Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 12, 2014

Nominated for Oscar Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole" (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original theatrical trailer; audio commentary with film scholar Neil Sinyard; collection of excerpts from an archival interview with Billy Wilder; Annie Tresgot's documentary Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Billy Wilder; stills gallery and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring essays by critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I've got a plan...

The great Kirk Douglas is Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas, Champion), a brash big-city reporter with a serious drinking problem who has been fired eleven times. Tatum is now stuck in lonely Albuquerque, where he works for a local newspaper whose employees make as much as janitors do back east.

After a year on the job, Tatum accidentally discovers that a local man (Richard Benedict, Ocean's 11) has been trapped in a cave-in while scavenging Indian relics and his life takes an unusual turn. Realizing that this is the perfect opportunity to rebuild his reputation, Tatum comes up with a brilliant scheme that would keep the man trapped a lot longer than needed so that he can monitor the rescue efforts and provide the public with 'invaluable' reports. The corrupt local sheriff (Ray Teal, The Wild One) also joins Tatum’s little game, hoping that his assistance would help him win the upcoming elections. Even the man’s disillusioned wife (Jan Sterling, The Harder They Fall) agrees to follow Tatum’s orders because she senses that the publicity could help the family’s struggling inn.

The area where the poor man is trapped quickly becomes the hottest tourist attraction in New Mexico. While Tatum and the sheriff direct the rescue efforts, people from all over the country flock to the site to witness the drama and have a good time. Reporters from the biggest national newspapers and radio stations also arrive to cover the activities.

Eventually, Tatum’s former bosses reach out to him and offer to pay him thousands of dollars per day for his exclusive reports. Some even offer to hire him again so long as he provides them with the ‘news’ their readers are demanding from them.

Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole is a visionary noir film that predicted the arrival of the American media circus with such precision that it is hard to believe that it was made some 63 years ago. It is an unusually cynical, at times quite disturbing film, but also a damn honest one.

Douglas’ character is a vicious, amoral alcoholic who would do anything to crawl back out of the pit he has fallen into. He gets the chance he has been waiting for and goes to work -- first he chooses his targets, then he makes them believe that they need him to accomplish their goals. By the time they realize that they have been used to further his agenda it is already too late; they are so compromised that the only way to retain some of their dignity is to manipulate everyone else around them as badly as they were.

The whole thing is downright repulsive -- or maybe not. So long as one does the manipulating and is handsomely rewarded for one’s work, the circus could be great to have. Wilder understood its 'benefits' and then realized how difficult it would be for America to ignore them. There was a winning formula and everyone would get a chance to be a winner. How could America not embrace it?

Wilder and co-writers Walter Newman and Lesser Samuels’ script is superb. The dialog is swift and razor-sharp, hitting all sorts of different targets with a style to die for. Instead of being nominated for an Oscar, the trio should have won one.

Douglas is simply incredible. The intensity of his facial expressions literally transforms entire sequences, such as the one where he slaps the poor man’s disillusioned wife. Benedict’s time in front of the camera is limited, but his gradual realization that no one truly cares about him is equally powerful. Evans also plays the corrupt sheriff to perfection.

Cinematographer Charles Lang’s (The Magnificent Seven) stylish lensing gives Ace in the Hole a much-deserved epic feel. The slow zooms revealing how big the circus has become are particularly impressive. The film is also brilliantly edited by Arthur P. Schmidt (Sunset Boulevard, Raoul Walsh’s The Naked and the Dead).

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Scanity film scanner at Technicolor Hollywood from a 35mm duplicate negative, with specific portions taken from a 35mm acetate fine-grain assembled from several sources; the film was restored in 2K. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Scanning and preservation: Jaff Cava, Charles Stepczyk, Laura Thornberg/Paramount Pictures.
Colorist: Lee Kline."

Recently restored in 2K, Ace in the Hole looks very good in high-definition. There are some minor sharpness fluctuations, but most close-ups and large panoramic shots boast very good depth and clarity (see screencaptures #3 and 9). The darker footage from the cave is also crisper. Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. The blacks, whites, and the variety of grays are well balanced. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. However, in select areas some extremely light traces of fading are visible. There are no problematic sharpening corrections. Overall image stability is very good. I specifically would like to mention that the light edge flicker present on the R1 DVD release has been eliminated on the Blu-ray release. Finally, large debris, scratches, cuts, stains, and warps have been removed as best as possible. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very pleasing. The range of nuanced dynamic is rather limited, but this should not be surprising considering the age of the film and its original sound design. The music has primarily a supportive role. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Billy Wilder - in this documentary film from 1980, directed by Annie Tresgot, Billy Wilder discusses his life and career, the studio system, the production history of Ace in the Hole (and specifically the retitling and editing of the film), the unique characters in his films, his passion for art, etc. The American director is interviewed by critic Michel Ciment. In English, not subtitled. (59 min, 1080p).

• Billy Wilder at the American Film Institute - presented here is a collection of excerpts from an archival interview with Billy Wilder conducted by George Stevens Jr. at the American Film Institute in 1986. The director discusses his fascinating career. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080i).

• Kirk Douglas - in this archival interview from 1984, the legendary American actor discusses the unique qualities of the character he plays in Ace in the Hole, Billy Wilder's work ethic, the director's attitude towards actors and their work, etc. The interview was conducted by Michael Thomas. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080i).

• Walter Newman - Walter Newman was working as a radio writer when Billy Wilder enlisted him to help write a new screenplay. After working with the director and Lesser Samuels on the script for Ace in the Hole, he went on to write such screenplays as The Man with the Golden Arm and Cat Ballou. Presented here are excerpts from an audio interview with the writer conducted by Rui Nogueira in 1970. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Spike Lee Afterword - in this short video piece, director Spike Lee explains what makes Ace in the Hole such a unique film. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080i).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of production stills and rare behind the scenes photos. (1080p).

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Ace in the Hole. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - illustrated booklet featuring essays by critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin.

• Commentary - this audio commentary with film scholar Neil Sinyard, coauthor of Journey Down Sunset Boulevard: The Films of Billy Wilder, initially appeared on Criterion's R1 DVD release of Ace in the Hole. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2007.

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole is a visionary noir film featuring a truly legendary performance by one of America's all-time greatest actors, Kirk Douglas. As strange as it may sound, the film is even more relevant today as the media's influence and ability to manipulate and control the public opinion has grown even stronger. Featuring a new 2K digital restoration, Criterion's Blu-ray release of Ace in the Hole represents a strong upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.