Happy NOIRVEMBER from Gartenberg Media Enterprises!
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STILL: WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950). SOURCE: GARTENBERG MEDIA ENTERPRISES.
Down-on-their-luck detectives. Devious dames. Lust, lies, betrayal… murder. Who doesn’t love a good film noir?
As November — or should we say Noirvember — comes to a close, we reflect on our collection of noir titles on DVD, DSL, and/or Blu-Ray. From bona fide classics to long unheralded diamonds-in-the-rough, these pulpy, moody gems are currently available for North American institutional acquisition from GME.
Directed by legendary actor-turned-director Ida Lupino, 1953’s THE HITCH-HIKER is notable for being the only classic American film noir directed by a woman. In 1998, it was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the Library of Congress and entered into the National Film Registry.
Inspired by the true-life murder spree of serial killer Billy Cook, THE HITCH-HIKER is a tension-laden saga of two men on a camping trip (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) who are held captive by a homicidal drifter (William Talman). Lupino visited the real serial killer at San Quentin, where he granted her exclusive rights to his story. THE HITCH-HIKER was independently produced, which allowed Lupino and ex-husband/producer Collier Young to work from a treatment by blacklisted writer Daniel Mainwaring and tackle an incident that was too brutal for the major studios to even consider.
This film is available from GME as a DVD, DSL, and/or Blu-Ray, and includes audio commentary by film historian Imogen Sara Smith.
In hard-boiled, film noir tradition, reminiscent of the work of James M. Cain, greed, unstoppable sexual attraction, and betrayal set off a doomed course in which a femme fatale leads a once upstanding citizen down a dark path. THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF (1950) was the first independent production of Phoenix Films, the company run by Jack M. Warner, son of Warner Bros. Studios mogul Jack L., and a highlight in the lengthy career of director Felix E. Feist.
Blinded by love, homicide lieutenant Ed Cullen (Lee J. Cobb, fresh off originating the role of Willy Loman on Broadway in DEATH OF A SALESMAN) goes to great lengths to cover up a murder. His coquettish girlfriend Lois (Jane Wyatt, best known for her work on the television series FATHER KNOWS BEST) has killed her scheming husband before he could bump her off. John Dall (GUN CRAZY) co-stars as Ed’s kid brother Andy, a rookie on the force who is determined to break his first big case. These accomplished actors are nearly eclipsed by the incandescent star power of San Francisco, and especially the world’s most photographed bridge, the Golden Gate.
THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF was restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive and funded by the Film Noir Foundation. It is currently available from GME as a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack. Bonus materials include a featurette on the crew, cast, and production of the original film; a virtual tour comparing the locales from the original movie with how they look today; the restored original theatrical trailer; and a souvenir booklet.
Rescued and preserved after a five-year effort by the Film Noir Foundation, 1949’s TOO LATE FOR TEARS is at long last available in a clean digital version, transferred from a 35mm print painstakingly restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. GME distributes this title as a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack.
TOO LATE FOR TEARS provides noir icon Lizabeth Scott with the meaty role of frustrated housewife Jane Palmer, whose married life careens out of control with murderous greed when a suitcase filled with $60,000 is accidentally “tossed” to her and husband Alan (played by Arthur Kennedy). Beyond the fantastically theatrical turn by Scott, the production highlights an exceedingly devious performance by another regular of the genre, Dan Duryea.
Before making Hollywood epics such as 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954), THE VIKINGS (1958), and BARABBAS (1961), director Richard Fleischer started his career in the mid-1940s with a series of low-budget B-features, often taking crime stories and transforming them into taut noir dramas. In Fleischer’s TRAPPED, a young Lloyd Bridges stars as hardboiled hoodlum Tris Stewart, a convicted counterfeiter doing time in the Atlanta penitentiary. When a fresh batch of fake bills starts circulating, treasury agents bail Stewart out to help lead them to the maker of the fake plates. But Tris double-crosses the Feds, hooking up with his gun-moll sweetie (22-year-old Barbara Payton in her breakout role). They plan to heist the plates and hightail it across the border. With the T-Men closing in and the double-crosses piling up, Stewart finds himself increasingly trapped by his own devices.
Although long sought by the Film Noir Foundation, TRAPPED was believed to have suffered the unfortunate fate of many B-films of the era: oblivion. When a private collector deposited a 35mm acetate print at the Harvard Film Archive, the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA Film & Television Archive (with support from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Trust) sprang into action, restoring the film. The result, presented in this Blu-ray/DVD dual-format edition, honors the assured direction, crisp cinematography, and convincing performances of this heretofore largely unseen film noir.
Bonus materials include a documentary on the film’s creation and history, a remembrance of director Fleischer, an audio commentary track, and rare photographs and poster art.
Shot largely among the gritty working class landscapes of mid-century San Francisco, WOMAN ON THE RUN spotlights Ann Sheridan as an acerbic wise-cracking wife in search of her estranged husband who suddenly disappears after witnessing a gangland assassination.
After suffering through a series of disappointing roles at Warner Brothers, Sheridan bought out her remaining contract and turned to the upstart independent Fidelity Pictures in an attempt to re-establish her career as a leading lady. The resultant work was this 1950 noir gem, which has been rescued and restored to its original luster by the Film Noir Foundation in conjunction with UCLA Film & Television Archive, with special thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Charitable Grant Trust and the British Film Institute. WOMAN ON THE RUN is currently available from GME as a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack.
Happy Noirvember from GME!