Lizabeth Scott

Average customer rating:

Great DVD Tranfer
ELVIS IS & YOU'LL SEE WHY
Terrific movie, PERFECT DVD transfer!
Forget Jailhouse Rock
Small town girl, big star boy!

Loving You
Starring: Elvis Presley , Lizabeth Scott , Wendell Corey , Dolores Hart , and James Gleason
Director: Hal Kanter
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

King Creole
Wild in the Country
Love Me Tender
Flaming Star
Follow That Dream

ASIN: B00007L4KP
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Customer Reviews:

Great DVD Tranfer.......2006-04-23

This, is in my opinion is Elvis's best movie.From the staged performances to the acting and story line, it is still watchable entertainment today.Also this dvd edition has been beautifully restored and the magnificent Technicolor shines.Definetely a must for any Elvis fan.

ELVIS IS & YOU'LL SEE WHY .......2005-05-22

22 MAY 2005 ONCE YOU'VE SEEN THIS FLICK, IT'LL BE OBVIOUS TO THE MOST CASUAL OBSERVER WHY ELVIS IS THE KING OF ROCK&ROLL!!! THE TUNES ARE JUMPIN', & THE HOUSE IS ROCKIN'!!! THIS FLICK SHOWS ELVIS' RISE TO THE TOP, & WHY!!! WHAT IT DOES NOT SHOW IS, THE THIEVERY THAT HAD STARTED IN THE BACK GROUND, BY COL TOM PARKER! WHICH OVER THE YEARS REACHED THE ASTRONOMICAL POINT, TO THE TUNE OF 50% OF ELVIS!!! A BUSINESS MAN, ELVIS WAS NOT! JAILHOUSE ROCK & KING CREOLE, WERE 2 OTHER FLICKS WITH GREAT ELVIS TUNES. G.I. BLUES & BLUE HAWAII, ALSO HAD SOME GOOD ELVIS TUNES. BUT MOST OF THE OTHER ELVIS FLICKS WERE JUST SIMPLY MONEY MAKERS THAT COL TOM PARKER SET UP. THE DOCUMENTARY "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS", SHOWS ELVIS' CREATIVITY, PROFESSIONALISM, & THE MUSICAL PERFECTIONIST THAT HE WAS. AS IN, WE'RE GONNA GET THIS RIGHT FOR THE AUDIENCE, NO MATTER HOW MANY TAKES WE HAVE TO DO!!! FROM THIS FLICK, "LOVING YOU", IN 1957, TO THE LIVE SHOW I SAW IN 1977,,,(i saw elvis on the tommy dorsey show feb 1955 & followed him every since),,, THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER THERE EVER WAS,, THAT'S ELVIS!!! (i just wished that the hangerson would have been smart enough to keep their gravy train on the tracks!!!) IN THIS FLICK, YOU'LL SEE ELVIS' MOTHER IN THE AUDIENCE. SHE IS SO EXCITED, & TAKE NOTE OF HOW SHE IS REALLY INTO HIS MUSIC!!! GREAT FLICK !!!

Terrific movie, PERFECT DVD transfer!.......2004-04-07

First I would like to applaud Lion's Gate Home Entertainment for the perfect job they did with transferring this film to DVD. Having never seen this movie (gasp) before I bought it on DVD, the first thing I noticed was that they not only kept the original "VistaVision" opening sequence, but that the transfer was so flawless as to make it appear that I was watching it from a projector onto the silver screen. Splendid, wonderful, perfect transfer that I could not forget to mention. Sound is awesome as well, 5 stars to YOU, Lion's Gate.
Onto the film. It is true what people say here about the film being almost biographical about Elvis' early years. It is also very dramatic and is a wonderful mix of fun and drama. Here Elvis is still the young, wild stallion, the rebel King. He is lean and mean, and I think he knows it. Set in a smallish town, he is called up on stage to do a number spontaneously and the rest is history. A talent scout in the audience eventually coaxes him to leave behind the world of automobiles to become a musical legend. Trust is a main theme in this movie with Deke Rivers (Elvis) confused about his loyalties, or even if he should trust his own manager. Wow - very biographical come to think of it!
Did I mention how visually stunning the movie is? How beautiful and perfect the color is? Yes I did, but I can't stress it enough. This movie is ear and eye candy, with a great story to match.

Forget Jailhouse Rock.......2003-08-28

This movie is a lot more fun than Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas. I could almost say it's better than Wild in the Country. They're definitely in competition.
This was before Wild in the Country and he's a better actor in this. Sad Wild came later. Elvis wasn't that good of an actor but he was an entertainer and he succeeds on that level in this movie.
Unlike Wild, this movie moves at a good pace. It is loaded with songs, lipsynced but it's still fun to watch them. Elvis plays a troubled country boy whose talent is discovered by Lizabeth Scott. Even in 1957, Lizabeth was still beautiful. She plays a half villian type role. The noir movies in the 40's were more suited for her but she pulls this off okay. Dolores Hart, who later was cast in "Where the Boys Are", gives a nice performance also as a pretty innocent country girl.
Wild in the Country is unintentionally funny all the way. But if you want a movie more closer to the definition of good I would go for this one. The last ten minutes are quite silly though.

Small town girl, big star boy!.......2003-07-31

"Loving You" is based on a story written by Mary Agnes Thompson from the magazine Good Housekeeping. At the time she wrote the story, the young Oklahoma girl had no idea it would be transformed into the wonderful big screen sensation starring one of the biggest stars in the world. Even though the story seems biographical regarding Elvis, Mary Agnes Thompson knew nothing about him aside from hearing a couple of his songs on the radio. This movie is a must see for all, not only Elvis fans. If you're lucky enough to find a copy of the story, it is worth the read.

