300-329; 354-357 Columbia Noir #1-6

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M Sanderson
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#126 Post by M Sanderson » Thu Feb 18, 2021 2:02 pm

MichaelB wrote:
Tue Feb 16, 2021 11:04 am
I'd say "wholly proportionate" myself, but I was trusting that M Sanderson and anyone else reading it had a sense of humour.

Seriously, though, cleaving rigidly to something I said several years ago is as pointless as... well, retrospectively calling me out when I said back in 2017 that Indicator had no plans regarding The Pirates of Blood River (which had just been released by Twilight Time). Obviously, Indicator did subsequently put it out in early 2020, but it wasn't licensed until a good two years after the TT disc came out.

(Incidentally, nothing should be interpreted as any kind of tease about Joseph Losey's M, for which there are currently no plans.)
Ha, yes I do have a dry sense of humour myself.

I remember asking if any more Losey or Fleischer were planned, and Michael teased that one more title from one of those directors could happen. And it was one from the excellent batch of Loseys.

But I’ve seen so many times, titles that fall under the “no plans” category actually coming into fruition.

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MichaelB
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#127 Post by MichaelB » Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:11 am

I think as a general rule, if a comment is more than about, say, six to nine months old, it's most likely no longer valid, as new titles are acquired on a regular basis (usually in substantial blocks). As it happens, there are no other Loseys currently planned, although I'm sure if any were to become available in terms of both rights and decent materials they'd be taken very seriously as releasing prospects - when an indie label releases four films by one director, it's a safe bet that they're fans. (In fact, I think I put more hours into getting Eve right than I have with almost any other Indicator release!)

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MichaelB
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#128 Post by MichaelB » Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:12 am

Anyway, getting back on topic, here are two substantial reviews of Columbia Noir #2, from CineOutsider and Mondo Digital.

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#129 Post by Jack Phillips » Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:41 am

MichaelB wrote:
Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:11 am
(In fact, I think I put more hours into getting Eve right than I have with almost any other Indicator release!)
And I for one want to offer you unstinting thanks for that effort. It's a wonderful release.

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#130 Post by M Sanderson » Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:52 am

mteller wrote:
Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:11 am
For me The Dark Past is the biggest stinker in this box. A lot of Freudian mumbo jumbo. The Sniper and Between Midnight and Dawn are both very good, the other three are okay. Not enough for me to buy this set, but that's usually the case with noir boxes. If I could construct my own "greatest hits" of these three, it would be:

Murder by Contract
The Sniper
The Lineup
Between Midnight and Dawn
Framed
The Mob
Sounds like there’s at least two really damn good films per box. In the first one obviously The Lineup but I was also hugely impressed by Drive a Crooked Road. A really substantial character study that was dark and twisted.

Not opened my second set yet but I’ve heard great things about Murder by Contract and also Framed.

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Florinaldo
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#131 Post by Florinaldo » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:30 pm

Am I correct in assuming that these box sets are slightly slimmer than the Hammer, Castle of Fuller ones, closer to the Harryhausen sets? Six digipacks and a booklet would be about equivalent to the latter's size (thick booklet plus 3 standard cases) judging from what can be viewed on the Web. I remember someone mentioning that this was one of the templates available from the printer Indicator is using.

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#132 Post by swo17 » Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:02 am

Florinaldo wrote:
Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:30 pm
Am I correct in assuming that these box sets are slightly slimmer than the Hammer, Castle of Fuller ones, closer to the Harryhausen sets?
Correct, they're the same width as the Harryhausen sets

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MichaelB
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#133 Post by MichaelB » Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:18 am

Final specs for Columbia Noir #3:

Image

Johnny O'Clock:

Image

The Dark Past:

Image

Convicted:

Image

Between Midnight and Dawn:

Image

The Sniper:

Image

City of Fear:

Image

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domino harvey
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#134 Post by domino harvey » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:16 am

I bet all the extras completists are killing themselves over all these Stooges shorts

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soundchaser
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#135 Post by soundchaser » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:18 am

domino harvey wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:16 am
I bet all the extras completists are killing themselves over all these Stooges shorts
I'm sure they were cheap (if not free) to license, and I can imagine some are glad they're here, but I can't fathom how the public let them make almost 200 of these.

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#136 Post by MichaelB » Sat May 01, 2021 4:40 pm


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Florinaldo
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#137 Post by Florinaldo » Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:31 am

Does Indicator have definite plans to issue more in this series?

They may be catching their breath because the three (so far) box sets came out pretty close on the heels of each other and each offers an impressive amount of contents.

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domino harvey
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#138 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:05 pm

They've hinted at titles that would likely occupy a fourth set at the very least

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#139 Post by MichaelB » Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:30 pm


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Boosmahn
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#140 Post by Boosmahn » Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:16 pm

Florinaldo wrote:
Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:31 am
Does Indicator have definite plans to issue more in this series?
The original announcement said the project "will comprise multiple releases across numerous volumes over the coming years."

