Warner Film Noir Collections

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Napier
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:48 am
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Re: The Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5

#226 Post by Napier » Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:27 pm

And they're on real DVDs. Count me in.

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domino harvey
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: The Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5

#227 Post by domino harvey » Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:28 pm

It's so pathetic that just releasing an actual DVD is cause for celebration. Oh 2005, where are you now

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Film Noir Collections

#228 Post by knives » Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:45 pm

So any word on these titles. I'll probably get it as I like most of the directors, but it would nice to what I'm spending $30 for.

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#229 Post by Finch » Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:20 pm

Can anyone confirm if each disc will be available seperately as well? I'd prefer buying the Dymtryk/Mann pairing on its own and possibly the Fleischer/Siegel.

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:25 am
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#230 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:24 pm

How long has Warner owned the rights to The Phenix City Story? Aside from the nice Don Siegel, Edward Dmytryk and more Anthony Mann, this is the film that has certified me on getting this set. I've wanted to see the film for years after seeing the brief and horrifying clip in Scorsese's documentary on American cinema. Volume 4 is going to be difficult to top for They Live by Night alone, but this looks like a hell of a set.

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

Re: Film Noir Collections

#231 Post by Matt » Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:36 pm

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:How long has Warner owned the rights to The Phenix City Story?
Since 1989, when Warner Communications bought Lorimar Productions, which owned the Monogram/Allied Artists post-1936 film library.

Frankinho007
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 6:45 pm
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#232 Post by Frankinho007 » Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:15 pm

The artwork:
Image

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Cash Flagg
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:15 pm

Re: Film Noir Collections

#233 Post by Cash Flagg » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:10 pm

Mr Finch wrote:Can anyone confirm if each disc will be available seperately as well?
Classic Flix wrote:The 4-disc set will feature 8 all new-to-DVD titles which will not be available as singles.

Jonathan S
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 3:31 am
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Re: The Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5

#234 Post by Jonathan S » Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:01 am

domino harvey wrote:What the deuce, didn't someone already record a commentary for Armored Car Robbery and that's how we knew it was coming?
Maybe someone did, but that film is the most surprising inclusion to me as Warner specifically ruled it out of this box set (with other suggested titles) in their last HTF chat on March 23, 2009.

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#235 Post by manicsounds » Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:57 am

C'mon Warner.... no commentaries. Now that just kills it. I guess their old high standards are just too high now. I'm sure Drew Casper, Alain Silver, etc would volunteer to do commentaries. Or even people on this forum etc. would too.

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anne_zombie
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:35 am

Re: Film Noir Collections

#236 Post by anne_zombie » Tue Apr 06, 2010 6:01 am

manicsounds wrote:C'mon Warner.... no commentaries. Now that just kills it. I guess their old high standards are just too high now. I'm sure Drew Casper, Alain Silver, etc would volunteer to do commentaries. Or even people on this forum etc. would too.
Why, I'm sure we should all be blessed that the fifth and final box will be released at all! - Cornered and Phenix are the cornerstones of this collection. Such a shame that the Bird Phoenix will never rise again, lest this collection sell like crazy, which I doubt. Cost management and so forth. I'd love to be proven wrong, but there is a distinct feeling of closure surrounding this release. Warner Bros had to release this box set in order to save face, especially when Sony has been so generous lately in this vein. Buy it and be grateful it happened at all! Thanks Warner, you've stuck to your promise. I'll pray that a final Bette box(pressed!) will be released before the SD well dries up completely.

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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#237 Post by Finch » Sat Jun 26, 2010 3:35 pm

Didn't want to splash out on the Vol 3 set since I was only interested in the Mann and Ray but luckily I've been able to get the individual release of Border Incident from Warner Spain and the Spanish release of On Dangerous Ground also. Anyone know if the latter compares well with the Montparnasse DVD and the Vol 3 release?

