Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

In a Lonely Place Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 28, 2016

Nicholas Ray's "In a Lonely Place" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with writer and biographer Vincent Curcio; archival featurette with dierctor Curtis Hanson; new audio commentary with film scholar Dana Polan; the archival documentary film "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith. Region-A "locked".

"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

He (Humphrey Bogart, The Big Sleep) is a jaded screenwriter who easily gets annoyed even when people try to be nice to him. He has strong opinions and easily becomes angry when they are questioned. He drinks and often does not know when to stop.

The big studio bosses like Dix’s work but he is tired of working for them. He wants to be free to take risks and write as he has always wanted to -- without following guidelines and trying to meet other people’s expectations. He feels that the time to make a change has finally come and has vowed to deliver a truly spectacular script.

But Dix’s mind has refused to cooperate. For weeks he has struggled with a writer’s block that has exhausted him and left him seriously depressed. It has also brought out a violent side of his personality that has shocked him and even made him ponder his own sanity.

When a beautiful girl (Martha Stweart, Daisy Kenyon) is murdered not too far away from his place, Dix becomes a suspect because he was the last person to see her alive. Detectives question Dix’s elegant neighbor Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame, Oklahoma!) who confirms that the girl left his place unharmed, but he remains on the top of their list of likely killers. During the investigation Dix and Laurel begin seeing each other and eventually fall madly in love, but the more time the two spend together and learn about each other, the more complicated their relationship becomes.

The script for this classic film from the great American director Nicholas Ray is really quite brilliant. The first act creates the impression that the film will follow closely a complicated murder case in which Dix’s role will be crucial. As various bits of information begin to emerge the film essentially forces one in a guessing a mode, looking for signs that would help one reconstruct the events leading up to the murder before the detectives do so. The second act, however, shifts the story in a completely different direction. There is still a great deal of uncertainty as to whether Dix is indeed a man whose words can be trusted, but now the focus of attention is on his relationship with Laurel. As they become closer and begin making plans for the future, the murder case is slowly pushed aside. The third and final act brings a logical resolution, but it seems like the big puzzle and the exact manner in which its pieces are arranged are largely irrelevant. Now the film is a lot more interested in the reality in which its characters exist and the effect it has on their lives.

The film is indescribably elegant but also incredibly bleak and dark. It has two very different protagonists whose romance looks right from afar, but impossible to tolerate once their true personalities are revealed. Dix is a talented man whose great work has earned him his reputation, but he is also a moody loner with a very ugly macho side. It is difficult to enthusiastically embrace him as he is and it is absolutely impossible to excuse his frequent urge to dominate. Laurel is kind and supportive but suspiciously weak when she is around Dix. It is difficult to tell exactly why. Is her weakness authentic or is she willing to put up with Dix’s abuse because of his wealth?

This sense of ambiguity enhanced with a solid dose of cynicism that emerges early on and does not disappear before the final sequence is what makes the film simply fascinating to behold. It is Ray’s subtle but very effective rejection of the largely oversanitized and positive characterizations Hollywood promoted in its films during the postwar era.

In a Lonely Place Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new 2K digital transfer was created on a Spirit datacine from a new 35mm fine grain master positive made from the original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 35mm soundtrack negative at Chace Audio by Deluxe in Burbank, California, under the direction of Grover Crisp and Bob Simmons. Additional restoration was undertaken by the Criterion Collection using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX4.

Transfer supervisors: Grover Crisp, Bob Simmons.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Technicolor, Los Angeles."

The film looks very fresh and wonderfully balanced. There is a fantastic range of nuanced grays and solid but natural blacks and whites. As a result, many of the darker sequences that look flat, fuzzy and blocky on the old R1 DVD release now boast wonderful depth. The larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to also notice the dramatic improvements in terms of density. A lot of these improvements are directly related to the much better exposed and resolved grain -- there is no mushiness, noise, or smeary patches. Overall image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting damage marks, cuts, scratches, debris, or stains. (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).

In a Lonely Place Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Separation and balance are definitely improved. I also think that the mid- and high-ranges are not as thin and fickle as they occasionally appear on the lossy track from the DVD release. The dialog is stable, sharp and very clean. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in our review.

In a Lonely Place Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for In a Lonely Place. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• I'm A Stranger Here Myself - this archival documentary film takes a closer look at Nicholas Ray's background, professional career, and body of work (with plenty of comments about the main themes in his films as well as their visual style and the lasting impact they had on the industry). Included in it are clips from interviews with the director, actor/producer John Houseman (3 Days of the Condor), Francois Truffaut (who quickly discusses the importance Johnny Guitar had on him), and Natalie Wood. The version of the documentary that is presented here is slightly edited. Narrated by Howard da Silva. In English or French, with printed English subtitles where necessary. (41 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Heightened experiences
  2. Very personal story
  3. Cutting
  4. Auteur
  5. Acting
  6. Rebels
  7. Screwed by Hollywood

• Gloria Grahame - in this brand new video interview, Vincent Curcio, author of Suicide Blonde: The Life of Gloria Grahame, discusses Gloria Grahame's illustrious career in Hollywood, the various characters she played and her versatile acting style, her relationship with Nicholas Ray, In a Lonely Place and its importance for her image and career, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• "In a Lonely Place": Revisited - in this archival featurette, director Curtis Hanson (Bad Influence, L.A. Confidential) deconstructs In a Lonely Place, and discusses the personalities of the characters played by Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame as well as the lasting impact the film had on his work. The featurette was produced in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

• Suspense, Episode 287 - presented here is an adaptation of Dorothy B. Hughes' novel In a Lonely Place, which was produced by Robert Montgomery (Ride the Pink Horse). It was originally broadcast on March 6, 1948, as part of the CBS radio series Suspense. The program stars Robert Montgomery and Lurene Tuttle. In English, not subtitled. (60 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Introduction
  2. Act 1: The things men do
  3. Another Woman killed
  4. Wild game
  5. Act 2: Looking for happiness
  6. Lost in a lonely place
  7. "I think you're crazy"
  8. With thanks

• Commentary - in this brand new audio commentary, scholar Dana Polan, author of the BFI Film Classics monograph on In a Lonely Place, deconstructs the film (with very specific comments about the atmosphere of key sequences), and discusses the constantly evolving nature of the relationship between Dix and Laurel, the use of location shots, some of the similarities and differences between the film and Dorothy Hughes' novel, Nicholas Ray's shooting preferences (camera positioning, use of close-ups, etc.), the backgrounds of different cast members, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Imogen Sara Smith's essay "An Epitaph for Love". (Mrs. Smith is the author of In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City and Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy).

In a Lonely Place Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nicholas Ray's second collaboration with Humphrey Bogart is an indescribably elegant but incredibly bleak and dark film about a jaded screenwriter who falls in love with the woman of his dreams after he becomes a murder suspect. It works on a number of different levels, but I think that it is most effective in its subtle rejection of the safe characterizations Hollywood promoted in its films after WWII. In a Lonely Place has been recently restored in 2K and looks mighty impressive in high-definition. Do not miss it, it is a true American classic. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.