Film noirs, I truly love them. I will never forget the first noir I ever watched. It was Frank Sinatra in Suddenly. I can not count the time I have re-watched that film. But since that I have enjoyed discovering many film noirs I haven't seen.
The good folks at Flicker Alley have been releasing film noirs on deluxe Blu-ray and I have been thoroughly enjoying the releases. But now it's time for another release and this time it's a double dose of noir with a John Reinhardt double feature. Take a look at the two films included in this set.
Our Rating System:
****=Don’t Miss it!
***=Worth a look.
**=An OK way to spend an evening.
*=You haven’t missed anything.
The Guilty (1947) Based on the short story "Two Fellows in a Furnished Room" it follows two guys Mike (Don Castle Lighthouse) and Johnny (Wally Cassell, The Story of G.I. Joe), sharing an apartment, they meet twin girls (both played by Bonita Granville, Nancy Drew Detective). One's nice, the other not so much. When the nice sister is murdered and her boyfriend is accused of the crime. ***
High Tide (1947) Based on the story "Inside Job" the film follows private detective T.M. Slade (Done Castle, ) finds himself caught in the middle of an escalating conflict between a crime syndicate leader Nick Dyke (Anthony Warde, Flash Gordon's trip to Mars) and a crusading newspaper editor Hugh Fresney (Lee Tracy, The Best Man). ***
As with most film noirs these two were made on a very tight budget. Amazingly well produced and directed. Both films were produced by Jack Wrather, best known for producing The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and Lassie television series. And both films were directed by the mostly forgotten but truly amazing director John Reinhardt and expertly done if I do say so myself.
Don Castle stars in both these noirs. Sadly he had his promising career (that included a role in the western classic Gunfight at the O.K. Corral) cut short. In 1966 he suffered a traffic accident, than tragically died of a medication overdose at the young age 48. We are left to only enjoy the roles he did play and dream of what else he might have done.
Flicker Alley has joined forces with The Film Noir Foundation to bring us this great 1940s double feature on Blu-ray DVD combo release. Both of these film have been lovingly restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
The Guilty and High Tide are both presented in their original full screen format. No hideous stretching of picture. The audio is a LPCM Mono. There is also English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Always a very nice and welcomed addition to any release.
These new restoration are truly amazing. The picture quality is nothing short of miraculous. They are crisp and clean and the audio is clear. Now two entertaining film noirs on one set is not where this set ends, not by a longshot. Flicker Alley have added some really cool bonuses to this set. Take a look at what is included.
* Introduction to The Guilty and High Tide – by author, film historian, and "noirchaelogist" Eddie Muller
* Jack Wrather: A Legacy of Film and Friendship – produced by Steven C. Smith and Alan K. Rode, featuring interviews with Chris Wrather and Gretchen (Castle) Bernfeld
* Nightmare: The Life and Films of Cornell Woolrich – a documentary by Steven C. Smith and Eddie Muller exploring the life and work of author Cornell Woolrich
* John Reinhardt: Direction Without Borders – produced by Steven C. Smith and Alan K. Rode, featuring interviews with critic Dave Kehr, film historian Maria Elena de las Carreras, former child actor Gordon Gebert, and film historian and biographer Alan K. Rode
* Lee Tracy: The Fastest Mouth in the West – a profile of the actor by writer and film historian Imogen Sara Smith
* Audio Commentary for The Guilty – by author and film scholar Jake Hinkson
* Audio Commentary for High Tide – by film historian Alan K. Rode
* Souvenir Booklet – featuring posters, lobby cards, and stills from both films, including a book-to-film essay by Brian Light
These bonus documentary features are so well produced. They are almost worth the price alone. But as a bonus feature it makes this release 10 times better. The commentaries are insightful bringing so much more about this films you never knew. And finally the booklet if filled with great material, you won't be able to put it down.
So as you can see this is one amazing film noir Blu-ray/DVD set. If you love 40s film noir The Guilty and High Tide Blu-ray set is an absolute must own for your collection. I highly recommend heading over to Amazon and ordering your copy today. You won't be disappointed.
Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) Flicker Alleys Blu-ray release of The Guilty and High Tide receives...
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