Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 — Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 ( Blu Ray Boxset

Here we have the fourth box set in Imprint’s Essential Noir Collection series. The four Blu-ray boxset features five films, dating from between the years 1949 and 1953. And we get a good variation of different types of noir- going from a South African bound adventure. Onto a uncover investigation-based noir, though to a burst a crime syndicate take on the genre. Finishing off with a psycho drama come house invasion film, and a gothic-tinged noir-ish mystery.

The set comes presented hardback box- this classily blends together moody black-and-white film stills, with minimal blue texts and colouring. Each film( aside from the last two) come presented in its own Blu-Ray case- these feature double-side covers- on the front film poster artwork/ specs, and on the reverse a single still from the film. The set is ltd to just 1500 copies- so I’d advise acting sooner, than later to score a copy- because interest in the noir genre has grown in leaps & bounds over the last few years, and I’m sure these won’t hang around long at tall.
 
Each film features a 2021 4k scan- and most of these look wonderful- with clean, crisp and very well-defined black-and-white pictures. Also all but one of the films feature a new commentary track, as well as one or two featurettes….anyway more on the extras as we cover each film.
 
 
First up we have 1949’s Rope Of Sand- which is best described as an adventure-focused noir based in the diamond mining deserts of South Africa. It featured three big names Burt Lancaster, Claud Reins, and in a smaller role Peter Lorre. With the film generally mixes & blends noir and adventure tropes fairly well- though there are a few pacing issues, but more on those later.

The film was directed by Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany-born William Dieterle. Between the mid-1920s and mid-1960s, he had an impressive seventy-seven features to his name. These went from the provocative titled- though apparently tame drama Sex in Chains (1928) which charts the relationship between two men in prison. Romantic musical comedy Her Majesty, Love (1931), Bette Davis fronted mystery thriller Fog Over Frisco (1934), melodramatic noir The Accused (1949), courtroom focused noir The Turning Point(1952),Richard Wagner bio-pic Magic Fire (1955), and comedy-drama Quick, Let's Get Married (1964). For those interested the mentioned The Turning Point appeared on Imprint’s Essential Film Noir Collection 3.
 
The film opens with moody shots of the desert, and signs warning off intruders from the area due to diamond mining- with Mr voice-over detailing how anyone who crosses into the area will be hunted down, and the meaning behind the film's title. We next see a group of men in a tank car- capturing a man who’s just come down the dunes. They ring back to base, and answering the phone is Commandant Paul G. Vogel(Paul Henreid) who is in charge of policing the area…and we find out he is smug, flippant, and rather cruel- as he tells off the men for discrepancies in the tracking the man. 
Fairly soon Vogel is rushing with his men down to a nearby port- as just arriving is Mike Davis( Lancaster) who had spent time in the diamond desert some years before. We find out that he was captured and tortured by Vogel who was trying to find out where he had found a large crop of diamonds- his face is still scarred- so clearly both men hate each other with a passion.
Vogel’s boss/ overseer is the posh & rather devious Englishman Arthur Martingale( Claude Rains ). When we first meet him he’s in the big city of Johannesburg on business- when he gets conned by thinking-on-her-feet French dancer Suzanne Renaud (Corinne Calvet). He decides to take her back to the diamond desert, so she can try to get the location of Mike’s Diamonds.

As things unfold, we get more than a few smoky ‘n’ sweaty late-night barroom scenes, shadowy planning and scheming, back ‘n’ froths between Vogel & Davis as they both ply for Ms Renaud's affection, and flashbacks to when Davis first discovered the crop of diamonds. In the film's last half, we go out into the desert- for some double crossings, a neat in a sandstorm fist fight, etc.

Acting wise Lancaster is ever consistent in his role. Rains is effective as the devious overseer. Calvet is passable in her role- though at times her French accent is a little heavy. But really the highlight here is Henreid as the sleazed & often sadistic/ deranged Vogel.

The film runs at the one hour and forty-three-minute mark. And really there could have been some tightening up of things in the running time, and maybe a bit more time spent in the desert. There’s no doubt that Rope Of Sand has an interesting setting, a great baddie, and the blend of noir/ adventure elements are well enough realised- it just needed a little tidying up to be a wholly satisfying ride. 
 

On the extras side we have a commentary track from film historian Samm Deighan- and as we’ve come expect from Ms Deighan it’s another very well-researched & informative track. She starts by discussing how the film is a response to Casablanca(1942)- sharing some of the same cast & plot situations. We get brief bios of bit part actors, and an in-depth bio of the film's director- as well as mentioning some of his other notable films. She chats about Claud Reins and the distinctive qualities of his acting. Later on, she discusses the films dirty & dangerous tone, and talks about noir character tropes. She talks about the meeting of the various plot elements towards the film's last quarter. And touches on how the film is very white( for a film set in South Africa), and how quite a few of the film's characters have a predatory manner- and much more.
Otherwise, we get On Rope of Sand(33.14)which finds professor José Arroyo talking about the film- among other things we find out it was Burt Lancaster’s most disliked film & it had a fairly impressive 2.9 million box office. All in all a most worthy featurette.
 