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dadaistnun
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:31 am

Re: Film Noir Collections

#238 Post by dadaistnun » Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:46 pm


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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#239 Post by Finch » Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:14 pm

Very relieved and pleased at those screen grabs: at least Warner have got their act together again for the A/V of these sets. Desperate especially looks so much better than the Spanish disc that it pains me to realise how little love Anthony Mann's noirs get from the studios. End of the month can't come soon enough.

Has anyone seen Union Station (one of the three titles Tooze mentions in his review)? Is it any good? Mate and Holden sound like a very tempting combination.

edit: Just saw that play have posted my copy today - yay! Here's hoping I don't get stung by those cunts in customs [-o<

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#240 Post by TMDaines » Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:22 pm

Mr Finch wrote:edit: Just saw that play have posted my copy today - yay! Here's hoping I don't get stung by those cunts in customs [-o<
My last set of Criterions from PlayUSA came from inside the UK by Second Class Mail, despite the customs declaration on the front.

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#241 Post by Finch » Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:35 pm

So did mine but when you order the Noir set, prior to the payment screen you get a notice that it'll be shipped from the US and it gives you the choice not to proceed. Will let you know if it does get shipped from within the UK after all - I should have my set in 7 days' time.

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Der Spieler
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:05 am

Re: Film Noir Collections

#242 Post by Der Spieler » Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:46 pm

Vol. 5 looks really solid. Possibly the best set since vol. 1.

I was thrilled with some titles in vol. 4 but there was a lot of stretching on the "noir" part and except for the Ray/Mann disc nothing really stuck out of the bunch. I had it for a few months and sold it. I never bought vol. 3 since I was only interested in the Ray and the transfers seemed lackluster.

As for vol. 2, I loved the Lang and Dmytryk, liked the Fleischer, disliked the Wise and hated "Dillinger". The only set that I loved from A to Z was the first one. But with this line-up, vol. 5 sure promises to be on par. I'll be ordering it today.

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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#243 Post by Finch » Thu Jul 15, 2010 3:04 pm

Got the Film Noir Vol 5 set today delivered from playusa and within the UK. Watched Desperate and it's a very pleasing image, with some murkier shots only in the final third. Definitely on a par with Warner's transfers from 2004-06. As for the film itself, I thought it was reasonably entertaining, elevated by Raymond Burr's performance and a strong finale but I'd still consider it second-tier Mann, and more of a thriller than a genuine noir (then again, it's not the first time Warner have applied the label liberally). Looking forward to Cornered.

broadwayrock
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:47 am

Re: Film Noir Collections

#244 Post by broadwayrock » Thu Jul 15, 2010 3:26 pm

Mr Finch wrote:Got the Film Noir Vol 5 set today delivered from playusa and within the UK. Watched Desperate and it's a very pleasing image, with some murkier shots only in the final third. Definitely on a par with Warner's transfers from 2004-06. As for the film itself, I thought it was reasonably entertaining, elevated by Raymond Burr's performance and a strong finale but I'd still consider it second-tier Mann, and more of a thriller than a genuine noir (then again, it's not the first time Warner have applied the label liberally). Looking forward to Cornered.
Good to hear that playusa avoids customs now, i can save myself a few quid.

re: Desperate

Did you notice how Sergio Leone used that confrontation scene towards the end as a template for his Dollars Trilogy duels?

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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#245 Post by Finch » Thu Jul 15, 2010 3:44 pm

broadwayrock wrote:Did you notice how Sergio Leone used that confrontation scene towards the end as a template for his Dollars Trilogy duels?
I've only ever seen The Good, The Bad & The Ugly but an intriguing bit of trivia nevertheless!

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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#246 Post by Finch » Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:02 pm

Quick summary of the A/V for Cornered and The Phenix City Story: the latter looks very good throughout (the film itself begins terribly and stays that way for the entire prologue but once the film proper starts, it's a cracker of a noir whose shocks and violent scenes haven't lost their power fifty-odd years on) but Cornered exhibits minor damage and speckles in several scenes. Either they haven't treated this title with as much care as the Mann or Karlson, or the existing/surviving prints are not in the best condition. Still, Cornered is very watchable and I liked it a great deal: it needs to be watched at least twice to fully grasp the labyrinthine plot. Easily my favourite Dymtryk film (didn't care much for Crossfire).

