6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Drama | 100% |
Crime | 59% |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | 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 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available as part of
Noir Archive Volume 3: 1956-1960.
Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment continue their deep dive into what might be thought of as the substratum of film noir with
this
third collection culled from the Columbia catalog. The fact that this latest offering supposedly spans the years of 1956 through 1960 may give
some indication of
just how deep this particular dive is, since many film fans will probably (rightly or wrongly) feel like the late fifties and first year of the
sixties are decidedly past the heyday of film noir. (That "supposedly" is in the previous sentence because the earliest actual release date
for the films in this set seems to actually be 1957, not 1956, which perhaps makes my point even better.) Still, as with the first two collections,
there are some really interesting films in this set,
and genre aficionados will most likely find at least a few titles in this set, including some more British productions, that may well spark interest.
For an overview of the previous two releases in this series, please click on the following review links (which, like this one, will contain links of their
own pointing to reviews of the individual films in the set):
Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954 Blu-
ray
review
Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956 Blu-
ray
review
Man on a String is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While a lot of this transfer looked rather dark to my eyes, something that perhaps exacerbates the grittiness of the grain field at times and tends to lead to crush in some darker moments, on the whole this is another generally pleasing transfer in terms of overall detail levels and clarity. The film's opening credits offer information on different units at various locations utilized, but my hunch is at least some of the establishing shots of various locales were culled from stock footage, as they can look significantly rougher than the bulk of the presentation. Damage is rather minor, with typical age related wear and tear like small nicks and occasional speckling.
Man on a String features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which offers good support for this rather talky film, one which includes quite a bit of narration to help bridge various sequences and explain background and what's going on. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and the nicely suspenseful score also sounds full bodied. I noticed no issues with regard to damage or dropouts.
None of the three discs in this set feature any supplements.
I was actually kind of gobsmacked to find out that this film was based on the memoirs of Boris Morros, since I was well acquainted with his name due at least in part to my research into Paramount actress Frances Farmer, since Morros has credits in several Farmer films from the 1930s and 1940s. Morros' backstory, even if it's probably sensationalized here, is still unusual and often quite exciting. Technical merits are generally solid, and Man on a String comes Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1967
1965
1982
1991
1965
Reissue
1983
1966
2014
2010
1968
Limited Edition to 3000
1966
1955
1982
1952
2018
1973
Limited Edition to 3000
1954
2013
1945
5 Steps to Danger
1957