 
 
Next, we have Appointment With Danger. This is from the year 1950 and is an investigation-come-going-undercover noir regarding a postal inspector investigating the murder of one of his colleagues. It was directed by Oakengates, Shropshire, UK-born Lewis Allen. He had twenty features to his name- though around forty TV credits. His feature lengths went from the suspenseful ghost-focused horror film The Uninvited (1944), onto romantic comedy The Perfect Marriage (1946). Through to swashbuckling adventure At Sword’s Point (1952), to romantic war drama Another Time, Another Place(1958). So, he was a fairly versatile director- seemingly able to turn his hand to different genres well.

Appointment With Danger opens with Mr voice-over Man talking about the US postal system- as stock footage of the different sides/elements of the system is shown. We find out the post has its own investigating department. We then switch to a rainy where a man in a shadowy neon sign lite room, who is seemingly been strangled off-camera by two men. The men carry the deadman outside to their car- but are stopped by Sister Augustine (Phyllis Calvert) who is having issues putting up her umbrella- one of the men George(Harry Morgan who later turned up as one of the leads in M*A*S*H) steps forwards to help the nun.

We fast forward to the next morning and the dead man’s body is found- and it seems he was a postal investigator. So Al Goodard(Alan Lad) a rather focused, if rather cynical postal investigator steps in to find out who killed the man. He starts by tracking down the only witness Sister Augustine- who was just travelling through the town when the murder occurred. As the film unfolds Al gets involved with hotel owner/gangster Earl Boetti (Paul Stewart) who is seemingly planning to rob the postal train. With Al’s loyalty to his job/ career been brought into doubt along the way.

The whole film is a nicely pacey affair- moving swiftly along its storyline, with little or no lull. We get jumping-on-trains action, nuns being followed by crims, more than a few chases with gunplay, and a quite neatly tense smashing around a room punch-up.
 
Moving onto the cast, and Lad works well as the focused-but-cynical investigator, and he has a rather cool/ poker face- so at times your unsaw whose side he really is on. Stewart is good as the thinking on his toes/ sleek/ greying-around-the-edge’s gangster boss. With the surrounding cast all been fairly good too- with notable mentions going to Jan Sterling- as seemingly airheaded, though jazz records-loving gangster moll Dodie. All in all, Appointment With Danger is an entertaining noir, and the whole postal system twists on the story is quite an interesting/ intriguing element. 
 
On the extra front, we get a commentary from professor and film scholar Jason Ney- I’ve now heard a few tracks from Mr Ney, and once again this is excellent- full of some great facts, observations, related stories, etc. He begins by talking about some of the locations in the opening prologue- which we find out were added to the film five months after it had wrapped, as the producers wanted to cash in on the semi-doc thriller genre that had become big. He talks about how noir had shifted in the early 1950s to a more law-and-order focus- touching on the sub-genres within this trend, and briefly touching on notable films. He talks about the postal system focus of the film, and while this was the first of the bigger budget films to be set in this world- there were a few early films also based in the post office environment. He touches on press coverage during the film's production- regarding both its focus & the film's lead actor. He discusses lead actress Phyllis Calvert- she was British and came over to Hollywood to make it big. Though sadly as she tried to call the shots with the studio, and landed up getting a smear campaign against her- as well as being offered unappealing roles, she carried on taking these roles as at this point, she was a single parent. Later on, he discusses notable scenes in detail. We find out that there were often fans of Alan Lad watching the actor on location- on a one-night shoot 500 turned up- with Lad signing autographs & giving out cookies to children. We get quotes from press reviews of the time, and much more. Most certainly a track I will return to.

Otherwise, we have Hollywood Everyman: The Films of Lewis Allen ( 30.54) which is a most informative doc about the film's director. And On Appointment With Danger (18.13) which finds professor and film scholar Jason Ney discussing the film. And lastly, we get the radio play of the film from the time, and this runs at just under the hour mark.
 
 
 
 
Onto disc number three, and we have 1951 The Enforcer- which finds 'Mr Noir' Humphrey Bogart, as district attorney whose racing against the clock to convict a crime boss. The film switches from the present, to a series of flashbacks- it certainly has some great moments of tension & thills, with Bogart of course being excellent as usual- though within its flashbacks it does get a little confused/ muddled in places.
 
