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Flicker Alley to Release Two Restored Classic Noir Films on Blu-ray
Posted January 22, 2016 01:16 AM by
Flicker Alley, in partnership with the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA Film & Television Archive, has announced that it will release on Blu-ray two newly-restored noir classics: Too Late for Tears and Woman on the Run. The two releases will be available for purchase on April 12.
Rescued and preserved after a five-year crusade by the Film Noir Foundation, this 1949 classic is at long last available in a clean digital version, transferred from a 35mm print painstakingly restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive.
When a pair of film noir icons like Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea collide, sparks are sure to fly. Jane Palmer (Scott) and her husband Alan (Arthur Kennedy) mysteriously have $60,000 literally dropped in their laps. The circumstances seem mighty suspicious to Alan, who wants to turn the money over to the police. But in a materialistic rapture, Jane won't let it go. She doesn't care where it came from, or what danger might ensue-not if it will bring her the luxury she craves. Enter shady Danny Fuller (Duryea, as cocky and menacing as ever), who claims the money belongs to him. Let the games begin! Roy Huggins' snappy script (adapted from his novel) is a complex, breezy and black-hearted homage to James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler. Rapacious housewife Jane Palmer is one of the juiciest female villains in Hollywood history, and Liz Scott's best role ever.
Flicker Alley is excited to present this world-premiere Blu-ray/DVD dual-format edition of Too Late For Tears, restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive, and passionately championed by the Film Noir Foundation, with special thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Together with Woman on the Run, this film marks the first collaboration between Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary Track - By writer, historian, and film programmer Alan K. Rode.
"Chance Of A Lifetime: The Making of Too Late For Tears" - Produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation and featuring Eddie Muller, Kim Morgan, and Julie Kirgo, this mini-doc offers a behind-the-scenes examination of the film's original production.
"Tiger Hunt: Restoring Too Late For Tears" - Produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation, this is a chronicle of the multi-year mission to rescue this "lost" noir classic.
"Noir City" - A short documentary directed by Joe Talbot about the annual Noir City Film Festival presented by the Film Noir Foundation at San Francisco's historic Castro Theatre.
24-Page Souvenir Booklet - Featuring rare photographs, poster art, original lobby cards, and an essay by writer and noir-expert Brian Light.
Thanks to the efforts of the Film Noir Foundation, this terrific 1950 film noir, the only American print of which was burned in a 2008 fire, has been rescued and restored to its original luster. Join the wild chase around San Francisco as a man goes into hiding after witnessing a gangland execution. Police bird-dog his wife Eleanor (Ann Sheridan), certain she'll lead them to her husband, whose testimony against the killer could bring down a crime kingpin. But Eleanor and her hubbie are Splitsville-she never wants to see him again. When roguish newspaperman Danny Legget (Dennis O'Keefe) charms Eleanor into helping him track down the hidden husband-there are unexpected, stunning, and poignant results. This nervy, shot-on-location thriller is a witty and wise look at the travails of romance and marriage, and perhaps the best cinematic depiction ever of mid-20th century San Francisco.
Flicker Alley is honored to present this world-premiere Blu-ray/DVD dual-format edition of Woman on the Run, completely restored by the Film Noir Foundation in conjunction with UCLA Film & Television Archive, with special thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Grant Trust and the British Film Institute. Together with Too Late For Tears, this film marks the first collaboration between Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary Track - By author, historian, and "noirchaelogist" Eddie Muller.
"Love is a Rollercoaster: Woman on the Run Revisited" - Produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation, this mini-doc offers a look into the making of the film, from script to noir classic.
"A Wild Ride: Restoring Woman on the Run" - Produced by Steven Smith and the Film Noir Foundation, this stranger-than-fiction document of the film's restoration is a thriller in itself.
"Noir City" - A short documentary directed by Joe Talbot about the annual Noir City Film Festival presented by by the Film Noir Foundation at San Francisco's historic Castro Theatre.
24-Page Souvenir Booklet - Featuring rare photographs, poster art, original lobby cards, and an essay by the one and only Eddie Muller.
Ordered! Of note (from http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/news.html): The release of more FNF titles will depend largely on the sales numbers of these first two discs.
Big Ann Sheridan fan, so WOMAN ON THE RUN sounds like a great film showcase for her. Add in film noir and the San Francisco setting, and you got a purchase from me!
Wonderful news - as usual from Flicker Alley! Check out the original one sheets from their wikis.
WOTR is such a clever design with the "heart-o-coaster" but I don't
think the TLFT image would play well today, pun intended.
So, they found a new 35mm print of Woman On The Run? because the Wild Side / FNF DVD was struck from a tape Eddie Muller had done on the sly from the said print that was later burned in a fire.
Been waiting for the blu release of Too Late For Tears since I read about its restoration by the Film Noir Foundation a couple years ago. Will definitely buy both of these. More restored noirs on blu please!!
Honestly, I'll have to think long and hard about these two releases. I understand the amount of work that went into them and the packaging sure looks terrific, but $40 each for what are basically obscure B movies might be a little rich for my blood. That's just me, of course.
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