Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 15, 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 British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an theatrical original trailer for the film; Annie Tresgot's documentary Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Billy Wilder; and video piece with professor Neil Sinyard. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring Emmanuel Burdeau's essay "A Circulation Builder". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Chuck Tatum

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 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

The basic characteristics of the high-definition transfer are very similar to those of the high-definition Criterion used for their upcoming Blu-ray release of this classic American film, but they are not identical.

Generally speaking, image depth and clarity are very pleasing. Some minor sharpness fluctuations remain, but they are undoubtedly inherited, and never become distracting. (The exact same sharpness fluctuations are also present on the Criterion release). Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Some minor brightness discrepancies exists between the two releases. During the darker footage from the cave I also noticed light pulsating 'highlights' on the left corner of the image frame that are not visible on the Criterion release. (See the vertical lines in screencaptures #9, 10, 11). Also, it appears that some additional fine-tunning was done on the Criterion release to remove tiny specks and dirt that are still visible here. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Compromising sharpening adjustments have not been applied either. Predictably, the film has a solid and very consistent organic look. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, I like the overall slightly better balanced and darker look of the Criterion release, but Eureka Entertainment's release is an excellent alternative for fans of Ace in the Hole residing in Region-B territories. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B 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 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Throughout the entire film depth and clarity are very pleasing. Dynamic intensity is limited, but such is the film's original sound design. The music is well balanced -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity -- but it has primarily a supportive role. The dialog is stable and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, cracks, or audio distortions to report in this review.

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

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• 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. The same documentary appears on Criterion's Blu-ray release of Ace in the Hole. In English, not subtitled. (59 min).

• Neil Sinyard - in this video piece, professor Neil Sinyard (University of Hull) discusses the production history of Ace in the Hole and the film's reception in America and abroad, Kirk Douglas' character, cinematographer Charles Lang's contribution to the film, Hugo Friedhofer's score and its function in the film, Billy Wilder's directing style, etc. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Booklet - 32-page illustrated booklet featuring Emmanuel Burdeau's essay "A Circulation Builder". Mr. Burdeau is the former editor-in-chief of Cahiers du cinéma, and a co-founder of Capricci. He is currently the head film critic of Mediapart.

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

I prefer the overall slightly better balanced look of Criterion's presentation of Ace in the Hole, but the basics of Eureka Entertainment's release are just as solid. As far as supplemental features are concerned, the only notable one that appears on the two releases is Annie Tresgot's documentary film Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Billy Wilder. All in all, Eureka Entertainment's release is an excellent alternative for fans of Ace in the Hole residing in Region-B territories. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.