Showing posts with label Ida Lupino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ida Lupino. Show all posts
WARNER ARCHIVE: On Dangerous Ground on Blu and Wheeler & Woolsey Volume 2 in Latest Wave
Two new releases have been announced by Warner as part of their Archive Collection including the arrival of Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan in On Dangerous Ground (1951) on Blu-ray. Click here for details.
WARNER ARCHIVE: Three Errol Flynn Dramas in Latest Release
Three new-to-DVD films starring Errol Flynn have been announced by Warner as part of their Archive Collection. Click here for details.
Classics 101: The Hitch-Hiker (Blu-Ray) Review
Kino International has upgraded its six-year-old DVD release with a
brand-new transfer of this excellent, creepy, threadbare thriller,
brilliantly restored to HD. It’s sparse, tough movie-making with a
number of good sequences. If it’s eventually done in by its miniscule
budget, it is still one heck of a thrill ride.
Someone is killing drivers along deserted Southwestern desert highways, and so one wonders what Frank Lovejoy and Edmond O’Brien, a couple of guys off on a weekend fishing trip (in the desert?) are thinking when they not only pick up a solitary hitchhiker, they pick up one that appears to just have busted out of the loony ward at the prison hospital.
Enter William Talman, forever known as the luckless prosecutor embarrassed week after week (“YOUR HONOR! That’s irrelevant, immaterial and argumentative!”) by legal eagle Perry Mason. With a permanent sneer and one paralyzed eyelid, he couldn’t LOOK more like a psycho killer if he were wearing a paper hat that SAID “Psycho Killer” on it in purple crayon. Sure enough, soon the gun comes out and he delights in torturing our two sad-sack heroes on a trek to Mexico.
Interesting film, a tense, no-nonsense 70 minutes, directed with flair
and artistry by the wonderful Ida Lupino, the only great noir director
who happened to be a woman. The opening sequence, with no one, killer or
victim, shown except for feet or covered in shadows, is a grabber, and
in fact Talman’s first appearance couldn’t be any more suspenseful.
Alas, the tiny budget meant that, well, for example, the police force
dedicated to finding the psycho killer makes only a cameo appearance. I
had also hoped that Lupino was saving what little budget she had for a
spectacular closing act to rival White Heat (1949); no such luck.
It’s Talman’s picture, probably the only feature film you can say that about, and he does an excellent job as the tough guy whose only strength is in the gun he keeps in his fist at all times; he boasts that the reason he’s on top of his two captors is because he has no conscience, while they’re soft and weak. They actually more or less prove him correct in that, come to think of it. Talman doesn’t have a LOT of big-screen credits, but two of his other juicy bad guy parts have recently come to light; he plays a killer in both City that Never Sleeps (1953) and Crashout (1955), two previously-overlooked crime drama/noirs released in the past few months by Olive Films. Crashout in particular is excellent and deserves to be better known.
It’s interesting that both Talman and Raymond Burr played “good guys” on TV but were far more accomplished in films as despicable villains. Talman was briefly suspended from the Perry Mason series following a marijuana bust and a morals charge. Charges were dropped and he was reinstated to the series, no worse for the wear. I think people probably felt sorry for Hamilton Burger and his weekly embarrassment at the hands of Mason week after week; I know I always did.
O’Brien and Lovejoy are functional in thankless roles (not easy to play “soft and weak” in a film like this), and Lupino – who directed only a handful of low, low-budget films but all of them with distinction – makes the most of what she’s got for this independent production financed by the distributor, RKO, and benefiting from some loaned-out talent, including producer Christian Nyby (The Thing from Another World) and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca (The Cat People, Out of the Past, Clash by Night).
The Hitch-Hiker was written by Daniel Mainwaring (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), but he was not allowed on the RKO lot (Howard Hughes objected to his leftist leanings) and so Miss Lupino and Collier Young shared the on-screen writing credits.