Average customer rating:

Noir for Noir Fans
A long way behind "Gilda" in likability...
Good but not great
Run-of-the-mill film-noir production
Post-War Noir

Dead Reckoning [Region 99]
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Lizabeth Scott , Morris Carnovsky , Charles Cane , and William Prince
Director: John Cromwell
Manufacturer: Columbia Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

In a Lonely Place [Region 99]
The Enforcer
The Desperate Hours
Dark Passage (Snap Case)
The Harder They Fall [Region 99]

ASIN: B00007ELD1
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Amazon.com

The shadow of World War II falls over this stateside film noir thriller about a GI paratrooper (Humphrey Bogart) who trails his AWOL war buddy to a treacherous city populated by gamblers, goons, pug cops, and the smoky, suspicious Lizabeth Scott, a seductive femme who may be fatale. Bogie's tight lipped, war hardened intensity dominates the B roster of supporting actors (Morris Carnovsky as a finicky nightclub owner with a gambling sideline, Marvin Miller as his brutal baby-faced thug) and the plot echoes with elements of earlier Bogie classics The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon recast on a low budget. Scott is, for all her fog-voiced sultriness, no Lauren Bacall, but her mannered performance is appropriately ambiguous and the film's cynical edge, ruthless desperation, and tarnished view of small-time hoodlums with big dreams casts a darker shadow unique to Hollywood's postwar funk. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Noir for Noir Fans.......2007-06-06

As "Dead Reckoning" opens, Humphrey Bogart is a U.S. Army Captain, chasing one of his men who has gone AWOL. The trail leads to an eponymous Southern town, where HB finds the guy has been murdered! There are good early noir scenes: the dark church, dreary morgue, dingy hotel room, menacing cops-and a beautiful woman! She is none other than the classic good girl/bad girl, Lizabeth Scott. (Bogey narrates DR throughout via flashback while telling his tale to a fatherly Army chaplain). Bogey's Southern trip leads to a strange brew of murder, lies, conceit, double-cross, blackmail - and a secret marriage! Scott is at the heart of it all and plays her role to the hilt. She and Bogey make a nice pair and overshadow the supporting cast. Other reviewers have compared Scott to Lauren Bacall. This reviewer is an LS fan. It says here that to compare the two ladies is to compliment Miss Bacall! This review won't divulge the ending. Does Bogey find out who murdered his buddy? Folks will just have to watch for themselves. DR is definitely recommended for noir fans. Those new to the genre may be somewhat less satisfied but the movie may just make some new fans too. If DR has a weakness, it lies in that awkward fadeout. What were the suits at Columbia Pictures thinking? It must have been a last minute substitute for the original. A final question: Was Marvin Miller (the guy who played the heavy, Krause), the same fellow from the 50s TV drama "The Millionaire"?

A long way behind "Gilda" in likability..........2006-12-25

"Dead Reckoning" is somewhat of a rehashing of the plots and dialog of "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Big Sleep," but it contains much more visual violence... It is a typical Hollywood film noir of the post-war but a long way behind "Gilda" in likability...

Bogart is again portraying his now all-too-familiar role of the sardonic cynic with his own moral code who, this time, is on the trail of a killer who has murdered a wartime paratrooper friend...

Lizabeth Scott is cast as Bogart's femme fatale, obviously hoping to exploit her close resemblance to Lauren Bacall... Unfortunately, like Bacall, her first few films found her equally awkward and expressionless...

Good but not great.......2006-09-15

I won't rehash the plot, other than to say it is about as plausible as any other film noir, and more understandable on a first viewing than, say, the Big Sleep. But it somehow lacks the monumental quality of that movie, mostly because of weaker characterization. Bogie has some great lines, and his performance carries the movie along. Lizabeth Scott smoulders, but never really catches fire, and her southern accent could use some work. The bad guys aren't quite bad enough, and the copper is a little too stock. Nonetheless, a tense psychological thriller that will not disappoint, and is worth watching more than once. One day, someone will write a book about why the forties produced so many gun-toting femme fatales. Statistically, men kill their women and not vice versa, although you'd never guess that from this genre. But hey, it makes for good (and sometimes great) cinema.

Run-of-the-mill film-noir production.......2005-12-15

Humphrey Bogart in a fairly routine film-noir murder mystery set on the Gulf Coast. Bogey's army buddy, about to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, suddenly disappears and then turns up murdered. Bogey investigates and finds out the guy was involved in a murder and apparent underworld coverup, though Bogart is convinved he's innocent.

Of course there's a doll in the middle of it all - Lizabeth Scott, who's acting is not much to rave about - and sure enough she's the real murderer who's allowed Bogey's buddy to take the rap. Bogart falls for her, of course, but at the end is ready to turn her in (honor over love any day), but she dies in a preposterous car crash before he gets the chance. The script is pretty weak and most of the actors seem to be just going through the motions, though Bogey is very good.

Post-War Noir.......2005-10-24

Humphrey Bogart is a paratrooper coming home from WWII in the company of a comrade due to get the Congressional Medal of Honor. On the train to Washington DC the hero jumps out and does his best disappearing act. Bogart soon learns the man was in the Army under an assumed name and is determined to find out who he really was.

The film has many noir moments to relish. It opens with the scene of a city at night in the pouring rain. An illuminated sign proudly announces we've arrived in "Gulf City. Paradise City of the South". Other great shots include one from inside a telephone booth and the faux art deco nightclub where Bogart calls the nervous male bartender, "sweetheart". We also get a nice shadowy noir underworld shot inside the city morgue. In addition there is a great scene of Bogart, trying to kill time in a hotel room, where he phones the front desk and mocking talks to them in a silly southern accent of his own devise.

The moment we first gaze upon femme fatal Lisabeth Scott is a heart stopper. When she says to Bogart, "Where have we met?" he replies, "In another guy's dream". In additon Morris Carnovsky is very good as an icy cold creep.

The technique and dialogue admittedly outweigh the story and the fourth star here is really for the Bogart performance. A lesser fan of his than I may be less impressed.

Average customer rating:

Pulp Fizzle

Pulp
Starring: Michael Caine , Mickey Rooney , Lionel Stander , Lizabeth Scott , and Nadia Cassini
Director: Mike Hodges
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Play Dirty
Bedazzled
Fixed Bayonets
Becket
Man in the Middle

ASIN: B000MTFDE2
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

Pulp is a little-seen yet still entertaining black comedy from Michael Caine's prolific mid-career period of the early 1970s. While Sleuth fared much better at the box office in 1972 (mainly due to the dynamic pairing of Caine and Laurence Olivier), there's much to enjoy in this droll, wickedly sarcastic effort from Mike Hodges, who had previously directed Caine in the acclaimed 1971 thriller Get Carter. You can detect some of that film's darker sensibility here, with Caine giving a laid-back and jaded performance as Mickey King, a pulp novelist of dubious reputation who's agreed to ghost-write the autobiography of Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), a Hollywood has-been who specialized in playing gangsters, now living in a sun-baked villa on the island of Malta. As it turns out, Gilbert's been keeping some dangerous secrets, and shortly after Mickey arrives on the island, Gilbert is murdered and the now-unemployed ghost-writer is the killer's next target. As Mickey tracks down clues by interviewing potential suspects, his voice-over narration (of which there is plenty in this casually-paced mystery) begins to reflect how his own life has become like one of his overcooked potboilers, and half the fun comes from hearing how he's embellishing events as they unfold. Rooney's a comedic standout during his brief time on-screen, and there's some fine support from Lionel Stander as Gilbert's lazy bodyguard, and long-legged beauty Nadia Cassini (who went on to a modest career in Italian films) as Gilbert's mistress. Note to film buffs: Keep a lookout for Al Lettieri (best known as "Solozzo" from The Godfather), in addition to a small but pivotal role for Robert Sacchi, who made a career for himself as "The Man with Bogart's Face." Pulp may not make you laugh out loud, but it'll definitely keep you smiling. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Mickey King (Michael Caine) writes pulp, lives pulp and very soon could be pulp. While ghostwriting an autobiography for Hollywood star Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), Mickey ends up investigating a murder....

