Re: Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 4:53 pm
Today's announcement is the re-release of the Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema boxset available in June
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Coming Soon!
FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA X
• Flesh and Fury (1952) Tony Curtis & Jan Sterling
• The Square Jungle (1955) Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Pat Crowley, David Janssen & Heavyweight Champ Joe Louis
• World in My Corner (1956) Audie Murphy & Barbara Rush
domino harvey wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2015 1:38 pm A Woman's Vengeance (Zoltan Korda 1948) Charles Boyer is married to a sickly woman who is staying alive just to spite him (her words), and so it doesn't look great for him when she finally dies under mysterious circumstances and he immediately marries eighteen-year-old Ann Blyth, much to the chagrin of Jessica Tandy, who has a mad crush on Boyer and went through the trouble of murdering his wife so they could be together. An overwrought and excessively talky melodrama adapted by Aldous Huxley from his own short story, this nevertheless has some things going for it despite its obvious self-imposed seriousness, namely Russell Metty's gorgeous use of shadows and darkness. Tandy's good here too, though the script invariably has her prattling on incessantly like everyone else in the film.
Remarkably I’ve only seen one of these (Undertow, which is terrible), but I’m excited by the Tattered Dress and Appointment with a Shadow, which I’ve wanted to see for some time but no ‘Scope copies are circulatingFilm Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XII
Undertow (1949)
A paroled convict is framed for murder and must clear himself before the police catch him. Directed by William Castle. Starring Scott Brady, John Russell, Dorothy Hart, Peggy Dow, and Bruce Bennett.
Outside the Law (1950)
An ex-convict lands a job in a sanitarium and discovers that a patient was the mastermind of a million-dollar robbery. Directed by Crane Wilbur. Starring Richard Basehart, Marilyn Maxwell, Signe Hasso, Dorothy Hart, and Joseph Pevney.
Hold Back Tomorrow (1955)
A condemned murderer (John Agar), scheduled to hang in the morning, asks for the company of a prostitute (Cleo Moore) in his final hours. Directed by Hugo Haas. Starring John Agar, Cleo Moore, Frank DeKova, Dallas Boyd, and Steffi Sidney.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIII
Spy Hunt (1950)
During the Cold War, a microfilm concealed in the collar of a panther, transported by freight rail, is sought by several spies after the animal escapes its cage following the train's derailment in Switzerland. Directed by George Sherman. Starring Howard Duff, Märta Torén, Philip Friend, and Walter Slezak.
The Night Runner (1957)
A mental patient on leave from an asylum explodes in a psychopathic rage over a remark made by his girlfriend's father. Directed by Abner Biberman. Starring Ray Danton, Colleen Miller, and Merry Anders.
Step Down to Terror (1958)
Trying to outwit police, a psychopathic killer (Charles Drake) returns to his mother's home after a long absence to play the role of loving son. Directed by Harry Keller. Starring Colleen Miller, Charles Drake, and Rod Taylor.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIV
Undercover Girl (1950)
A young woman joins the Police Department in order to track down the killer who murdered her father. Directed by Joseph Pevney. Starring Alexis Smith, Scott Brady, Richard Egan, and Gladys George.
One Way Street (1950)
After stealing a gangster's money and his girlfriend, a doctor heads for a small village in Mexico. Directed by Hugo Fregonese. Starring James Mason, Märta Torén, and Dan Duryea.
Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when Nader is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal. Directed by Richard Carlson. Starring George Nader, Joanna Moore, and Brian Keith.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XV
Man Afraid (1957)
A preacher (George Nader) fears for his family (Phyllis Thaxter, Tim Hovey) after killing a teenage burglar whose father seeks revenge. Directed by Harry Keller. Starring George Nader, Phyllis Thaxter, Eduard Franz, and Tim Hovey.
Girl in the Kremlin (1957)
In 1953, Soviet dictator Stalin fakes his own death, undergoes plastic surgery and vanishes, but OSS agent Steve Anderson searches for him in Europe. Directed by Russell Birdwell. Starring Lex Barker, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Jeffrey Stone.
