Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Footsteps in the Fog Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 16, 2019

Note: This film is available as part of Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956.

Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment mined an interesting nonet of features for their Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954, and now a second volume is forthcoming, with another nine outings that show what a reliable purveyor of noir or at least noir-ish films Columbia Studios continued to be through the mid-fifties. As the subtitle for the first volume made clear, that collection spanned a decade, from what was arguably the apex of noir in the mid-forties to the arguably somewhat less fertile era of Eisenhower. This second volume picks up in 1954 and continues forward two years, assembling a rather diverse collection of writers, directors and stars, some of whom at least many would probably consign to the so-called “B list”, though others, like Kim Novak, Jack Finney and even William Castle, certainly have claims to "A list" fame. One way or the other, though, there are some interesting titles in this second collection, and noir fans may well find this as appealing a set as the first outing.

In some ways, Footsteps in the Fog is one of the outliers in this second volume of noir offerings. It’s a British production, it's a kind of Gothic period piece, it’s (ostensibly) in color, and it also has the relatively starry pairing of Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons to recommend it. Its story is one of subterfuge and betrayal, but it moves toward a predictable wrap up where two pretty unlikable characters end up getting their due. Granger portrays a murderous guy named Stephen Lowry, who has already dispatched his wife as the film opens, but who is dealing with a nasty maid named Lily Watkins (Jean Simmons), who knows what has transpired and is out to play events to her advantage. A cat and mouse game of sorts ensues, and it’s never completely clear (in a good way) who has the upper hand in the relationship. There are a number of really fun supporting performances in this film, including little turns by future Doctor Who William Hartnell, Born Free's Bill Travers, and the always enjoyable Peter Bull (The African Queen, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb).

Footsteps in the Fog Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Footsteps in the Fog is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As the only color feature in this set, I had high hopes when I first saw the Columbia masthead in color, for it sported pretty hefty blues, even if it was damaged with scratches, but those hopes faded, perhaps suggesting the look of this transfer itself. I will say that the presentation looked decidedly better in motion than some of these screenshots might suggest, but this does have a noticeably faded look at times, and there are also pretty wide variances in densities. Some moments look rather warm and nicely vivid, and others almost resemble a colorized black and white film. There's pretty prevalent damage at times, including quite a bit of speckling and some rather bright green scratches. A sequence starting at circa 23:05 is seriously out of alignment for a while, with registration issues and fringing (see screenshots 6 and 8 for two examples). Still, detail levels are quite enjoyable in the best looking moments of the film, and there are at least some sections that retain a reasonably saturated palette. Grain generally resolves organically.

Footsteps in the Fog Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Footsteps in the Fog features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which rather nicely presents sometimes "minor" elements like a bird chirping in the main study where a lot of the film takes place. Dialogue and an often string drenched score are presented cleanly and without any problems whatsoever.

Footsteps in the Fog Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

None of the three discs in this set feature any supplements.

Footsteps in the Fog Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I found Footsteps in the Fog to be a rather intriguing film, one filled with some really nicely done performances, and a rather sumptuous production design. Unfortunately the video side of things here is uneven, so those interested should carefully parse the screenshots. Audio is fine for those considering a purchase.