6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
During the 1950s, a man's car trip from L.A. to Texas turns into a Cold-War espionage drama when his car breaks down and he accepts a lift from a stranger.
Starring: Ruth Roman, Sterling Hayden, Werner Klemperer, Richard Gaines, Charles DavisFilm-Noir | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Ruth Roman is one of those actresses with a ton of film and television credits who nonetheless never seemed to quite make it to the pinnacle of superstardom that others with similarly hefty “ographies” achieved. Roman had a long if not particularly illustrious career, one that is perhaps best remembered now for her turn in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. Now niche label ClassicFlix is bringing out two Ruth Roman vehicles from the 1950s, both with a number in their title (the other release is Down Three Dark Streets), and both at least arguably able to be shoehorned into the noir genre, if kind of fitfully at times. My personal estimation is that you’d be hard pressed to really call either of these films outright “classics” (as in ClassicFlix), but they each have interesting elements, including some fun uses of location work.
Five Steps to Danger is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of ClassicFlix with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. ClassicFlix states this transfer is "restored from the original camera negative" (their blog mentions a 4K scan, though the back cover doesn't state that), and this is by and large a very nice and organic looking presentation, though there are some noticeable variances in brightness, contrast and clarity levels. The opening sequence, for example, looks somewhat brighter than some later moments, and in fact several interstitial location shots have less appealing contrast and clarity than what I assume are studio shot sequences, aspects that I assume are due at least in part to the vagaries of location shooting itself. (There are a few moments that look like focus pulling may have been a challenge.) Director Henry S. Kesler and cinematographer Kenneth Peach utilize the wide frame rather well throughout the film, especially in the outdoor material where depth of field is quite appealing, and when close-ups are employed, fine detail levels are typically very good. While the restoration efforts have delivered a presentation largely free of age related wear and tear, eagle eyed videophiles may still spot very minor and transitory damage in the form of small scratches and the like.
Five Steps to Danger features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which suffices perfectly well for a film that tends to deal mostly in dialogue scenes despite the prevalence of location sequences and an "on the road" mentality. There's some slight but noticeable distortion in the midrange during some of the underscore, notably during the opening credits sequence, but otherwise elements like dialogue sound fine, if a bit on the bright side and also a bit on the boxy side at times. There are some slight amplitude variances with regard to some of the location moments that make me think this might not have had much if any post looping and "live" recording techniques might have been utilized.
There are no supplements included on this Blu-ray disc.
Five Steps to Danger could have really been a prime example of Hitchcockian paranoia had it simply developed some of its many competing plot points a bit more effectively. This is a film that wants its heroine to be both a simpering mental case and a freedom fighting superwoman, and the segues between these vast differences doesn't exactly help with any suspension of disbelief. Roman is attractive and really rather charismatic throughout this film, though, and if Hayden only occasionally gets to strut his inimitable machismo, he grounds the film in a way and almost by force hoists some rocky scenes up by their veritable bootstraps to give this entry a bit of force. There's some very enjoyable location work scattered throughout this film, for those who like to view bygone vistas (not to mention some cool looking mid-fifties cars). As usual, ClassicFlix has provided a disc with generally solid technical merits, though this particular release is lacking any supplementary material.
1945
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Down 3 Dark Streets
1954
Special Edition
1946
1957
Deluxe Edition
1949
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Hot Spot
1941
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Slipcover in Original Pressing
1956
Special Edition
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