Customer Reviews:

Pulp Fizzle.......2007-04-29

Fan's of the original "Get Carter" be forwarned. "Pulp" may have reteamed star Michael Caine and director Mike Hodges but lightning has not struck twice here. The story, when not incoherent, meanders and Hodges' stabs at dark comedy crash down with a resounding thud. Even at an an economical 95 minutes the film seems to drag. Lone redeeming qualities here are the ever charismatic Caine and an all too abreviated appearance by Mickey Rooney as an exiled film star.

Average customer rating:

The return of the repressed
Under the Radar
KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS
Kirk Douglas - Best EVER
A childhood' s sin !

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott , Kirk Douglas , and Judith Anderson
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Crime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sorry Wrong Number (1948) (Sub)
Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
Kiss of Death (Fox Film Noir)

ASIN: B000ANVPVU
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com essential video

Barbara Stanwyck mesmerizes as a woman with a past, bound by a crime to a husband she despises. Kirk Douglas quickens our collective pulses in his film debut as her disappointing, dipsomaniac spouse, while Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott bring texture to supporting roles. Everything about this 1946 film noir is intriguing, from Lewis Milestone's direction to Edith Head's costumes to the edgy and troubled characters. It takes a long, hard look at guilt and the consequences of poorly planned actions. Well worth checking out, despite a wretched title. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Product Description

Although this was director Lewis Milestone's only venture into the realm of noir, it remains a classic of the genre. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers stars Barbara Stanwyck as the title character, a tough, spoiled, willful heiress married to the local D.A., Walter O'Neil (Kirk Douglas), a weak-willed alcoholic. When old friend Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) suddenly returns to town after many years away, he approaches Walter to ask his help with the case of Toni Marashek (Lisabeth Scott), a friend who has been falsely accused of a crime. Sam is surprised, at first, to learn of Walter's marriage, knowing both of the parties, but quickly begins to put the pieces together. It turns out that Martha's tyrannical aunt (Judith Anderson), met an untimely end on the night that Sam left town, and Martha fears that Sam will reveal what he knows about that night, thereby destroying the lives of both she and her husband. Consequently, she begins to plot against Sam, who she also loves in her own twisted fashion. Every element seems perfectly in place in this typically guilt-saturated noir, with superb direction from Milestone, a memorable score by Miklos Rosza, and an outstanding performance by Kirk Douglas in his film debut.

Customer Reviews:

The return of the repressed.......2007-06-12

The sets and production values of this Paramount story of intrigue from 1946, the annus mirabilis of film noir, are superb, and there's no film starring Barbra Stanwyck that's not worth watching if just for her. Watchable though she inevitably is here, this is one of the few times in her long and magnificent career where she was truly miscast: Stanwyck was equally versatile playing comedy or drama, poverty or wealth, but the one thing she cannot play is neurosis--she was far too confident and driven a performer to be very believable as the highly ambivalent and conflicted Martha O'Neil. None of the three leads in this odd film seems ideally cast: as Martha's weakling alcoholic husband, Kirk Douglas, stunningly handsome in his first film role, is supposed to be wildly jealous of Van Heflin, of all people, who has come back to Iverstown (the Pennsylvania industrial town Stanwyck and Douglas jointly rule) with the memory of a childhood killing. Equally oddly cast is Janis Wilson, the memorably unhappy child Tina from NOW, VOYAGER here playing Martha as a young girl; it is inconceivable this anguished girl could ever grow up to be the tough and omnicompetent Stanwyck. Only Lizbeth Scott, as Heflin's weak new lady love, seems truly comfortable in her part. Even so, this DVD is still very much worth seeing if only for its early variations on common film noir themes.

Under the Radar.......2007-03-29

Excellent cast of Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott cannot pull this film out of mediocrity. The elements of noir are present: murder, jealousy, innocence, and betrayal but the film lacks the desperation and moral conflict that surrounds the protagonist in so many films of the genre. Van Heflin's performance is flat and Lizabeth Scott's performance is as wooden as a pine plank. Stanwyck's role and performance is more credible, but not as absorbing in later films such as Sorry Wrong Number and Double Indemnity. Kirk Douglas is very good in his first major Hollywood role as an alcoholic district attorney who fears that the appearance of a childhood friend (Heflin) will destroy the upper class lifestyle he enjoys with his wife (Stanwyck). The reunion between the Heflin character and Stanwyck's character is awkardly filmed and dramatized. Meanwhile we are left to believe that the nomadic Lizabeth Scott character still can't find the nerve to leave town. For some reason, for me anyway, the town looked liked it was situated somewhere near Pittsburg, Pa. I thought the ending of the film was a bit histrionic, but still an interesting ending. Why we needed anything after this, I don't know. The film should have concluded with a slow fade to darkness. Instead we see a sugar coded resolve that would have been more suited to a Disney Studio production.

KIRK DOUGLAS - OPUS ONE - KIRK DOUGLAS.......2007-03-20

First and only film noir directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), first movie of Kirk Douglas, a screenplay written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is the kind of film any movie buff should have the desire to see. The Paramount Home Entertainment release I bought here at Amazon presents a near perfect copy of this movie but, beware, no extras at all.

Two scenes of the movie, Judith Anderson's death and the tragic finale deserve to stay in a film noir anthology, as well as the performances of Kirk Douglas and Barbara Stanwyck. Note also than the numerous close-ups of Lizabeth Scott and the silly epilogue of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS must not be accredited to Lewis Milestones nor to Robert Rossen. They were shot, after the completion of the film, by Byron Haskin on the producer Hal B. Wallis demand.

A DVD zone your library.

Kirk Douglas - Best EVER.......2007-01-12

The title may steer you in the wrong direction - this is not a romance. This is one of the best early pscho-dramas. Barbara Stanwyck is cold as ice, softening up all girlie when her childhood love returns. Kirk Douglas was magnificent as the whiney, wimpy, drunken husband.