Obviously, things can change, but I'd throw out a cautious guess there will be two, maybe three more. (Or how about 11 more, so the pH scale strip comes full circle? :lol:)

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#141 Post by MichaelB » Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:13 am

There will certainly be one more, but I wouldn't lay money on eleven.

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rapta
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#142 Post by rapta » Wed Jun 09, 2021 7:24 pm

Boosmahn wrote:
Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:16 pm
Florinaldo wrote:
Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:31 am
Does Indicator have definite plans to issue more in this series?
The original announcement said the project "will comprise multiple releases across numerous volumes over the coming years."

Obviously, things can change, but I'd throw out a cautious guess there will be two, maybe three more. (Or how about 11 more, so the pH scale strip comes full circle? :lol:)
Judging by what's been released on DVD before (and Blu-ray in other territories) and what's likely to get the Indicator treatment, I'd say your original guess of at least 2-3 more sets, maybe more if Columbia are working on restoring others.

And from their original announcement they mentioned Nicholas Ray, so Knock on Any Door will feature in one of these, and I'd be surprised if a few more Bogie titles wouldn't join it (e.g. Dead Reckoning, Tokyo Joe, Sirocco, The Harder They Fall). The Brothers Rico has also been teased, and there are at least a few others I'd love to see included soon (Pushover, The Burglar, Walk a Crooked Mile). Some Ida Lupino would be lovely to see too, someone whose career the UK boutiques haven't generally yet had a chance to explore (literally just Arrow's The Big Knife, IIRC).

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#143 Post by swo17 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 7:47 pm

rapta wrote:
Wed Jun 09, 2021 7:24 pm
The Brothers Rico has also been teased, and there are at least a few others I'd love to see included soon (Pushover, The Burglar, Walk a Crooked Mile).
Those four plus Walk East on Beacon are the only ones from the U.S. Columbia noir sets that haven't yet made their way over to this series

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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#144 Post by Thornycroft » Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:31 am

Volume #4 announced for September

WALK A CROOKED MILE (Gordon Douglas, 1948)
WALK EAST ON BEACON! (Alfred Werker, 1952)
PUSHOVER (Richard Quine, 1954)
A BULLET IS WAITING (John Farrow, 1954)
CHICAGO SYNDICATE (Fred F Sears, 1955)
THE BROTHERS RICO (Phil Karlson, 1957)

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rapta
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#145 Post by rapta » Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:43 am

Thornycroft wrote:
Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:31 am
Volume #4 announced for September

WALK A CROOKED MILE (Gordon Douglas, 1948)
WALK EAST ON BEACON! (Alfred Werker, 1952)
PUSHOVER (Richard Quine, 1954)
A BULLET IS WAITING (John Farrow, 1954)
CHICAGO SYNDICATE (Fred F Sears, 1955)
THE BROTHERS RICO (Phil Karlson, 1957)
There you go! Three out of four I mentioned above, not bad going - and A Bullet is Waiting is a nice surprise too. I suppose The Burglar could be in the next set then (probably announced for early 2022, I’m guessing).

Recently got Kino’s Noir Archive Vol. 1 and there are a couple already done by Indicator, but I imagine there might be more (e.g. Address Unknown, Assignment - Paris, Johnny Allegro, The Black Book). I suppose it’ll depend how long they want to continue these sets for!

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HJackson
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Re: 300-317 Columbia Noir #1-3

#146 Post by HJackson » Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:00 am

Convicted was the only title in the first three sets I’d never seen. Two ones here that are new to me, A Bullet is Waiting and Chicago Syndicate, so a good announcement for me even though I would have bought it on day one regardless.


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domino harvey
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Re: 300-323 Columbia Noir #1-4

#147 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:13 am

Chicago Syndicate is a truly excellent underseen noir, a brutal and snappy piece of business with memorable supporting work by 50s power couple Xavier Cugat and his much younger wife Abbe Lane (they shoulda put her on the cover). Very excited for more folks to see this one thanks to the added exposure this set will bring it

Conversely, A Bullet is Waiting (which is def more a modern western than a noir) is now the second worst film in this series

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 300-323 Columbia Noir #1-4

#148 Post by therewillbeblus » Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:23 am

Chicago Syndicate is indeed good, though for all the lean fun it provides, the eruption of violence occurring near the end is one of the most jarring I've experienced- and it's not even visually communicated

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headacheboy
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Re: 300-323 Columbia Noir #1-4

#149 Post by headacheboy » Thu Jun 10, 2021 2:14 pm

The Brothers Rico was on TCM just a couple of weeks ago and Walk A Crooked Mile is on this Saturday evening and again this Sunday morning as part of TCM's Noir Alley if anyone cannot wait or just wants to see it. I had recorded Brothers Rico and just dumped it off my DVR after receiving the news. I've seen neither film so I'll wait until this set lands in my mailbox.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 300-323 Columbia Noir #1-4

#150 Post by therewillbeblus » Thu Jun 10, 2021 2:19 pm

I don't love The Brothers Rico, though my expectations were high following Scorsese's effusive praise going into my watch many years ago, so I'm curious to revisit it with a more tempered attitude

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