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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#247 Post by Finch » Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:36 pm

Finished the set and have to say I wish Warner had given us a smaller set for half the price: I got next to nothing out of the Siegel, Sherman etc and feel that I can't wholeheartedly recommend this set if half of it is filler at best. Sure, we got Desperate, Cornered, Phenix City Story and Armoured Car Robbery but I imagine that few people will want to watch the other four titles on a regular basis again. It's a pity that they dropped the individual double-bills after the third set which would have been my preferred means of getting the four titles above.

Jonathan S
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Location: Somerset, England

Re: Film Noir Collections

#248 Post by Jonathan S » Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:29 pm

I don't have this yet but, judging from the packaging photo on Beaver, this is the first Warner noir set without individual cases so you can't (easily) sell the titles you don't want! As other people have commented, the whole enterprise (lack of commentaries, etc.) has an air of finality for the series. Several HTF posters have complained of audio distortion in Cornered, one claiming it's so bad it renders the film unwatchable, but I assume it didn't bother you. I do quite like Deadline at Dawn, which turns up regularly on BBC, though it's saddled with a typically talky Odets script. I also remember finding Crime in the Streets quite powerful, but it's perhaps more of a 50s social issue film than a noir. I've never seen Dial 1119, supposed to be interesting for its very early (1950) representation of live television as a manipulator of news stories.

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Finch
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Re: Film Noir Collections

#249 Post by Finch » Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:57 pm

Jon, I didn't notice any audio issues on Cornered. I'm positive Vol 4 had no individual titles either since I got Border Incident and On Dangerous Ground from Spain instead since I didn't want to get the other films. Since I could even live without Desperate and Phenix City Story, I am considering to do the same again for Cornered and Armoured Car Robbery. The Spanish DVD of On Dangerous Ground is quite a package actually with a booklet and audio commentary, alas all in Spanish. Subtitles also seem forced but not overly intrusive. I haven't seen enough of the film yet to make an informed opinion on the A/V but if the first 5 mins that I sampled are anything to go by, it's definitely better than the French Montparnasse. Can post more later if anyone was interested.

edit: Sorry I misread what you meant. Vol 4 did have slim keepcases, true. What I meant was that Warner weren't offering Vol 4's line-up in individual double-bills (as with Vol 3) either.

edit 2: Finished the Spanish disc. I don't own the French release or the Warner set to compare (though I have viewed both) but the Spanish disc lacks the green tinge apparent on the Montparnasse. Contrast and sharpness are easily better, especially in daylight scenes. Like the other two releases, the Spanish release exhibits minor dirt throughout but it sure beats the French disc and I reckon it's stronger still (better contrast) than the Warner. I only found it curious that upon selecting the English track and "sin subtitulos" that it would still enforce the subs when the film starts. Shame the booklet and extras aren't English-friendly but even so, it's got to be the best available release of this film anywhere.

Perkins Cobb
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm

Re: Film Noir Collections

#250 Post by Perkins Cobb » Fri Jul 23, 2010 5:07 pm

Mr Finch wrote:Finished the set and have to say I wish Warner had given us a smaller set for half the price: I got next to nothing out of the Siegel, Sherman etc and feel that I can't wholeheartedly recommend this set if half of it is filler at best. Sure, we got Desperate, Cornered, Phenix City Story and Armoured Car Robbery but I imagine that few people will want to watch the other four titles on a regular basis again.
Well, all the ones you omitted are the ones I haven't seen and were looking forward to. So I'm glad you're not working for Warners and axing movies from DVD sets just because they're not very good! (Say, is your real name George?)

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