And this movie has the best ending of all movies EVER.

They just don't write them like this anymore.

A childhood' s sin !.......2006-12-26

Lewis Milestone sealed his rubric in this troubled Noir, where the shadows of a somber past lurks the private intimacy of Martha, when a childhood friend rekindles old passions and so er husband the District Attorney O' Neil will ignite the imminent tragedy of a secret strongly kept in silence and hovered by a perverse blackmail.

Once more the Noir genre, mirrors one of its most relevant elements, which is the impossibility to break the bounds with an infamous and lurking past that obligates to turn a whole life in search of a supposed redemption based on a mutual complicity.

A fabulous cast that includes Kirk Douglas in his debut, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. The screenplay of Robert Rosen is based on an unpublished story "lovelies bleeding" by Jack Patrick. Released in July, 24 1946 with a running time of 115 minutes.
One of my personal favorite Noir films of the middle forties.

Average customer rating:

Silver Screen buff
A 1954 western with shades of High Noon
"great cast Payne, Scott & Duryea ~ Silver Lode (1954)"
A glass of cold barley water
Very fine RKO western ....and an excellent DVD

Silver Lode (1954)
Starring: John Payne , Lizabeth Scott , Dan Duryea , Dolores Moran , and Emile Meyer
Director: Allan Dwan
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Tennessee's Partner
Seven Men From Now (Special Collector's Edition)
Cattle Queen of Montana
The Man Behind the Gun / Thunder Over the Plains / Riding Shotgun
Slightly Scarlet

ASIN: B000067J2J
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Customer Reviews:

Silver Screen buff.......2006-06-30

John Payne, Dan Duryea and Lizbeth Scott gave tense, very good performances in this color western. John Payne was especially good at showing what can happen to a person as he is slowly stripped of his self-respect, reputation and every friend in town, who desert him. Finally, he is down to nothing but self-preservation and survival. Lizbeth Scott is Payne's loyal love interest and Dan Duryea plays a convincing and clever villain. There are insinuations of 'McCarthyism' in the film, but they are too simplistic to be taken seriously. The career of Senator Joseph (Tailgunner Joe) McCarthy had a lot more to it than could be talked about here.
I thought the color balance, sound and image clarity were very good for this DVD.

A 1954 western with shades of High Noon.......2006-04-26

A Federal Marshal and his deputies ride into the western town of Silver Lode during 4th July celebrations claiming to have a warrant for the arrest of one of its citizens Dan Ballard on this his wedding day. Slowly the townsfolk turn against Ballard leaving him with only the support of the two women in his life.

The stoic hero is played by John Payne with his back against the wall for most of the film and Dan Duryea is the villain of the piece. Lizabeth Scott is Ballard's fiance and Dolores Moran plays the saloon girl. The film moves along at a fine pace well directed by Allan Dwan

John Payne turns in a fine performance as the hero and "Baddies" don't get much better than Dan Duryea! Altogether a fine western DVD movie plus Trailer etc

"great cast Payne, Scott & Duryea ~ Silver Lode (1954)".......2005-10-30

VCI Entertainment presents "Silver Lode" (1954) (Dolby digitally remastered)...an RKO Pictures production featuring John Payne, Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea...story is drama at its best, very similar to "High Noon"...four men ride into the town of "Silver Lode" with a warrant for John Payne led by Duryea, with Carey Jr, Hale Jr and Whitman as the deputies...is Payne guilty of murder and taking $20,000, can he find some proof that these charges are false and unwarranted...is the town standing behind him or they split right down the middle of his innocence...Duryea is the brother of the man Payne is accused of killing in Discovery, will they take him alive or dead...can Payne depend on Rose the saloon girl who still carries a flame for him...will four desperate men claiming to be lawmen who are bent on revenge find an innocent victum for their next target of murder...watch as the screens most exciting manhunt begins when one man fights against mob violence and his survival...is it my imagination or is this close to the McCarthy witch hunt for communists in the film industry during '50s...however the point is well take as this is a very good western with fine performances...so pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie.

Under director Allan Dwan, producer Benedict Bogeaus with original story by Karen DeWolf, music composed by Louis Forbes...the cast include John Payne (Dan Ballard), Lizabeth Scott (Rose Evans), Dan Duryea (Ned McCarthy-marshall), Dolores Moran (Dolly), Harry Carey Jr (Johnson-deputy), Alan Hale Jr (Kirk-deputy), Stuart Whitman (Wickers-deputy), Morris Anktrum (Zachary Evans), I.Stanford Jolley (Bit part), Myron Healey (Rider), Lane Chandler (Man at fire), Frank Sully (Paul Herbert), Emile Meyer (Sheriff Wooley), Robert Warwick (Judge Cranston), John Hudson (Michael 'Mitch' Evans), Roy Gordon (Dr. Elmwood), Hugh Sanders (townsman), Florence Auer (Mrs. Elmwood), Ralph Sanford (Joe-bartender), Al Haskell (Sheriff's Deputy), John Dierkes (Blacksmith), Edgar Barrier (Taylor).....special note on actor John Payne played Vint Bonner in "Restless Gun": (1957-59) legendary gunfighter hero who drifts in and out of towns during the old west helping the underdog...and actor Dan Duryea was outstanding in the Bette Davis film "The Little Foxes", but remembered in the 1948 Universal Film "Black Bart", as the black garbed highwayman making away with Wells Fargo bounty in a series of stagecoach holdups, wonderful hard riding scenes over the technicolor plains....familiar veteran actors supporting the cast with Morris Ankrum (Hoppy films as the villain), Lane Chandler (Duke Wayne's sidekick in many B-Westerns), Myron Healey (the cowboy picking on Dean Martin in the saloon scene "Rio Bravo"), Robert Warwick (played everything from Indian Chief to Judge in the '40s) and one of my favorite character actors I.Stanford Jolley who was always in the thick of rustling, bank robbing or running the local saloon, great stuff from those days of B-Westerns.....there's a great deal of entertainment here for "B-Western" fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

SCENE SELECT:
1. Strangers
2. Accusations
3. Friends
4. Time
5. Information
6. The Plan
7. Twisted Truth
8. On The Run
9. In Hiding
10.Alone
11.Surrounded
12.Telegram

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. "Silver Lode" (original theatrical trailer)

BIOS:
1. John Payne
Birth Date: 5/23/1912 - Roanoke, VA
Died: 12/06/1989 - Malibu, California
2. Lizabeth Scott (aka Emma Matzo)
Birth Date: 9/29/1922 - Scranton, PA
Died: still living
3. Dan Duryea
Birth Date: 1/23/1907 - White Plains, NY
Died: 6/07/1968 - Hollywood, CA

