6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A woman who believes her missing husband is in prison in Hawaii on a murder charge travels there to see if it actually is him...
Starring: Wendell Corey, Evelyn Keyes, Elsa Lanchester, Marie Windsor, Nancy GatesFilm-Noir | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
According to the frequently unreliable Wikipedia, there are in fact several places called Hell’s Half Acre scattered throughout the United States, though the titular area of this 1954 quasi-noir isn’t among them. Honolulu might seem like an unusual setting for a tenement, with its glistening high rises, pearl white beaches and copious displays of wealth. But as anyone who has visited another glamorous oceanside metropolis—namely Rio de Janeiro—can tell you, there are shantytowns in the most unlikely of places. Hell’s Half Acre has a couple of interesting elements despite never quite gelling as either a compelling drama or as a “real” film noir, chief among them its post World War II Honolulu locale. Hawaii is often seen as some sort of exalted paradise, but in the unseemly world of Hell’s Half Acre it’s home to vicious criminals and lots (and lots) of scheming and duplicity. That makes for an interesting dialectic, where the surface pleasures of a gorgeous tropical location never completely mask the roiling subterfuge going on underneath. Director John H. Auer was a journeyman helmsman who is probably best remembered (if he’s remembered at all) for the film that preceded Hell’s Half Acre in his filmography, 1953’s City That Never Sleeps (due from Olive Films in just a few weeks as this review is being written), and as with that film, Hell’s Half Acre features some fairly compelling characters caught in morally ambiguous situations. Unlike The City That Never Sleeps, however, Hell’s Half Acre has a bit more courage of its noir convictions, ultimately not shirking from the sort of seedy trappings that infest several characters’ motives and actions.
Hell's Half Acre is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. Aside from a little stock footage used for some establishing shots, the bulk of the elements here look quite good, with only very minor damage to report. Contrast is very solid throughout this presentation, especially helpful in that so much of the film takes place in shadowy environments. Gray scale is very nicely modulated and the image is decently if not overwhelmingly sharp and well detailed.
Hell's Half Acre features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix that sounds surprisingly full bodied for its age. The frankly hokey score, which utilizes ukeleles and pedal steel, sounds very good, especially in the midrange, as does the massed choral Hawaiian singing. Dialogue is very cleanly presented. Fidelity is very good, though the track has the expected boxy sound of a vintage mono soundtrack.
No supplements are featured on this Blu-ray disc.
Any film that lists Don the Beachcomber as a Technical Advisor can't be all bad, and Hell's Half Acre isn't. Of course, that doesn't automatically mean it's very good, either, and there's no denying a sort of clunky aspect to large swaths of this outing. But if you can get past the kind of omnipresent "beige" quality that Corey brings to his role, there's quite a bit to enjoy here. Chief among the pleasures is the rather outré supporting cast, including the always watchable Jesse White and Marie Windsor, who really bring the most classic noir unseemliness to this film. It's also fantastic to see Ahn and Luke in such relatively large supporting roles. This Blu-ray offers very good video and audio and with stated caveats comes Recommended.
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1950
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Sydney
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Arrow Academy
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Warner Archive Collection
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Warner Archive Collection
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Limited Edition to 3000
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Warner Archive Collection
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