The Tattered Dress (1957)
When top lawyer James Blane gets an acquittal for a man who killed another man for sexually roughing up his trophy wife, the murderous town sheriff frames him for bribing a juror in the case. Directed by Jack Arnold. Starring Jeff Chandler, Jeanne Crain, Jack Carson, Gail Russell, and Elaine Stewart.
I’ve been dutifully writing up some of these titles throughout the thread. The best films included are Abandoned (redundant because it’s in Indicator’s Universal Noir), the Boss (the other two films in the box are awful but it’s up there with Abandoned as the best film in one of these sets), Street of Chance (haven’t seen other two films in the set but they at least look promising), and A Woman’s Vengeance (not on sale)swo17 wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 5:11 pm The eight noir sets are each $25. I can't remember--are any of those titles worth picking up?
Looks can be deceiving! Enter Arsene Lupin is another strong contender for worst film in one of these sets... and it's not even remotely a noir! Seriously, do the people making decisions for KLSC even watch these films first? This is in the comic spirit of the Saint and Falcon programmers from a few years prior, with a far less charismatic lead, and one of J Carrol Naish's worst "ethnic" perfs ever as the pursuing detective (and I have no earthly idea what nationality he's trying to imitate, unless Annoying is a place). But while everything about this film save getting to look at Ella Raines is bad, I was blindsided by the ending:domino harvey wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:47 amStreet of Chance (haven’t seen other two films in the set but they at least look promising)
I've always wondered if they have ever released titles that no one who works for the company has watched. Surely there must be quite a lot, especially with the amount of titles that they shit out,domino harvey wrote: Sun Oct 09, 2022 2:00 amLooks can be deceiving! Enter Arsene Lupin is another strong contender for worst film in one of these sets... and it's not even remotely a noir! Seriously, do the people making decisions for KLSC even watch these films first? This is in the comic spirit of the Saint and Falcon programmers from a few years prior, with a far less charismatic lead, and one of J Carrol Naish's worst "ethnic" perfs ever as the pursuing detective (and I have no earthly idea what nationality he's trying to imitate, unless Annoying is a place). But while everything about this film save getting to look at Ella Raines is bad, I was blindsided by the ending:domino harvey wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:47 amStreet of Chance (haven’t seen other two films in the set but they at least look promising)Imagine thinking this shit had franchise potential after ending like that. Bravo, UniversalSpoiler
This movie really tried to do an Arsene Lupin movie where he gets caught because of the Code, and doesn't even think of a way around it. Greatest thief in the world gets arrested by the comic relief because crime doesn't pay... WTF. It's hard to overstate how colossally dumb this is as an idea
Coming Soon!
Brand New 2K Masters!
Three Classics Starring Screen Legend Edward G. Robinson
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVII
• Vice Squad (1953) with Paulette Goddard
• Black Tuesday (1954) with Jean Parker & Peter Graves
• Nightmare (1956) with Kevin McCarthy
Arf arf, I caught up with the only title I hadn’t seen from this box, the Price of Fear, and… I loved it?! That doesn’t change the other two titles not being ones that belong in an inaugural Noir set of Universal titles, but this unexpectedly now stands as the strongest film I’ve seen shoved into one of these KLSC Noir grabbags. It reminded me of Another Man’s Poison on a noir plot mechanic level of the premise being so terrific that it would be almost impossible to screw it up: Here we have a man framed for a shooting murder whose only alibi to that crime is being framed for a hit and run killing he also didn’t commit. Perfect! Realism is beside the point at this level of narrative fuckery, so all that matters is how it plays out, and I thought this was on the whole better than it needed to be, hitting only the beats you’d want for the length of the slim running time. Not a masterpiece of the genre by any means, but deeply enjoyable nevertheless. Recommended!GetHarryPalmer wrote: Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:34 amYou're a sad little puppy.domino harvey wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2020 5:52 pm Kino's WTF idea of a Noir set from Universal:
the Female Animal
the Price of Fear
Thunder on the Hill