Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 21, 2022

Jerry Hopper's "Naked Alibi" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson; new program with critic Lucy Bolton; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Note: The text below was initially used in our review of the North American release of Naked Alibi that Kino Lorber produced in 2019.

Naked Alibi was one of the last truly big film noirs that never received an official DVD release in the United States. It is hard to tell exactly why the film was ignored, but even if there was some ‘legit’ reason for its omission it would have been meaningless. There are countless smaller film noirs that the studios pulled out of their vaults and made available on the home video market. Naked Alibi should have been easy to acquire by film collectors as well.

While investigating a couple of unresolved murders Police Chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) concludes that Al Willis (Gene Barry), the owner of a small bakery with a sizeable clientele, might be a dangerous chameleon on the loose. He arrests Willis, roughs him up a bit, and tries to force him to confess that he has killed, but instead gets fired after a local newspaper publishes a photograph of him mistreating ‘an innocent member of the community’. Nevertheless, Conroy vows to prove that he was right to target Willis and together with a trusted assistant begins following him around town – day and night, without hiding, hoping that Willis will get frustrated and make a crucial error that will reveal his true identity. The plan works as intended and eventually Willis quietly packs his bags and heads down to Border City, leaving behind a very upset wife and many shocked employees. Still missing any real evidence that Willis is an elusive killer, Conroy goes after him.

In Border City, Conroy rents a room in a lousy motel and then goes out with a photograph looking for Willis. However, hours later he is badly beaten up and mugged by a pack of strangers. Local nightclub singer Mariana (Gloria Grahame) takes care of his heavy head and bruises, and at the right time shows enough affection to make him realize that she likes him. But Conroy does not buy the act and after he thanks the girl for her hospitality goes back out looking for Willis. They meet again at the club where Mariana makes ends meet.

The style, tone, and attitude of Jerry Hopper’s film are neither groundbreaking nor surprising, but as odd as it may sound this is one of two reasons why it is so good. Indeed, all three are just pitch-perfect for its story, which is about tough guys and rough justice in a world that does not tolerate wimps. In other words, by keeping them casual Hopper strengthens the integrity of the story, and because the main characters are left to carve their own identities the noir glamour that sometimes makes and breaks these genre films is kept at bay. Now, this does not mean that the film is devoid of the familiar noir stylization, it is just that it does not feel like it is searching for it, and as a result, the drama that defines its story looks legit.

The second reason is also a conventional one. It is the quality of the performances, which are very different yet complement each other throughout the entire film. For example, without Grahame’s singer, Hayden’s angry cop remains a one-dimensional tracker, and without him, Barry’s bakery owner cannot complete his transformation. The character evolutions are indeed in the script, but the quality of Hayden, Grahame, and Barry’s performances is such that the legit connection that emerges between them justifies everything else that is part of the story. It sounds very simple, and it ought to be, but the reality is that all three leads play characters with some serious issues so it is not an easy job to bring them together, make them look authentic, and at the same time have them deliver a range of contrasts that fuel the drama.

Hopper shot the film with cinematographer Russell Metty (Touch of Evil, All That Heaven Allows).

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Naked Alibi arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Naked Alibi made its high-definition debut via this release produced by Kino Lorber in 2019. This upcoming release is sourced from the same master, which comes from Universal Pictures. I like this master quite a lot, though on my system Naked Alibi looks a tiny bit harsher/more contrasty now. I don't know why that is because it is easy to tell that no additional work has been done on it, but there are a couple of sequences where trained eyes will easily spot the difference. Regardless, I think that the entire film still looks really good. Yes, ideally grain exposure should be a bit tighter and more even, but the current appearance of the visuals is fine with me. When the film is projected, the occasional spots where the unevenness is noticeable become extremely easy to ignore. The grading job is very convincing and the nighttime footage often looks great. Image stability is good. All in all, even though there is a bit of room for minor cosmetic adjustments that could give the film a more convincing organic look, I think that the current presentation of it is very good. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Naked Alibi 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.

The lossless track is outstanding. I think that it is pretty easy to conclude that at some point the original audio must have been either partially or fully remastered fairly recently because there are no traces of serious aging. As soon as the dramatic music kicks in around the 0:06.35 mark the strength of the track becomes indisputable. The dialog is very clear, clean, sharp, and nicely balanced as well.

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Absolute Magnetism: Lucy Bolton on Gloria Grahame - in this new program, critic Lucy Bolton discusses Gloria Grahame's contribution to Naked Alibi and illustrious career. In English, not subtitled. (42 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Naked Alibi. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for Naked Alibi.

• The Cinematographer - this short documentary about the important role a cinematographer has in shaping a film's identity was directed by Jerry Hopper in 1951. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. (10 min).

• Book - a limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Iris Veysey, Jill Blake, Karen Hannsberry, Sabina Stent, Sergio Angelini and Walter Chaw, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits.

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the United States, until a few years ago, Naked Alibi was impossible to purchase on DVD or Blu-ray. Some collectors speculated that there was a legit reason for its absence, but I don't think this was true. Naked Alibi was simply one of many big films that was ignored and did not get a legit home video release during the DVD era. I was very happy when Kino Lorber made it available on Blu-ray because Sterling Hayden is one of my favorite actors and I have never seen a film noir with him that wasn't solid. (For what it's worth, over the years, I managed to collect all of them, too). This upcoming release is sourced from the same master that Universal Pictures supplied to Kino Lorber and is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' upcoming six-disc box set Universal Noir #1. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.