Own them now on DVD....if you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...if you enjoyed this feature check out another as VCI Entertainment presents "Cattle Queen of Montana" (1954) (Dolby digitally remastered)...an RKO Pictures production featuring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan...story line has Sierra Nevada Jones (Stanwyck) and her father (Ankrum) arriving in Montana to file their claim for some prime ranch land...while camping and bedding down the cattle Natchakoa (Caruso) with his band of renegade tribesmen raid the camp and steal the cattle...land owner and neighbor McCord (Evans) is behind all of the bad events that happen to Sierra...with the help of Colorados (Fuller) son of the chief who has attended the whitemans college is trying to bring peace between the Indian and townspeople...is Farrell (Reagan) who is working for McCord and his henchman Yost (Jack Elam) help Sierra Jones...can Farrell who is a hired gun be working for the army undercover...will his fast gun help turn the tide for the Cattle Queen of Montana...this above average B-Western will keep you guessing to the very last scene.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the "Silver Lode" (1954), digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch Westerns from VCI...so saddle up and get ready for some hard riding and adventure that only VCI Entertainment (King of the Serials) can deliver...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 80 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8291 ~ (6/25/2002)

A glass of cold barley water.......2004-09-14

An elder gunslinger is marrying a beautiful young blonde when a posse of Trouble ride into town. The townsfolk forsake him and, save for the women who love him, he stands alone to meet his fate. Welcome to High Noon Redux, also known as SILVER LODE.
SILVER LODE is a `message' movie, with more or less the same message its illustrious predecessor had - McCarthyism is bad. Or, as the dvd jacket blurb begins, "A fictional account of the most shameful moments in American history. McCarthyism justice western style: a case of guilty by association." On the off chance that the original audience missed the connection, the chief bad guy in this one, wonderfully played by A-List heavy Dan Duryea, is named `Ned McCarthy.' Get it?
I don't have much patience for message westerns, and SILVER LODE definitely fits into the Ox-Bow Incident/High Noon continuum. I find myself drawn out of the movie too often, usually to criticize minor plot points (No judge would ever have so cavalierly allowed a shady, unidentified US Marshall extradite one of his town's citizens!) or to whine about how preachy it is.
Still, SILVER LODE boasts a strong cast, headed by Gary Coo...er, I mean John Payne as the innocent accused and B-movie queen Lizabeth Scott as his almost-bride. Duryea is, as usual, excellent and great fun to watch. SILVER LODE also contains more than its fair share of well choreographed and photographed action scenes.
A bit heavy handed, SILVER LODE is a movie with a message that borrows liberally from the mother lode of anti-McCarthyism westerns, HIGH NOON. The higher your tolerance for being preached at, the more you'll enjoy this movie.

Very fine RKO western ....and an excellent DVD.......2003-11-12

SILVER LODE may be the finest western that RKO released in the mid-1950s. With expert and taut scripting, high production values (it's one of producer Benedict Bogeaus' best), excellent direction under the veteran Allan Dwan, this little oater also has two of the best performances of its two male leads: John Payne and Dan Duryea. Payne, a veteran of numerous Westerns for Paramount [e.g., EL PASO and THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK] and Republic [e.g., THE ROAD TO DENVER], here turns in a tour de force as the innocent, but hunted and accused hero. He is very fine indeed, his lines crisply given, adding to the mounting tension. Duryea, one of Hollywood's finest "bad guys," almost outdoes Payne; Duryea is simply studpendous. The final scene between the two--in the town bell tower--is quite striking and remarkable.
Secondary starring roles are filled with some very competent Hollywood veterans---Robert Warwick, Emile Meyer as the town sheriff, Harry Carey Jr. and Alan Hale Jr. as members of Dan Duryea's "posse." Lisbeth Scott is Payne's love interest; she's does quite well.
VCI has given us a fine, clean print, and attaches the original trailer at the end, along with bios of the leading actors, all very helpful.
Silver Lode is the kind of movie that will repay watching from time to time. It is way above average as oaters go. Recommended highly both to those interested in good Western fare and, yes, to others interested simply in good cinema.

Average customer rating:

Martin and Lewis are no "Ghost Breakers"
VERY GOOD COMEDY HORROR SPOOF
A Martin and Lewis essential...
A Remake that Did Not Work
A Must For Your Martin and Lewis Collection

Scared Stiff
Starring: Dean Martin , Jerry Lewis , Lizabeth Scott , Carmen Miranda , and George Dolenz
Director: George Marshall
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Brandon, Henry | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ching, William | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Fax, Jesslyn | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Lambert, Jack | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Lewis, Jerry | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Scott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | VHS | Video

Marshall, George | ( M ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Caddy
Jumping Jacks
Hollywood Or Bust
The Ghost Breakers
Artists & Models

ASIN: 6302610648
Release Date: 1998-01-01

Customer Reviews:

Martin and Lewis are no "Ghost Breakers".......2005-07-04

"Scared Stiff" is a remake of a 1940s Bob Hope comedy called "The Ghost Breakers" which was directed by George Marshall, who also happened to direct this version as well.

I'm just going to jump right into the flaws of the film. First of all I'd just like to say Bob Hope, was one of my favorite comedians. Hope had a natural gift for comedy. His delivery for handling a one-liner has only only been matched by Groucho Marx. There was something about the sound of his voice, his breezy attitude, his facial expressions that made jokes that were really not that funny work. Only Bob Hope could tell a "Bob Hope joke". And in "Scared Stiff" the script follows "The Ghost Breakers" verbatim. Martin and Lewis shift positions on playing the Bob Hope character. Martin though is given most of the lines Hope delivered in the orginal movie. Now under normal circumstances I would never dream of comparing Dean Martin and Bob Hope. They were two completely different personalities who made people laugh in different ways. But because Martin is taking on a role Hope played comparisons will be made. Especially when Martin delivers the jokes. Martin quite simply can not handle the one-liners the way Hope did. I never thought the original was terribly funny but Hope made it work. Martin, whom we should remember was the straight man of the team, can not deliver these jokes correctly. The best jokes in the film are the ones that were written for the movie because now it is taking advantage of the chemistry between the team. It is playing on their personalities.

Now I said I don't think the original was very funny, and I'll stand by that. But I think the movie was worth seeing because Hope and Goddard had such a presence to them that they made the movie work. That is exactly way I'm recommending this movie. You should see it because of Martin and Lewis. They make the movie watchable.