The film was co-directed by Paris-born Bretaigne Windust, and New York-born Raoul Walsh. Windust had five features to his name- these went from Bette Davis staring romantic melodrama Winter Meeting (1948), to romance-come-legal drama Perfect Strangers (1950), and screwball comedy Pretty Baby(1950). As well as around ten or so US TV series episodes. Walsh had an impressive directing career that spanned fifty-two years- having one hundred and twenty-four features to his name. These go from gangster drama The Regeneration (1915) to romantic drama Kindred of the Dust(1922), through to western drama In Old Arizona(1928), onto crime comedy Baby Face Harrington(1935), through to American civil war drama- romance They Died With Their Boots On (1941), onto noir White Heat (1949).
 
The film opens with the very twitchy & sweaty Joseph Rico (Ted De Corsia)- who is been unloaded from the back of an armed truck, and taken into a large building which holds both cells & offices. We find out that Joseph is giving evidence in the morning on a crime boss's trial- and his evidence is the one clear reason that his boss will get along. long-time inside. For the first fifteen minutes or so the film is nicely taut & on edge, as Joseph gets more & twitchier, and there are attempts to take him out.
 
After this we drop into flashback- as we find out how the authorities/ DA’s office became aware of crime boss Albert Mendoza (Everett Sloane), and his hit man/ general crime empire. In this part of the film, we seem to get a fair few characters, settings, and situations introduced. Yes, along the way we get some classic noir setups/ locations like shadow-cast alleyways, fog-hazed seaside towns, fleeting gunplay, and a fair bit of double-crossing. In this part of the film, there is certainly entertainment, tension & interest- it’s just a pity the flashback is a little muddled, and I was fairly confused about who was who/ and how they fit into the story, and when the whole thing is concluded it's tied up neat enough- though it did feel a little rushed.
 
Acting wise Bogart is in good form as the not afraid to use his fist DA. Supporting cast wise Sloane works well as the unsmiling and seemingly Teflon crime boss. With an honourable mention going to Jack Lambet as pouring with sweat seemingly gone deranged henchman Philadelphia Tom Zaca.
 
On the whole, The Enforcer is another worthy addition to Bogart’s noir legacy- I just wish maybe the flashback elements had been a little more coherently executed, with maybe there had been fewer characters. But it’s certainly great to have a Bogart film on this set.
 
On the extras side, we get a commentary track from noir expert / Film Noir Foundation board member Alan K. Rode- this is certainly very well researched/ informative, though at times is a little darting in its tone. We find out that this was Bogart’s last film for Warner Bros- he had been with the studio since 1935. He talks about how the film's title was originally meant to be Murder Corp- but this was turned by the censor, and apparently, the director had been trying to get the film off the ground for some years. He discusses how the film was based on a series of cases processed in 1941 Brooklyn- though it was very dramatized. He goes on to give details of the real gangster the film's characters were based on- some of which got sent to old Sparky. Later on, he discusses some of the warner bros backlot locations, bio of bit part actors, and some of the censorship issues the film faced. 
Otherwise, we get On The Enforcer (19.02)  which finds Film Noir specialist Frank Krutnik discussing the film and the true cases behind it.  A shocking number of 4000 murders were carried out by the crime syndicate. Another most interesting featurette. 
 
 
 
Moving onto the fourth and final film in the set. And here we find two films from the 1950’s Beware, My Lovely, and Jenifer- both of which features London-born actress Ida Lupino. with a commentary track for the first film. So Beware, My Lovely is from the year 1952- and is best described as an early example of a psychodrama come-house invasion thriller with slight noir touches, and I must say it’s one of my personal favourite films of the set.
 
The film was helmed by Holice v Chechách, Czech Republic-born Henry Horner. In total, he had eight features to his name, as well as twelve US TV credits. These went from Sci-fi/ drams Red Planet Mars (1952), musical comedy New Faces(1954), and hostage melodrama/ noir The Wild Party(1956). Beware, My Lovely is a wonderful tight ‘n’ taut ride of a film- which clocks in at the one hour and seventeen-minute mark- though the film's title leaves a bit to be desired- sounding more like it could be a quirky haunted house comedy.
 
The film opens by introducing us to our male lead Howard Wilton (Robert Ryan) as he finishes off his house cleaning job. He shouts for the owner of the house to say he’s done for the day- but just as he’s putting away his mop, we see a seemingly dead woman lying in the broom cardboard. He panics rushing away from the scene, down an embankment and jumps onto a passing freight train- with his sweat-drenched face set in fear and distress.
 
We next switch to the small town home of Mrs Helen Gordon (Ida Lupino). She preparing for Christmas, with her flighty darting-from-boyfriend-one -to-another niece Ruth(Barbara Whiting)- meant to be helping her out. Also just about to leave the house for the two weeks’ vacation is mid-aged, well, dressed & slightly tubby Walter Armstrong(Taylor Holmes) who rents a room in the house. We find out Helen is a widow- with her husband dying a few years early on the front line.
 
