1.66:1 / 1:33 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 44,915,666,199 bytes Cast a Dark Shadow: 19,767,580,224 bytes Wanted for Murder: 24,324,701,760 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.38 / 28.45 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: Trailers • Cast a Dark Shadow (2:05) • Wanted for Murder (1:23) Blu-ray Release Date: April 27th, 2021 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9 / 11

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Cohen Media Blu-ray (April 2021): Cohen Media have transferred two British Noirs; Cast a Dark Shadow and Wanted for Murder shared on one dual-layered Blu-ray. These have been restored by Cohen and look great. Cast a Dark Shadow is the better of the two with rich black levels and wonderful contrast adding nice layering to Jack Asher's (The Brides of Dracula, The Man Who Could Cheat Death, The Hound of the Baskervilles) shadowy cinematography. It is in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio and it a real treat in 1080P. Wanted for Murder is a bit 'lighter' but shows some nice grain texture and like the paired film, is consistent and highly pleasing. It is in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

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

On their Blu-ray, Cohen Media use linear PCM dual-mono tracks (16-bit) in the original English language, for both films. I found the volume a little hushed on Cast a Dark Shadow. It was watchable but I didn't notice the dialogue being less crisp than usual. Scores are by Antony Hopkins (Billy Budd) on Cast a Dark Shadow with Lita Roza performing Jean Wiener's Leave Me Alone in the bar. The score was by Mischa Spoliansky (The Man Who Could Work Miracles, Saint Joan, Hitler: The Last Ten Days) on Wanted for Murder with A Voice in the Night sung by Elizabeth Webb. They support both films well with sharp suspenseful cues on the uncompressed transfer. Cohen Media offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Cohen Media Blu-ray offers only new, restored, trailers for both films. No commentaries or liner notes.

I really enjoyed both films, probably Cast a Dark Shadow more. Bogarde is excellent as the charming playboy fortune-hunter. Kudos to Kay Walsh as the pragmatic second sugar-lady. Wanted for Murder was more of a police procedural but still a fascinating serial-killer hunt. Both work well as thrillers carrying enough dark cinema conventions to please Noir fans on both sides of the pond. Notably Kathleen Harrison is in both films in small roles. While commentaries would be warranted for both - having these rarities together on one stellar Cohen Media Blu-ray is a must-own for vintage film fans. Brilliant with plenty of value here. Strongly recommended!