Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

City of Shadows Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 16, 2024

William Witney's "City of Shadows" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by screenwriter and film historian Gary Gerani and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You do not have to be a seasoned film noir connoisseur to quickly conclude that City of Shadows was made to attract the same audience that went to see classics like The Naked City, Cry of the City, and Night and the City. These films did good business for the companies that distributed them, so someone at Republic Pictures greenlighted another one that sounded like them. Why not, right? If done with a proper budget, another city film noir could have had a pretty good run at the box office. To make it appear like an ambitious project, Republic Pictures then brought on board Victor McLaglen, a great Oscar-winning actor from the silent era.

William Witney completed City of Shadows in 1955, but if the original plan was to have him deliver a conventional film noir, then he clearly did not stay with it. In its current form, City of Shadows is a conventional crime melodrama, a low-budget one too, and I am unsure if this is the type of film it was supposed to be. It looks too soft and produces contrasts that constantly push it in opposite directions, so while it is not devoid of noirish qualities, it just does not have the personality and attitude of a conventional film noir from the 1950s.

McLaglen plays mob boss Tim Channing, whose right-hand man is Dan Mason (John Baer), a young, very ambitious law student, who has figured out that a brilliant attorney can rule any city in America. Channing treats Mason like his son because some years ago, while he was still a kid selling newspapers, he showed him how to take over the slot machine business. In Channing’s new empire, Mason is the crucial piece that keeps it safe and operating as efficiently as possible because he always knows how to protect it from the District Attorney and his boys. But the good times come to an end when Channing learns that Mason has fallen in love with Fern Fellows (Kathleen Crowley), the daughter of a prominent judge, and intends to walk away from his empire, forcing him to confront other crime bosses who think that the boy has become a liability.

Witney was handed an original screenplay by Houston Branch, a prolific writer who had done plenty of work for Republic Pictures, and the million-dollar question is whether this screenplay was for a conventional film noir or a conventional crime melodrama. I do not know what the correct answer to it is. While viewing City of Shadows for the first time a few nights ago, I frequently felt that Witney was trying to free it so that it behaves and looks like a conventional film noir, but Baer wasn’t cooperating as enthusiastically as I thought he would. He is the catalyst of the melodrama that softens City of Shadows, and because he is effective, the noirish material suffers a lot. On the other hand, the melodrama could have been a lot more prominent, especially after Baer and his girl agree to become a couple, and yet the final act, which is set high up in the mountains, has the strongest noirish qualities. So, City of Shadows is neither a conventional film noir nor a conventional crime melodrama, but a little bit of both.

The Republic Pictures catalog has a lot of films like City of Shadows. They are small films done with modest budgets that try to mimic their famous relatives. Some are very good, but too many of them are just decent. I think it is fair to describe City of Shadows as a decent film, too. It looks fine and arrives at its final destination without any major issues, but once seen, it can and will be easily forgotten.

Witney’s director of photography was Reggie Lanning, who is probably best known for his work on Allan Dwan’s Oscar-nominated classic film Sands of Iwo Jima.

City of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, City of Shadows arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent, very good master supplied by Paramount Pictures. Excluding a few minor specks and nicks that pop up in a few places, I think that the overall quality of the visuals is more or less as good as it can be. A lot of the well-lit and outdoor footage in particular looks wonderful. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections. The grayscale is terrific. Blacks are lush but do not produce crushing, while the grays and whites and wonderfully balanced. I thought that all three were perfect. Image stability is excellent. All in all, City of Shadows has a very stable, very attractive organic appearance. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

City of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The lossless track is very healthy and stable. All exchanges are clear, sharp, and easy to follow, and the shootouts sound great. However, you should keep in mind that City of Shadows was made with a small budget and its native sound design is far from impressive. Everything sounds great, including the music, but dynamic intensity and contrasts are limited.

City of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by screenwriter and film historian Gary Gerani. If you have listened to any of the other commentaries Mr. Gerani has recorded for various Kino Lorber releases, and there are quite a few, you should know what to expect from this commentary. It offers plenty of interesting information about the production of City of Shadows and Republic Pictures, the performances and careers of different characters, the film's style and tone, etc.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for City of Shadows. In English, not subttiled. (2 min).

City of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Victor McLaglen is a big magnet, so a film noir with this iconic actor sounds like a very attractive offer. However, City of Shadows is a typical B-film from the Republic Pictures catalog that was probably scripted to be a conventional crime melodrama. I had a good time with it, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was one of those gritty 1950s urban film noirs that frequently produced outstanding characters. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a solid recent master supplied by Paramount Pictures and is included in this three-disc box set, together with Crashout and Finger Man. RECOMMENDED.