The film looks terrific on Blu-ray, a big improvement over the rather dark Kino DVD. I wish they’d have asked me to do the commentary (or somebody just like me only taller), but the only extras are trailers for three other Kino releases, White Zombie with Bela Lugosi (a 1950s reissue trailer that couldn’t BE any more bombastic), The Stranger with Orson Welles, and Night Tide with Dennis Hopper. A nice photo gallery with many stills and promotional art is included, but no trailer for this film. Still, it’s a very good film and the Blu-ray is terrific. Recommended.
Clifford Weimer is a writer and film historian in Sacramento, CA. He can usually be found lurking about the dark corners of a movie theatre at inthebalcony.com.
Someone is killing drivers along deserted Southwestern desert highways, and so one wonders what Frank Lovejoy and Edmond O’Brien, a couple of guys off on a weekend fishing trip (in the desert?) are thinking when they not only pick up a solitary hitchhiker, they pick up one that appears to just have busted out of the loony ward at the prison hospital.
Enter William Talman, forever known as the luckless prosecutor embarrassed week after week (“YOUR HONOR! That’s irrelevant, immaterial and argumentative!”) by legal eagle Perry Mason. With a permanent sneer and one paralyzed eyelid, he couldn’t LOOK more like a psycho killer if he were wearing a paper hat that SAID “Psycho Killer” on it in purple crayon. Sure enough, soon the gun comes out and he delights in torturing our two sad-sack heroes on a trek to Mexico.
It’s Talman’s picture, probably the only feature film you can say that about, and he does an excellent job as the tough guy whose only strength is in the gun he keeps in his fist at all times; he boasts that the reason he’s on top of his two captors is because he has no conscience, while they’re soft and weak. They actually more or less prove him correct in that, come to think of it. Talman doesn’t have a LOT of big-screen credits, but two of his other juicy bad guy parts have recently come to light; he plays a killer in both City that Never Sleeps (1953) and Crashout (1955), two previously-overlooked crime drama/noirs released in the past few months by Olive Films. Crashout in particular is excellent and deserves to be better known.
It’s interesting that both Talman and Raymond Burr played “good guys” on TV but were far more accomplished in films as despicable villains. Talman was briefly suspended from the Perry Mason series following a marijuana bust and a morals charge. Charges were dropped and he was reinstated to the series, no worse for the wear. I think people probably felt sorry for Hamilton Burger and his weekly embarrassment at the hands of Mason week after week; I know I always did.
O’Brien and Lovejoy are functional in thankless roles (not easy to play “soft and weak” in a film like this), and Lupino – who directed only a handful of low, low-budget films but all of them with distinction – makes the most of what she’s got for this independent production financed by the distributor, RKO, and benefiting from some loaned-out talent, including producer Christian Nyby (The Thing from Another World) and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca (The Cat People, Out of the Past, Clash by Night).
The Hitch-Hiker was written by Daniel Mainwaring (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), but he was not allowed on the RKO lot (Howard Hughes objected to his leftist leanings) and so Miss Lupino and Collier Young shared the on-screen writing credits.
The film looks terrific on Blu-ray, a big improvement over the rather dark Kino DVD. I wish they’d have asked me to do the commentary (or somebody just like me only taller), but the only extras are trailers for three other Kino releases, White Zombie with Bela Lugosi (a 1950s reissue trailer that couldn’t BE any more bombastic), The Stranger with Orson Welles, and Night Tide with Dennis Hopper. A nice photo gallery with many stills and promotional art is included, but no trailer for this film. Still, it’s a very good film and the Blu-ray is terrific. Recommended.
Clifford Weimer is a writer and film historian in Sacramento, CA. He can usually be found lurking about the dark corners of a movie theatre at inthebalcony.com.
