Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Black Tuesday Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 26, 2024

Hugo Fregonese's "Black Tuesday" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Sheldon Hall; new video essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The hot cage

Some of the best macho film noirs emerged during the early 1950s. It was because certain writers and directors tried to go as far as they could to separate themselves from a sea of competitors. The same trend materialized in Italy during the 1970s, when local writers and directors began collaborating on the notoriously violent poliziotteschi. Before the emergence of the poliziotteschi pretty much everyone in Italy was writing and directing crime films that were expected to impress with good stories featuring big characters. These crime films were routinely modeled after the classic American film noirs, too. The polizotteschi started a new trend. Instead of prioritizing good stories and big characters, their creators began prioritizing over-the-top violence, and the farther they went with it, the more they separated themselves from the competition.

Black Tuesday reveals a similar willingness to go as far as possible. In fact, Edward G. Robinson almost single-handedly moves Black Tuesday into the same territory that the likes of Umberto Lenzi and Fernando Di Leo will repeatedly visit with their poliziotteschi a couple of decades later. It is a bit strange, but it is true because Robinson appears as unhinged as Tomas Milian, who made several of the wildest poliziotteschi with Lenzi and one scripted by Di Leo.

Less than an hour before he is to be strapped into the electric chair and sent to meet his creator, crime boss Vincent Canelli (Robinson) is freed by a couple of his associates who have successfully blackmailed a senior prison guard (James Bell) to work with them. On the way out of the prison, Canelli brings with him Peter Manning (Peter Graves), an army vet-turned-robber, several other death row inmates, and a few hostages. When a cop fires at the group, Manning is seriously wounded.

In a secluded warehouse, Canelli reunites with his gal, Hatti (Jean Parker), the brain behind the escape, and orders Dr. Hart (Vic Perrin), one of the hostages, to fix up Manning as quickly as possible, but not because he cares about him. Canelli needs Manning alive because he wants a portion of the small fortune he has stolen from a large bank and stashed away. After Dr. Hart stitches up Manning and he falls asleep, Canelli and a crooked pilot begin discussing the final phase of the escape.

A few hours later, Dr. Hart performs a risky surgery on Manning, the only way to get him back on his feet. When Manning regains some of his strength, he is paired with Hatti to retrieve the small fortune from the safest hiding place in the world -- another big bank. The two, pretending to be a businessman and his secretary, successfully get in and out of the bank, but the cops follow them back to the warehouse.

Hugo Fregonese directed various genre films, many with big stars like Joel McCrea and Van Heflin, only a few of which are film noirs. However, his best work might be in Black Tuesday.

But it is not only because Fregonese engages Robinson in a mighty impressive way and gets an unforgettable performance from him. Black Tuesday is a mighty lean, mean, and stylish film noir, and Fregonese’s direction makes it such. Indeed, there is just no fat in it, and while Robinson quickly puts his stamp on it, he is surrounded by talented actors whose great efforts are easily recognized by Fregonese’s camera. Identical cinematic efficiency and balance are very rare in similar film noirs featuring a big star like Robinson.

What exactly makes Black Tuesday a great macho film noir? It unleashes its characters and does not protect the audience from their meanness, which instantly makes the progression of its drama unpredictable. Its resolution is predictable, but this is an insignificant detail because all film noirs are populated with doomed characters.

Fregonese worked with original material by Oscar nominated writer Sydney Boehm, who scripted Fritz Lang’s iconic film noir The Big Heat. His director of photography was Stanley Cortez (The Night of the Hunter).

Black Tuesday Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Black Tuesday arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release introduces a recent 2K restoration of the film sourced from a 35mm fine-grain. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a stable organic appearance. However, source limitations are retained and as a result occasionally delineation and depth fluctuate a bit. Darker and shadow nuances are usually affected the most, which is why some indoor and nighttime footage can appear a tad too 'thick'. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections, but grain fluctuations are noticeable because of the source limitations mentioned earlier. The grayscale is very good. However, the finest blacks and black nuances can be better. (This is a source limitation, too). Image stability is very good. A few tiny blemishes can be spotted, but there are no large cuts, marks, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Black Tuesday Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges and the music are very clear and stable. However, if you turn up the volume a bit more than usual, you are likely to notice some extremely light background hiss. It never becomes distracting, but it is there. Dynamic contrasts are quite good, especially for a film from the early 1950s that was not shot with a massive budget. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

Black Tuesday Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• From Argentina to Hollywood - in this exclusive new program, critic Sheldon Hall discusses the background and career of Hugo Fregonese, as well as some of the films he made, including Black Tuesday. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• No Escape: The Nihilism of Black Tuesday and 1950s Film Noir - presented here is an exclusive new video essay created by critic Imogen Sara Smith. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Ehsan Khoshbakht on Black Tuesday - in this exclusive new program, critic Ehsan Khoshbakht discusses Black Tuesday and what made it a very difficult film to see for many, many years. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Sergio Angelini.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Black Tuesday. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing on Black Tuesday by critic Barry Forshaw and film writer Craig Ian Mann, as well as technical credits.

Black Tuesday Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the 1970s, the great Cuban-born actor Tomas Milian played a lot of characters like Edward G. Robinson's crime boss Vincent Canelli. They were astonishingly mean and violent, often genuine human torpedoes, which some believe single-handedly ensured the longevity of the over-the-top poliziotteschi. This may seem a bit strange, but only if one ignores the fact that the 1950s produced the best macho film noirs for the same reason the 1970s produced the most violent poliziotteschi. I think that Black Tuesday, which has been quite difficult to track down and see, is one heck of a film noir that needs an urgent reevaluation and a spot next to its most famous relatives. If you enjoy it, I also recommend grabbing a copy of 99 River Street. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.