Some connections between these two movies are, in the Hope version his name was Larry L. Lawrence, the L standing for Lawrence. In this movie Dean Martin's name is Larry Todd, but Lewis' name is Myron M. Mertz, the M standing for Myron. Goddard's character name was Mary Carter, in this version Lizabeth Scott plays the part and her name is Mary Carroll.

I also mentioned the dialogue is verbatim, but some jokes have been changed, sadly they were Hope's best jokes. When a character decsribes what a zombie is, a lifeless person without any thought who doesn't care about his actions, Hope respondes with "you mean like Democrats?". It is a classic Hope line. In this movie after the description of a zombie is given Jerry Lewis says "just like husbands". I'll let you decide if the joke works.

"The Ghost Breakers" also did a better job of creating atmosphere. "Scared Stiff", in the beginning, doesn't make much use of its surroundings and doesn't create any suspense, though I suppose anyone who watches this movie is mainly doing so for the laughs.

But I'm mostly giving reasons why not to see this movie, so lets talk about why you should see it. As I said Martin and Lewis are fun to watch, at times, and it is because of them people will want to see this movie in the first place. If two unknown actors had appeared in it I doubt there would be any interest at all in this movie. Plus if your a fan of Martin's singing there are a lot of songs in here. I found it odd looking back at the team that so many people felt if they broke up Martin would be finished, that it was Lewis who was the real star of the team. But oh well.

Bottom-line: Not better than the Bob Hope version but has some good moments. Martin and Lewis are basically both playing the Hope character, but mostly it is Martin. Worth seeing if you are a fan of the team.

VERY GOOD COMEDY HORROR SPOOF.......2005-03-12

Martin and Lewis teamed again in 1953 for this fun comedy horror that is somewhat of a remake of Bob Hope's Ghostbreakers. martin plays nightclub singer Larry Todd and Lewis is busboy Myron Mertz who flee a murder charge to a mysterious caribbean island inherited by wealthy heiress Mary Carroll. There's some genuinely spooky set pieces and scenes in the film although the horror element fades quickly when Dean stars singing. It's just not a great mix i guess. Lewis does well treading on ground set forth by many earlier comedy stars including the Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello and is his usual, manic, slapstick self. One only wishes there were a bit more horror than song to the film but I guess Dean had to have his requisite numbers in the movie.

Also on the plus side is that it was directed by George Marshall who was the best director that Maring and Lewis had had up until that point and had directed such films as "Destry Rides Again", Hold that Blonde", as well as the film that this was essentially a remake of, "Ghostbreakers". He moves the film along at a nice pace. Still not Martin and Lewis' best film but really pretty good.

A Martin and Lewis essential..........2002-08-05

The reason why I found this particular Martin and Lewis film 100% pleasing is because it not only incorporates classic M&L antics, jokes and over-the-top characterizations of both men, it also includes a steady storyline that is easy and entertaining to follow. Although the seldom dull storyline is due to the already established original film "Ghost Breakers" the film is quite worth viewing for any M&L fan, especially since most plots of M&L films are slightly less stable. Therefore, along with such M&L films as "The Stooge" and "My Friend Irma" (which the exception of M&L not being 'headliners' in their first film), "Scared Stiff" is a M&L essential. However, for less entusiastic fans of the comedy team, the original "Ghost Breakers" release may seem to deserve more credit; personally, having not seen the original film in addition to my neverending admiration for M&L, "Scared Stiff" is a wonderful addition to my M&L video collection.

A Remake that Did Not Work.......2001-11-14

This movie is a remake of a 1947 Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard movie, Ghost Breakers. Not only is the plot identical, many of the lines are exactly the same. What worked with Bob Hope deliviering the one liners and playing off of the attractive and suprisingly stalwart Paulette Goddard does work well with the sophisticated Martin and inane Lewis.

If you are looking for a fun movie to watch with the family, try the original, Ghost Breakers with Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Unless you are a big time Martin & Lewis fan, Scared Stiff is best left on the shelf

A Must For Your Martin and Lewis Collection.......2001-08-04

"Scared Stiff" though less mysterious, when it should be, than "Ghost Breakers" is a classic Martin and Lewis Comedy. Dean Martin is the usual smooth-talking, girl watching, under booked singer Larry Dodd teamed up with his clumsy fried Myron M. Mertz. Larry has a misunderstanding with a mob leader and Myron tries to defend Larry by taking a visit to the ganster's hotel. When Larry finds out and realizes the danger Myron is in goes to the hotel as well to try to save his friend. This is when the fun begins. Murder, mystery, witch craft and zombies all make for a delightfully funny movie. Be sure to count the many stars who appear in the film. Earl Haldeman [sic]as the elevator operator, Percy Helton, Carmen Miranda, Dorothy Malone (Peyton Place) and many more. This is a true value. Be sure to buy "Ghost Breakers" with Bob Hope.

Average customer rating:

Liz Scott So Tough She Shocks Duryea
Really a 3.5
Classic murder mystery
You couldn't miss the beauty of Lizabeth Scott no matter the
Fantastic Film Noir - Horrible Release

Too Late for Tears
Starring: Lizabeth Scott , Don DeFore , Dan Duryea , Arthur Kennedy , and Kristine Miller
Director: Byron Haskin
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Black Angel (Universal Noir Collection)
The Crooked Way
The Blue Gardenia
Fallen Angel (Fox Film Noir)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)

ASIN: B0000C8AVT
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Customer Reviews:

Liz Scott So Tough She Shocks Duryea.......2007-02-12

Liz Scott was the glamorous blonde in Hal Wallis' Paramount Studios stable. Here in a low budget quickie "Too Late for Tears" she tries her hand as a femme fatale and is so impressive she belongs in the ranks of Jane Greer, Barbara Stanwyck and Claire Trevor, the triumvirate of film noir tough gals from "Out of the Past", "Double Indemnity" and "Murder, My Sweet" respectively.

The film was released in 1949, the same year that low budget film noir giant "D.O.A." came out. "D.O.A." featured an existentially tragic victim in Edmond O'Brien while "Too Late for Tears" features numerous victims, all at the behest of Scott, whose blonde beauty is ice cold and her penchant for riches inexhaustible and uncomplicated by even a tinge of morality. Scott reflects the amorality of the grand femme fatale triumvirate of Greer, Stanwyck and Trevor.

The film's initial clash occurs after Scott, along with husband Arthur Kennedy, come into possession of $60,000. Honest Kennedy wants to hand the money over to police, but Scott has other ideas.

Kennedy's hunch that the large sum of money relates to some type of criminal enterprise is proven valid when legendary screen tough guy Dan Duryea comes calling at her apartment. When Duryea uses some brute force in the beginning Scott, instead of forcing the issue, shrewdly gives him the impression that he is in charge and ultimately agrees to a partnership with him.