KINO BLU: Hitch-Hiker, The Stranger & Night Tide in October
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: |
The Hitch-Hiker October 15th Kino Retail: 24.95, Our: $19.99 |
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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: |
The Hitch-Hiker (Blu-Ray) October 15th Kino Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99 |
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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: |
Night Tide October 15th Kino Retail: 24.95, Our: $19.99 |
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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: |
Night Tide (Blu-Ray) October 15th Kino Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99 |
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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: |
The Stranger October 15th Kino Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99 |
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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: |
The Stranger (Blu-Ray) October 15th Kino Retail: 34.95, Our: $27.99 |
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Some familiar classics are getting an upgrade from Kino this October 15th: The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Night Tide (1961) and The Stranger (1946). All three films have undergone restoration from 35mm prints and will be released on both DVD & Blu-Ray.
The films have seen numerous public domain company releases over the years with Film Chest recently doing a decent job with their 2011 Stranger combo set (which we carried until today's announcement). Hitch-Hiker was first released on DVD by Kino in 2000, but this will mark its Blu debut.
Announced by Kino earlier this year, Night Tide was postponed, but with this announcement, appears to have a solid release date.
Bonus features are expected for The Hitch-Hiker and Night Tide (below).
Suddenly their car and their very lives are commandeered by psychopathic serial killer Emmett Myers (William Talman). The striking light/dark contrasts, the stunning compositions (the two kidnap victims separated by a narrow stream from a gun-cradling madman with a bum eye) and the spatial integrity of a determining sense of locale (the pitiless topography of a rock-bound, horizonless Mexico over which hovers an ever-present doom) all contribute mightily to this fascinating character-study.
NOTE: This release is a 35mm archival restoration from the Library of Congress exclusively on the Kino label.
On leave in a shore side town, Johnny (Dennis Hopper) becomes interested in a young dark haired woman. They meet and he learns that she plays a mermaid in the local carnival. After strange occurrences, Johnny begins to believe that she may actually be a real mermaid that habitually kills during the cycle of the full moon.
BONUS FEATURES:
- Commentary from Director Curtis Harrington and Actor Dennis Hopper
- Extended interview (50 min.) with Director Curtis Harrington
- Original Theatrical Trailer
From Academy Award Winning Producer Sam Spiegel (Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, On The Waterfront).
BONUS FEATURES:
- Audio commentary from filmmaker, historian and curator Bret Wood
- Original Nazi concentration and prison camp footage (which are featured in the final film) from filmmaker George Stevens
- Original Theatrical Trailer
OLIVE: Captain Carey, Private Hell 36 & My Son John in August
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Captain Carey, U.S.A. August 21st Olive Flims Retail: $24.95, Our: $17.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Captain Carey, U.S.A. (Blu-Ray) August 21st Olive Flims Retail: $29.95, Our: | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | My Son John August 21st Olive Flims Retail: $24.95, Our: $17.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | My Son John (Blu-Ray) August 21st Olive Flims Retail: $29.95, Our: | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Private Hell 36 August 21st Olive Flims Retail: $24.95, Our: $17.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Private Hell 36 (Blu-Ray) August 21st Olive Flims Retail: $29.95, Our: | |
More from Olive Films as they have announced the DVD and Blu-Ray debuts of the titles above.
Streeting on August 21st, all three Blu-Ray's will have a special pre-order price of $17.98 until Sunday.
TCM VAULT: Benny, Cooper, Fields & West in 1930's Rarities Collection
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: TITLES: | 1930's Rarities Collection (TCM Vault) August 7th Universal Million Dollar Legs (1932), Belle of the Nineties (1934), Artists and Models(1937), Souls at Sea (1937) |
More big names headline Universal's upcoming 1930's Rarities Collection due on August 7th.
The 4-disc set features:
- Million Dollar Legs (1932) with W.C. Fields & Jack Oakie
- The previously released and long out of print Belle of the Nineties (1934) starring Mae West
- Artists and Models (1937) starring Jack Benny and Ida Lupino and featuring Richard Arlen and Gail Patrick
- Souls at Sea (1937) directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gary Cooper, George Raft and Frances Dee along with a host of golden age character actors
Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, these four titles above will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix and nowhere else!
