Kino Lorber Studio Classics: Film Noir: the Dark Side of Cinema I-XIX

Vinegar Syndrome, Deaf Crocodile, Imprint, Cinema Guild, and more.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Kino Lorber Studio Classics: Film Noir: the Dark Side of Cinema I-XIX

#1 Post by domino harvey » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:52 pm

Kino's WTF idea of a Noir set from Universal:

the Female Animal
the Price of Fear
Thunder on the Hill

User avatar
senseabove
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#2 Post by senseabove » Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:18 pm

I guess I'm mildly pleased by what it means for the likelihood of more lesser Sirk coming from them that they see him as a strong enough draw to saddle something like Thunder with the barrel-scraping box-set price gouge? And while I don't exactly have high hopes, I am intrigued by The Female Animal: produced by Zugsmith between The Tarnished Angels and Touch of Evil (to which this reportedly was the "A" picture!), shot by Russell Metty, and this for a plot synopsis:
"Jaded movie star Vanessa Windsor, saved from a studio accident by handsome extra Chris Farley, pursues him, and soon he’s the ‘caretaker’ of her beach house. Vanessa’s sexy, alcoholic adult daughter Penny accidentally meets Chris, who rescues her from an ‘octopus’ boyfriend. Before you know it, Chris is involved with both mother and daughter, and his only way out is to take a job in a Mexican picture about man-eating orchids…"

GetHarryPalmer
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:06 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#3 Post by GetHarryPalmer » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:34 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:52 pm
Kino's WTF idea of a Noir set from Universal:

the Female Animal
the Price of Fear
Thunder on the Hill
You're a sad little puppy.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#4 Post by domino harvey » Wed Mar 18, 2020 5:03 pm

Well, to counter that, KL announced the titles for their third noir set, and they're better than the previous set:

Abandoned, the Lady Gambles, the Sleeping City

Abandoned is the real winner of the three-- it's fresh and lively and a true hidden gem. It never quite lives up to its initial promise, but this is the kind of needle in a haystack this genre lives by. Lady Gambles is okay in a never need to see it again sort of way, and the Sleeping City is a bit of a mess but the circulating copy is horrendous so it's nice that we're getting a massive upgrade

mteller
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:23 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#5 Post by mteller » Wed Mar 18, 2020 5:18 pm

I haven't seen the other two, but I will back up domino's assessment of Abandoned. A darn good flick.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#6 Post by domino harvey » Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:02 am

Did we miss that there’s now a fourth Noir volume with Calcutta, An Act of Murder, and Six Bridges to Cross? Haven’t seen Bridges but the other two are pretty bad. I feel like anyone here could have picked better Noir titles from Universal’s vault, but I guess that’s why they’re slopping these all together

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#7 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Sep 03, 2021 4:27 pm

Per KL Insider...
We have three announcements this long weekend, five films:

1940s Universal - Saturday
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema V - Sunday
1990s Universal 4KUHD - Monday

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#8 Post by FrauBlucher » Sun Sep 05, 2021 11:23 am

Coming Dec 14...
Image

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#9 Post by domino harvey » Sun Sep 05, 2021 12:17 pm

Didn’t they already release the Midnight Story (which is awful) in their Tony Curtis box? They really couldn’t find another noir in Universal’s lot instead?

User avatar
captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#10 Post by captveg » Sun Sep 05, 2021 2:23 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Sun Sep 05, 2021 12:17 pm
Didn’t they already release the Midnight Story (which is awful) in their Tony Curtis box? They really couldn’t find another noir in Universal’s lot instead?
No, the Curtis set was The Perfect Furlough, The Great Impostor, and 40 Pounds of Trouble.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#11 Post by domino harvey » Sun Sep 05, 2021 3:40 pm

Crazy, I could have sworn Midnight Story was already announced before this

User avatar
dwk
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#12 Post by dwk » Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:22 pm

Saturday's announcement

FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA VI
• John Brahm's Singapore - Fred MacMurray & Ava Gardner
• William Castle's Johnny Stool Pigeon - Howard Duff, Dan Duryea & Tony Curtis
• George Sherman's The Raging Tide - Shelley Winters & Richard Conte

Tomorrow's announcement is going to be Volume 7 of the Film Noir sets and will be made up of 3 MGM titles.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#13 Post by domino harvey » Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:26 pm

I’ve only seen Singapore from that lot, but it’s terrible. No surprise they’re bundling it with other films even with two marketable stars in it

mteller
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:23 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#14 Post by mteller » Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:48 am

To me, Raging Tide is the real stinker of that box, but none of them are great. They're announcing another set tomorrow, I don't have very high hopes for it though.

User avatar
dwk
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#15 Post by dwk » Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:31 pm

Film Noir VII will have
The Boss
Chicago Confidential
The Fearmakers

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#16 Post by domino harvey » Sun Nov 14, 2021 2:38 pm

And once more the only one I’ve seen, Chicago Confidential, is garbage

User avatar
Red Screamer
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:34 pm
Location: Tativille, IA

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#17 Post by Red Screamer » Sun Nov 14, 2021 10:43 pm

The Fearmakers sounds fascinating, a Jacques Tourneur/Dana Andrews anti-communist horror-noir unknown to me till now.

User avatar
J Wilson
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:26 am
Contact:

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#18 Post by J Wilson » Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:22 pm

Red Screamer wrote:
Sun Nov 14, 2021 10:43 pm
The Fearmakers sounds fascinating, a Jacques Tourneur/Dana Andrews anti-communist horror-noir unknown to me till now.
Someone uploaded it to YouTube if you want to check it out.

