Town Without Pity (1961) Blu-ray Review – Powerful Courtroom Drama in High Definition

Kirk Douglas is a Hollywood icon. He has starred in some of the best films in cinema history. I'm talking films like Spartacus, Lust for Life, Champion, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Paths of Glory. But there are also some lesser known films that people love. Films like The Final Countdown, Detective Story and my personal favorite the comedy western The Villain.

In 1961 a film adaption of the 1960 novel Das Urteil (The Verdict) by German writer Gregor Dorfmeister, was released. The film would starred Kirk Douglas. The film is approaching its 65th birthday. MGM Home Video have decided to release this court drama on Blu-ray.

Synopsis: An attorney is brought in to an occupied German town to defend four enlisted men accused of attacking a 16-year-old girl. But if he's going to prevent their death sentences, he will have to turn the spotlight on the already traumatized victim.

The film takes place for the most part in a courtroom. Now there have been many great courtroom dramas in cinema history. Town Without Pity takes a very serious subject matter of rape and brings it to the forefront. The dialogue is well-written and the acting is pretty good! Along with Kirk Douglas there are some familiar faces in this film. Probably most notably, Robert Blake (Baretta) and Frank Sutton (Gomer Pyle USMC). 

The film has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

With new Blu-ray releases home video fans expect new restorations making this classic films look better than ever. Well, sadly there has been no restoration of this film made for this release. But that doesn't mean the film looks bad. Town Without Pity is sharp and for the elements that were used the transfer looks really nice.

Now for Blu-ray bonus features! There are none. One thing that makes Blu-rays such an amazing thing for film fans collections is the bonuses. I would love to have seen a nice audio commentary or film historians talking about the significance of the film. But alas there is none.  

If you love the films of Kirk Douglas or courtroom dramas Town Without Pity is a nice film for your collection. The Blu-ray could have been a ton better, but a good film on Blu-ray is still a good thing. If you would like a copy of Town Without Pity head over to Amazon and order your copy today! 

Out of 4 Film Reels (4 being the best) The Blu-ray of Town Without Pity receives....