To help her tidy up the house & polish the downstairs floor she employed someone to help. And of course, it's Howard Wilton- who from the off seems rather shifty, and the household's dog- who normally likes everyone- is barking & nipping around the man's heels. 
 
As the day of cleaning in the house unfolds Howard starts to behaviour more & more oddly- Helen does her best to be compassionate & understanding. But as time ticks on, it’s clear Howard is a very unwell & troubled man.
 
The small cast is truly excellent- Ryan plays the unbalanced Howard with initial great subtly & growing unease- and when things finally boil over, he’s downright frighting at moments. Lupino is a very likeable presence- really selling a strong woman trying to be understanding, to a woman in real peril. With Whiting getting some great scenes as the rather spoilt & obnoxious neice. But really the main of the films focus is the two leads- who really sell and push the film wonderfully along.
 
I guess the more obvious noir traits are less present here- but there are genre tropes & visual tropes weaved through the film. But hands down this is a great, great film which is a wonderful tight ‘n’ taut thriller.
 
 
 
Lastly, we have 1953’s Jennifer- which is a noir-ish mystery, with a few gothic & creepy undertones. Its plot regards a young woman (Lupino) whose employed as a caretaker in an isolated house, where the last caretaker mysteriously disappeared. The film was directed by Joel Newton- and this was his one & only credit.
 
The film opens in a wonderfully low-key creepy manner- as we see the shadow of a figure stretching up the steps of a grand house. As we get into the film we meet our lead character Agnes Langsley (Ida Lupino) who stops off at a rural gas station- as she is lost, and looking for a large isolated house where she is due to be interviewed for a caretaker job. The pump attendant warns her off, saying there are all manner of strange going-ons in the house, and she won’t last long/ will quit within a few days.
 
When she finally finds the house- she meets statuesque blond Lorna (Mary Shipp) who after only a brief interview, and a brief glance at her CV employs Agnes as the house's caretaker. During her informal interview, we find out the last caretaker- Lorna’s cousin Jennifer was the last caretaker- who just mysteriously disappeared one day.
 
As Agnes settles into the house, she finds all of Jennifer’s clothes, and possessions- but more sinisterly her diary suggests she felt she was been watched. As night rolls in a knock comes at the back door, and it’s charming-if-slight shifty Jim Hollis (Howard Duff) who works at the local store in the nearby town- and is dropping groceries off.
 
The film runs at the one hour and thirteen-minute mark- and there’s no doubt the whole mystery of what has happened to Jennifer is built well enough. The film doesn’t go over the top on the more chilling/horror-fed vibes that this plot situation would normally take in- but instead stays more mystery bound, though there are a few touches of both the gothic & creepy eeriness here & there. On the less positive side, the end did feel somewhat rushed/ tied up quickly….though it does leave a nice tinge of creepy doubt. 
 
Acting wise Lupino is once again great in her role-playing well the rather timid Agnes who’s keen to be in work, and seemingly isn’t overly keen on people. Duff does well enough as the nice-but-shifty Jim, though he is a tad one note in his acting/ expressions. The small surrounding cast is good enough too- most notable being Robert Nichols as in his late teen’s delivery boy Orin- who is sure there is something dodgy with Jennifer's disappearance. All in all, Jennifer is a good/ if rather slight mystery, with gothic undertones.
 
On this final disc, we get extras for just Beware, My Lovely. These take in another excellent commentary track from professor and film scholar Jason Ney. He begins by discussing how this is the film's first home entertainment release, aside from a VHS many years back. We find out the story the film was based on was very popular- even before the film, as it had several different radio play versions, and several stage adaptions- with it getting translated into seven languages. We find out after the popularity of the film it got made into episodes of anthology films across the globe, as well as been made into a TV movie. He talks about the use of mirrors in the film, and its meaning. We find out it was shot in the summer of 1951- with temperatures on some days of filming going over a hundred degrees. We find out this is the thirty-third role the dog had in film, and he was eighteen years old when filming. We get bios of the supporting cast, and discussion about the production company Ida Lupino set up. We find out that Jane Russell appears as one of in the distant extras. Later on, he discusses some of the press Lupino and the film got in production, and we get snippets of reviews from its time of release. We get talk about key scenes, and the different endings in the stage show. Another track I will most certainly be returning to!.
Otherwise, we get On Ida Lupino(25.04) which finds  Author/film historian Pamela Hutchinson discussing the career of the actress/ director. We find out she worked in film for five decades, having over sixty acting roles, as well as directing eight films. She was London born to an acting family- with her first film role being the age of fourteen. Again, a most interesting extra.
 
 
In conclusion, Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 presents us with another great selection of 1940s to 1950’s noirs. With each film getting a 4k scan, and a great selection of most worthy and interesting extras on display. Here’s very much looking forward to part number five in this series of boxsets from Australia’s Imprint.