The daring of Scott prompts tough guy Duryea to melt. He ultimately wants out of the association, but by then it is too late. Duryea is reminiscent of Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity" in the way that he becomes shocked at the savage ruthlessness of Barbara Stanwyck, his partner in crime.

The wild card in the picture is Don Defore. A veteran character performer, Defore was known primarily for comedy rather than film noir, becoming famous as a regular on two comedy television sitcoms, "Ozzie and Harriett" and "Hazel."

Defore shows up unexpectedly and surprises Scott. While he tells her that he is a former World War Two service buddy of Arthur Kennedy's, a wily Scott does not believe him and wonders just who he is and why he has entered her life. Defore's identity factors into his motivation for pursuing Scott while explaining his determination to break open a case that she attempts to hermetically shut.

Byron Haskin directed. He is best known for the science fiction hit "The War of the Worlds." He later became involved in science fiction on television as a regular director of episodes of the sixties' series "The Outer Limits."

The rapidly paced script was written by Roy Huggins, who later created the television detective hit "The Rockford Files" starring James Garner.

Really a 3.5.......2006-11-14

This is a surprisingly good movie. Nice story and good, brisk pace. Lizabeth Scott is awesome as the femme fatale.

To get a four, the physical quality of the picture would have had to have been better. I've no problem with B&W, but the print was not great.

To get a five, the supporting actors would have to have been better and more interesting. This is something of a Scott vehicle.

Classic murder mystery.......2006-11-04

The movie was fantastic. The acting supurb. Lizabeth Scott is always a must to see. She never made a movie that wasn't any good. This movie was made back when movies were movies and you left the theatre feeling like you had just experienced something exciting and fulfilling.

You couldn't miss the beauty of Lizabeth Scott no matter the .......2006-10-05

condition of Too Late for Tears. There were a lot of splices & a missed word here & there. But I was satisfied with the dvd Classic Film Noir collection from Amazon. The movie was obviously made on the cheap in 1949 & with the others in the collection it was a good deal. Ms. Scott was Jane Palmer. She was as beautiful as she was avaricious. I've rarely seen greed played so well. She seemed to have power over men she had contact with. Her husband Alan (Athur Kennedy) had no balls & soon she had her partner in crime Danny(Dan Duryea) doing her binding. He was transformed from a ruthless thug intent on beating the money out of her to a spineless drunk doing her bidding. A satchel with $60,000 was tossed into Alan & Jane's car while they were driving down a deserted road. Alan wanted to turn it into the police. She, of course, starts to spend it before they had decided what to do with it. Danny tracks them down to their home & demands his money. Without her husbands knowledge, Jane makes a deal with Danny to split the money. She has to overcome her husband honest streak. Jane & Alan quarrel & he ends up dead. Danny is dragged into the murder. Soon Alan's loving sister, Katy (Kristine Miller)gets supicious about the strange disappearence of her brother. Don (Don Defore) comes into the movie posing as Alan's war buddy. Apparently he's got wind of the money too. He & Katy promptly fall in love. It really has little to do with the story. Now Jane wants to kill Katy because she is asking too many embarassing questions. She also plans on double crossing Danny, killing him if necessary & escaping to Mexico. Eventually, she gets to Mexico with Don hot on her trail for the final confrontation. Remember, this is noir & happy endings are not required. An excellent movie & affordable, in glorious black & white.

Fantastic Film Noir - Horrible Release .......2006-06-16

I am not going to write about the movie itself. It's a film noir classic. What I would like to comment on is this absolutely shameful DVD release by Image. They have used one of the worst public domain copies, without a hint of restoration and charge over $20 for this. It's a robbery! The only redeaming quality of this release are great but short documentaries by Eddie Muleer. The best print of Too Late for Tears (aka. Killer Bait) that I have seen so far is included in the terrific 5 Film Noir Killer Classics 6-DVD set (where one entire DVD is entirely devoted to great special features) and it costs less than this turkey.

Average customer rating:

"Clark...Lee...Henreid...Scott...Fisher ~ Hammer & VCI Film Noir Vol. 2 (1950's)"

Hammer Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 2
Starring: Dane Clark , Belinda Lee , Betty Ann Davies , Eleanor Summerfield , and Andrew Osborn
Director: Terence Fisher
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Hammer Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 1 (Bad Blonde / Man Bait )
Hammer Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 3
Hammer Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 4 (Terror Street / Wings of Danger)
Hammer Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 5 (The Glass Tomb / Paid to Kill)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)

ASIN: B000FMGTPS
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Description

A Stolen Face (1952) - A plastic surgeon gives an "extreme makeover" on a prison inmate's face. She becomes a replica of a lover who refused to marry him. He weds the inmate and then finds that the lover who jilted him wants him back! Blackout (1954) - Down-and-out American visits London and meets a beautiful blonde who offers him a fortune to marry her. He quickly agrees, but the next day awakens in an artist's studio covered with blood and his supposed father-in-law's corpse! DVD Bonus & Features: Scene Selection, Bios, Trailers, Bonus: The World of Hammer Noir. Product Specs: DVD-9, Dolby Digital, NTSC, All Region, English Language.

Customer Reviews:

"Clark...Lee...Henreid...Scott...Fisher ~ Hammer & VCI Film Noir Vol. 2 (1950's)".......2006-08-27

VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker Films present "Hammer Film Noir Vol. 2" (1952) --- (Dolby digitally remastered)...Film noir has sources not only in cinema but other artistic mediums as well...the low-key lighting schemes commonly linked with the classic mode are in the tradition of chiaroscuro and tenebrism, techniques using high contrasts of light and dark developed by 15th- and 16th-century painters associated with Mannerism and the Baroque...film noir's aesthetics are deeply influenced by German Expressionism, a cinematic movement of the 1910s and 1920s closely related to contemporaneous developments in theater, photography, painting, scultpture, and architecture...opportunities offered by the booming Hollywood film industry and, later, the threat of growing Nazi power led to the emigration of many important film artists working in Germany who had either been directly involved in the Expressionist movement or studied with its practitioners...Directors such as Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, and Michael Curtiz brought dramatic lighting techniques and a psychologically expressive approach to mise-en-scène with them to Hollywood, where they would make some of the most famous of classic noirs. Lang's 1931 masterwork, the German M, is among the first major crime films of the sound era to join a characteristically noirish visual style with a noir-type plot, one in which the protagonist is a criminal (as are his most successful pursuers). M was also the occasion for the first star performance by Peter Lorre, who would go on to act in several formative American noirs of the classic era.