TCM VAULT: Women in Danger - 1950s Thrillers in June
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: TITLES: | Women in Danger: 1950s Thrillers (TCM Vault) June 5th Universal Woman in Hiding (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), The Unguarded Moment (1956), The Price of Fear (1956) |
"Four glamorous leading ladies of the studio era are featured in a quartet of suspenseful melodramas that showcase them as endangered heroines" in Women in Danger: 1950s Thrillers due on June 5th.
Released via the TCM Vault line, the 4-disc set will come with the standard bonus features (stills, lobby cards, etc.).
Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, these four titles above will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix and nowhere else!
The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (Blu-Ray) in March
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (Blu-Ray) March 29th MPI Retail: $129.99, Our: $99.99 | |
In a startling and welcome surprise, MPI has announced The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (Blu-Ray) for release on March 29th.
The 5-disc set replicates the previous standard release in content and extras. Singles, however, will not be available.
It will retail for $129.99, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $99.99.
NOTE: Sets this pricey usually preclude us from carry them for rental. In this case, because MPI discs usually hold up well in the mail, we'll carry it.
SONY: Bad Girls of Film Noir, Vol. 1 & 2 in February
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: TITLES: | Bad Girls of Film Noir, Vol. 1 February 9th Sony Retail $24.96, Our: $19.99 The Killer that Stalked New York (1950), Two of a Kind (1951), Bad for Each Other (1953) & The Glass Wall (1953) | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: TITLES: | Bad Girls of Film Noir, Vol. 2 February 9th Sony Retail $24.96, Our: $19.99 Night Editor (1946), One Girl's Confession (1953), Over-Exposed (1956) & Women's Prison (1955) | |
With Rita Hayworth and Film Noir Classics, Vol. 2 sets also expected in the first half of next year, Sony is kicking of the new year right with the announcement of their Bad Girls of Noir Collections for release on February 9th.
Each collection (above) is a two-disc set with minimal bonus features. Details below.
They will retail for $24.96 each, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $19.99 each.
Bad Girls of Film Noir, Vol. 1
In the 40's and 50's the juiciest roles for actresses in Hollywood were often in B-pictures that explored the dark side of life: starring roles as cool, calculating gals who could stick a knife in a man's back and make him like it. Lizabeth Scott, Gloria Grahame, and Evelyn Keyes were some of the best of the period, and are among Noir fans' favorites for their roles in such classics of the genre as Dead Reckoning and The Racket (Scott), The Big Heat and Human Desire (Grahame), 99 River Street and The Prowler (Keyes).
Here's your chance to see them at work in some great films straight out of the vault, newly restored and re-mastered, for the first time on DVD. Co-starred with the likes of Edmond O'Brien, Charlton Heston, and Vittorio Gassman these dames shine a like the brightest stars in Hollywood, and each film packs in plenty of the best bad girl behavior.
BONUS FEATURES:
- Terry Moore on Two of a Kind
- The Payoff-All Star Theatre Episode
Bad Girls of Film Noir, Vol. 2
Cleo Moore, Audrey Totter, Jan Sterling, Ida Lupino and Janis Carter. Forgery, adultery, theft, blackmail and murder. The Bad Girls of Noir are back, in Volume 2, and these gorgeous gals with malice in their hearts are sure to thrill hard-boiled fans of Noir.
Fan favorite Cleo Moore finally gets her due in three films that highlight the talents of the beauty who was compared to Marilyn Monroe, but whom fans love for her earnest, if stilted portrayals of dim-witted gals who can't catch a break. Four films, restored and re-mastered are all new to DVD, and sure to provide plenty of excitement for the noir aficionado. Watch out for these gals, they're dangerous--which makes them oh, so fun to watch.
BONUS FEATURE:
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