Anthony Mann's
Raw Deal (1948) comes to Blu-ray in a Special Edition this December 12th from ClassicFlix.
This highly celebrated film noir re-teams director Mann with his
T-Men collaborator cinematographer John Alton and stars Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor and Marsha Hunt (WHO TURNS 100 TODAY!).
Having undergone a major restoration, this Special Edition will also be loaded with bonus features, including a 24-page booklet (info below).
Retail price is $39.99, but for three days only (until October 19th) you can pre-order the Blu-ray for only $24.98.
A restored
DVD version is also being issued on the same date and will retail for $24.99, but will not carry any of the added content that is on the Blu-ray.
SYNOPSIS:
All Joe Sullivan wants is “a breath of fresh air.” But when you’re serving time in stir for robbery, fresh air is a rare commodity. That’s about to change though as mob boss Rick Coyle has greased the skids inside the prison walls, so Joe can make it outside where girlfriend Pat will be waiting.
But things don’t exactly go as planned for the duo as car trouble during their getaway forces them to get help from the only person nearby -- strait-laced legal assistant Ann Martin, whom they kidnap and use to evade capture. Things aren’t going as planned for Rick either who set up the escape fulling expecting the fugitive to get “cut down” so he could keep the $50,000 he owes Joe for taking the rap for him.
Now past the dragnet, the trio each find themselves increasingly conflicted in their loyalties and core beliefs as Joe is torn between the two women, who both care for him, while Pat and Ann each make decisions that prove they’re not as bad, or as good, as they’re supposed to be.
Raw Deal presents the moviemaking team of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton at the peak of their success (fresh off their box office smash T-Men), offering dark, moody atmosphere filled with fog-shrouded landscapes and characters who are no strangers to the “left-handed endeavor” of crime. Scenarist John C. Higgins (He Walked by Night) and co-writer Leopold Atlas offer a taut, suspenseful tale of one man’s desperate bid for freedom and the two women who love him.
Dennis O’Keefe, star of the earlier T-Men, contributes a first-rate performance as the determined Joe, with Marsha Hunt (Pride and Prejudice) as Ann and Oscar® winning actress Claire Trevor (Key Largo) as the fiercely loyal Pat. Raw Deal also features a suitably slimy Raymond Burr as Rick, John Ireland as Burr’s sadistic henchman Fantail, and noir standbys Regis Toomey and Whit Bissell. Raw Deal is film noir at its finest!
BONUS FEATURES (Blu-ray Only):
- Feature length audio commentary by author and film historian Jeremy Arnold
- Deadly is the Male: The Making of Raw Deal - A Featurette with writer and film historian Julie Kirgo, film historian & director Courtney Joyner and biographer & producer Alan K. Rode
- Dennis O’Keefe: An Extraordinary Ordinary Guy - A featurette with Jim O’Keefe (son of Dennis O’Keefe) and biographer & producer Alan K. Rode & film historian & director Courtney Joyner
- PLUS: A 24 page booklet with an essay by author Max Alvarez (The Crime Films of Anthony Mann) featuring stills, posters and other production material
- The mono soundtrack has been restored is uncompressed on this release
ABOUT CLASSICFLIX:
What are others saying about ClassicFlix releases?
- Glenn Erickson - Cinesavant
- "ClassicFlix’s Special Edition Blu-ray of T-Men is a revelation."
- "I’ve seen T-Men many times, but never like this."
- "It looks so good that I was hard pressed to detect signs of digital cleanup. It’s as if somebody obtained the negative through a time machine."
- Gary Tooze - DVDBeaver
- "Absolutely recommended! A must-own for Noir aficionados."
- Matt Hough - HomeTheaterForum
- "Would that all black and white noirs from the 1940s were blessed with such pristine and spectacular transfers! The grayscale is so extraordinary that words can’t really do it justice, but the blacks are really deep, and details in the shadows will test the very best televisions and projectors with reproducing all of the detail that is present. Contrast has been majestically rendered in this transfer while the images are sparkling clean and free from age-related artifacts of all kinds."
- "The ClassicFlix special edition Blu-ray boasts a superlative audio and video transfer of the movie and offers an abundance of bonus material that makes it a highly recommended addition to your video collection."
- Jeffrey Kauffman - Blu-ray.com
- "This is another great looking restoration and transfer from ClassicFlix."
- "ClassicFlix has upped its game with this release, offering not just a stellar looking transfer but some enjoyable supplements and a really beautiful insert booklet."