MOD EDIT: It’s fine to alert someone to a film’s presence on YouTube, but please refrain from posting direct links on the forum to illegally streaming material

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#19 Post by domino harvey » Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:26 pm

dwk wrote:
Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:22 pm
Saturday's announcement

FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA VI
• John Brahm's Singapore - Fred MacMurray & Ava Gardner
• William Castle's Johnny Stool Pigeon - Howard Duff, Dan Duryea & Tony Curtis
• George Sherman's The Raging Tide - Shelley Winters & Richard Conte

Tomorrow's announcement is going to be Volume 7 of the Film Noir sets and will be made up of 3 MGM titles.
domino harvey wrote:
Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:26 pm
I’ve only seen Singapore from that lot, but it’s terrible. No surprise they’re bundling it with other films even with two marketable stars in it
I watched my copy of Johnny Stool Pidgeon and it's another lame one, though nowhere near as bad as Singapore. One of the most generic noirs I've ever seen, I can guarantee I will forget everything about it within the next 24 hours, except perhaps the image of John McIntire's chipper baddie dressed in outre Country Western wear, glad-handing and slapping everyone on the back. I'll give KLSC some modicum of credit in knowing which films to bury in these Noir boxes

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#20 Post by domino harvey » Mon Dec 13, 2021 2:57 am

dwk wrote:
Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:31 pm
Film Noir VII will have
The Boss
Chicago Confidential
The Fearmakers
domino harvey wrote:
Sun Nov 14, 2021 2:38 pm
And once more the only one I’ve seen, Chicago Confidential, is garbage
Just watched the Boss and... it's probably running neck and neck with Abandoned as the best film dumped into one of these Kino Film Noir boxes. Didn't expect that! The film leans so hard into John Payne being an asshole with zero redeemable traits that it's legit fascinating-- he is not "Hollywood" awful, he's actually awful by anyone's metrics. Beyond Payne's commitment to the bit, the film is surprisingly well made and ambitious and I was surprised but not to learn afterwards that this was one of Dalton Trumbo's fronted scripts. Calling it a noir is a stretch, though-- even more than a quasi-gangster film (which is presumably why it's thrown into this set), it's really another (rather perverse) example of the social mobility/stuck in the system dramas that were rampant in the 50s

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#21 Post by domino harvey » Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:24 pm

Red Screamer wrote:
Sun Nov 14, 2021 10:43 pm
The Fearmakers sounds fascinating, a Jacques Tourneur/Dana Andrews anti-communist horror-noir unknown to me till now.
Well this might be down there the Midnight Story as the worst film in one of these sets. If anyone thought something like Mission to Moscow was too subtle (in the other direction, but no matter), here’s a film for you! It is filmed like a TV pilot and the number of scenes that are clearly the first takes of actors reading their lines without any indication they understand what they’re saying or had even seen the words in that order before are too numerous to count. Anyone trying to reclaim this as anything but a total embarrassment of cinema is the real enemy from within

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Acquisitions

#22 Post by domino harvey » Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:26 am

mteller wrote:
Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:48 am
To me, Raging Tide is the real stinker of that box, but none of them are great. They're announcing another set tomorrow, I don't have very high hopes for it though.
I didn't think it was much more than mediocre but I would rate the Raging Tide as the best of the set it appears in, though that's not exactly praise. It's def a mess of a film and its emotional sappiness is way, way at odds with its noir setup (which this film immediately abandons-- does Conte even do VO past the first five minutes?). But it's entertaining enough, and I liked John McIntire's washed up old salt supporting perf, though this thing has a few characters too many (and Shelley Winters may have maneuvered her way into top billing post-Oscar nom but she ain't the lead here).

And from another one of these godforsaken Noir sets, Six Bridges to Cross completely blows it right away by giving us Sal Mineo being insanely charismatic and a natural for fifteen minutes as a young Boston gang leader and then recasting him as Tony Curtis when he grows up. Uh, downgrade. The film then devolves into a celebration of sanctimony on the part of Bargain Basement Richard Egan George Nader as the cop who prattles on and on and on about his duty as a cop. The film has no idea how obnoxious this is, and the scene where his wife shoos away a fed for doing the same thing as her husband only nicer is so close to being self aware, and yet soooooooo far. The plot is also grossly miscalculated in the ultimate reveal of Curtis' degree of guilt at the end, which renders the film pointless. And ultimately, despite some (mostly offscreen) heists, this too is not a noir and more of a social reform problem picture.

EDIT: Oh and I almost forgot-- the theme song to Six Bridges was sung by Sammy Davis Jr and written by... Jeff Chandler?!

User avatar
Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics

#23 Post by Finch » Sun Jan 30, 2022 1:44 pm

More Film Noir in 2k:


Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema VIII

• Street of Chance (1942) With Burgess Meredith & Claire Trevor

• Enter Arsène Lupin (1944) With Ella Raines & Charles Korvin

• Temptation (1946) With Merle Oberon, George Brent & Charles Korvin

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics

#24 Post by domino harvey » Sun Jan 30, 2022 4:14 pm

Street of Chance could have sustained a solo release. Here’s my write up from the Noir thread
domino harvey wrote:
Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:12 pm
Street of Chance (Jack Hively 1942) Early entry in the classic noir trope of amnesia, Burgess Meredith crashes out of a construction site and finds himself awakened to a new double life, one in which he's accused of murder (and has himself a swell dame like Claire Trevor). This is an entertaining if familiar flick, with some nice touches along the way (I especially liked the clever reveal of the identity of Meredith's pursuers early in the film), and while eventually the solution to the central mystery becomes a bit obvious, it's a nice ride anyhow.

mteller
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:23 pm

Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics

#25 Post by mteller » Mon Jan 31, 2022 1:20 am

You enjoyed it more than me then. I found it rather forgettable and banal (and yes, predictable).

Post Reply