First up we have "BLACKOUT" (1954) (87 min. B/W)...under director Terence Fisher, producer Michael Carreras, screenplay by Richard H. Landau, novel by Helen Nielson, Cinematographer Jimmy W. Harvey, music score by Ivor Slaney ...the cast includes Dane Clark (Casey Morrow). Belinda Lee (Phyllis Brunner), Betty Ann Davies (Alicia Brunner), Eleanor Summerfield (Maggie Doone), Andrew Osborn (Lance Gorden), Harold Lang (Travis), Jill Melford (Miss Nardis), Michael Golden (Inspector Johnson), Alfie Bass (Ernie) . . . . . our story has an exceptional cast, with one of my favorite film noir actors Dane Clark, who can get into more trouble in only a few reels of this flick...in this better than average "Brit Noir" our drifter Clark is up to his neck with a frame up, murder suspect, mind games, plus he needs to clear his name in this psychological thriller "Murder by Proxy" was the British title..the beautiful blonde Belinda Lee is throwing 500 pounds around and Clark is the pigeon...where did the blood on his coat come from, and who has been murdered, will he be left holding the bag...don't leave the theatre you're about to find out who's who in this classic film noir plot.

BIOS:
1. Dane Clark (aka: Bernard Zanville)
Date of birth: 26 February 1912 - Brooklyn, New York, USA
Date of death: 11 September 1998 - Santa Monica, California
2. Belinda Lee
Date of birth: 15 June 1935 - Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England, UK
Date of death: 12 March 1961 - near San Bernardino, California
3. Terence Fisher (Director)
Date of birth: 23 February 1904 - London, England, UK
Date of death: 18 June 1980 - Twickenham, London, England, UK

BONUS FEATURES:
1. Scene selection
2. Trailers
3. Photo gallery
4. Bonus comments: The World of Hammer Noir by Richard M. Roberts

Second on the double bill is a Lippert Picture release "STOLEN FACE" (1952) (72 min. B/W)....under director Terence Fisher, producer Anthony Hinds, screenplay by Martin Berkeley and Richard Landau, Walter Harvey (Cinematographer), musical score by Malcolm Arnold ....the cast includesPaul Henreid (Dr. Philip Ritter), Lizabeth Scott (Alice Brent/Lilly), Andre Morell (David), Mary Mackenzie (Lilly), John Wood (Dr. Jack Wilson), Susan Stephen (Betty), Arnold Ridley (Dr. Russell), Everley Gregg (Lady Harringay), Cyril Smith (Alf), Janet Burnell (Maggie), Grace Gavin (Nurse), Diana Beaumont (May), Alexis France (Mrs. Emmett), John Bull (Charles Emmett), Dorothy Bramhall (Miss Simpson), Richard Wattis (Wentworth) . . . . . our story has heroine Lizabeth Scott is playing a dual role, the good, the bad and the ugly...Paul Henreid is believable as the plstic surgeon who can't seem to do anything right, professionally or with his love life...can a different face change a person, or will trouble surface and begin to eat away at the players of this "Film Noir"...is love or murder in the future of the Hammer film crew...don't take another step, as you're eyes are about to be opened and the mystery right in front of your nose... . . .there's a great deal of entertainment here for all the film noir fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

BIOS:
1. Paul Henreid (aka: Paul Georg Julius Hernreid Ritter Von Wassel-Waldingau)
Date of birth: 10 January 1908 - Trieste, Austria-Hungary. [now in Italy]
Date of death: 29 March 1992 - Santa Monica, California
2. Lizabeth Scott (aka: Emma Matzo)
Date of birth: 29 September 1922 - Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
Date of death: Still Living

Great job by VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker Films for releasing the "Hammer Film Noir Vol. 2" (1952), digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch "Classic Film Noir" that only VCI Entertainment (King of the Serials) can deliver...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 159 mins on 2-DVD-Set ~ VCI Home Video KPF 552 ~ (7/25/2006)

Average customer rating:

Liz Scott So Tough She Shocks Duryea
Really a 3.5
Classic murder mystery
You couldn't miss the beauty of Lizabeth Scott no matter the
Fantastic Film Noir - Horrible Release

Too Late for Tears
Starring: Lizabeth Scott , Don DeFore , Dan Duryea , Arthur Kennedy , and Kristine Miller
Director: Byron Haskin
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Black Angel (Universal Noir Collection)
The Crooked Way
The Blue Gardenia
Fallen Angel (Fox Film Noir)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)

ASIN: B0001UZWNE
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Description

Welcome to a shadowy universe of crime, corruption and murder! One night on a dark and lonely highway, a speeding car tosses a bag full of cash into a stranger's back seat. The recipients have a dilemma; Alan (Arthur Kennedy, Peyton Place) wants to turn it over to the cops, but Jane (Lizabeth Scott, Dark City) has other, greedier ideas# lots of them. Soon they're both tracked down by sleazy Danny (Dan Duryea, A Guy Named Joe), who claims the money is his. To hang on to the money, Jane's willing to commit every sin in the book in this twisting noir-thriller that'll keep you guessing till the shocking end!

Customer Reviews:

Liz Scott So Tough She Shocks Duryea.......2007-02-12

Really a 3.5.......2006-11-14

Classic murder mystery.......2006-11-04

You couldn't miss the beauty of Lizabeth Scott no matter the .......2006-10-05

Fantastic Film Noir - Horrible Release .......2006-06-16

Average customer rating:

Noir for Noir Fans
A long way behind "Gilda" in likability...
Good but not great
Run-of-the-mill film-noir production
Post-War Noir

Dead Reckoning
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Lizabeth Scott , Morris Carnovsky , Charles Cane , and William Prince
Director: John Cromwell
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Bell, James | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Bogart, Humphrey | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Carnovsky, Morris | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Chandler, George | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Dickerson, Dudley | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ford, Wallace | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Hamilton, Chuck | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Prince, William | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Saylor, Syd | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Scott, Lizabeth | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Teal, Ray | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Cromwell, John | ( C ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | VHS | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | VHS | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | VHS | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | VHS | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

In a Lonely Place [Region 99]
The Enforcer
The Desperate Hours
Dark Passage (Snap Case)
The Harder They Fall [Region 99]

ASIN: 6302360994
Release Date: 1994-06-21

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Noir for Noir Fans.......2007-06-06

A long way behind "Gilda" in likability..........2006-12-25

Good but not great.......2006-09-15

Run-of-the-mill film-noir production.......2005-12-15

Post-War Noir.......2005-10-24

Actress:

Actress

Actress