Classic Film Noir, Vol. 3 - 10 Movie Pack (1947)

A decent collection of obscure noir films

For every major noir film - an Out of the Past or Murder My Sweet - there are probably a dozen lesser known movies, films that (sometimes rightfully) are mostly forgotten nowadays. Classic Film Noir collects ten of these lesser known movies in a 3 DVD set.

Disc One has three movies: The Second Woman, Borderline and The Naked Kiss. The Second Woman is something of a whodunit, with Robert Young as an architect beleaguered by bad luck. Is someone out to kill him, or is it all a paranoid fantasy? Borderline has Claire Trevor and Fred MacMurray as two undercover operatives out to stop Raymond Burr; the twist is that neither knows the other is a cop. The Naked Kiss is an old Sam Fuller movie with a prostitute trying to start a new life and being distrusted by a local police captain. This final movie is actually the best in the set, and pretty gritty for its era (made in 1964, it is also the most recent of the ten films by eight years). The other two are passably entertaining.

Disc Two also has three movies. Devil's Sleep is the weakest in the bunch, something of a Reefer Madness sort of cautionary flick about drugs, but too dumb and preachy to be effective. The Bigamist is not the standard noir movie as the only crime is bigamy, with Edmond O'Brien married to both Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupino (who also directed); how he got into this mess is related in flashback. Postmark for Danger is reminiscent of Hammer's old film noirs with its British setting; the plot itself has a resemblance to Laura, with some diamond smuggling thrown into the mix.

Disc Three has four movies. Danger Street is one of those whodunits with a pair of intrepid reporters exchanging witty lines as they solve crimes. The light touch eliminates any real sense of danger for the heroes. Strange Illusion is a Hamlet-like story of a teenage boy who - guided by a dream - suspects his mother's new lover of killing his father. The Girl From Rio has the title character coming to New York to clear her brother of murder and singing a few cheesy tunes in the process. Finally, Tokyo File 212 has an American agent in Tokyo out to stop the Commies from taking over; it's actually a decent enough movie and one of the earliest American movies shot in Japan after WWII, though House of Bamboo is a nicer movie.

All the movies in the set range from two to four stars in quality, with The Naked Kiss, The Bigamist and Borderline towards the top and Devil's Sleep, Strange Illusion and The Girl From Rio towards the other end of the spectrum. Overall, I'm giving the set four stars: for the price, it's a good set, especially if you want to see some more obscure movies. June 17, 2008

Not a Film Noir collection

This is not a collection of Film Noir. Perhaps the folks at St. Claire think all B&W movies from the 30's thru the 50's are Film Noir and Classic but they are wrong and this set is not worth the money. Volumes 1 and 2 are much better and not only are these movies not Film Noir but, except for about two, they are all bad movies. Save you time and money on this one! May 10, 2008

Great Bargain

I previously bought Volume 1 and 2, and was pleased with both. While there are some duds in all three, there is 13+ hours of content. A great cross-section of film noir for a great price. December 12, 2007

Every silver cloud has a dark lining

Film noir (or dark cinema) was popular from the mid-1930s to the mid-50's. In this genre, happy endings are non-existent-- the protagonist often ends up humiliated, defeated or even dead.

The ten titles in CLASSIC FILM NOIR, Vol. 3 include not-widely-available films, such as:

TOKYO FILE 212-- An early American/Japanese production concerning a spy ring in Japan that's out to sabotage America's Korean War efforts.

THE BIGAMIST-- An adoption agent discovers that a potential client has a wife and child in another town. Excellent cast and a well-told story directed by co-star Ida Lupino.

POSTMARK FOR DANGER-- This British-made suspense film has all the atmsophere of American noir. A twisting and turning yarn that begins with a car going off a cliff.

DANGER STREET-- Jane Withers (remember the "Josephine the Plumber" TV ads?) is a reporter who photographs a gambling place and almost gets killed for it.

The ULTIMATE FILM NOIR COLLECTION consists of both Volumes 1 and 2 of this series in one convenient package.

ST. CLAIR DVD multi-packs are reasonably priced, and offer fine quality video/audio transfers of unrestored public domain material. Discs are single-side recorded, plastic storage cases fairly sturdy, movie liner notes appear on box's back cover.

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Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

DISC ONE--
(6.2) The Second Woman (1951) - Robert Young/Betsy Drake/Jason Robards Sr./Jimmie Dodd
(6.1) Borderline (1950) - Fred MacMurray/Claire Trevor/Raymond Burr
(7.5) The Naked Kiss (1964) - Constance Towers/Virginia Grey/Patsy Kelly

BONUS: Radio program - Sam Spade in "The Bouncing Betty Caper"


DISC TWO--
(4.0) The Devil's Sleep (1949) - Lita Grey/John Mitchum/William Thomason
(6.8) The Bigamist (1953) - Joan Fontaine/Ida Lupino/Edmund Gwenn/Edmund O'Brien
(6.3) Postmark for Danger ("Portrait of Alison") (UK-1955) - Terry Moore/Robert Beatty

BONUS: Noir Trailers--
Anatomy of a Murder
The Big Sleep
Dial M for Murder
Key Largo
Lady in the Lake


DISC THREE--
(???) Danger Street (1947) - Jane Withers/Robert Lowery/Bill Edwards/Herschel Bernardi
(6.3) Strange Illusion (1945) - James Lydon/Regis Toomey/John Hamilton
(4.4) The Girl From Rio (1939) - Movita/Warren Hull/Kay Linaker
(7.0) Tokyo File 212 (USA/Japan-1951) - Florence Marty/Alan Baldwin/Lee Frederick

BONUS: Noir Poster Gallery November 30, 2007

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