Private Hell 36 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Private Hell 36 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 22, 2021

Don Siegel's "Private Hell 36" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner; new audio commentary by film historian Drew Casper; vintage trailer for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Ida Lupino was set to direct Private Hell 36 but changed her mind because of minor personal drama that was causing big ripple effects in her professional life. The official story is that she asked Don Siegel to replace her because she did not feel comfortable directing her husband, Howard Duff, but the real reason was different. (There are colorful stories floating around about Lupino secretly seeing other men). Siegel enthusiastically agreed to shoot Private Hell 36, but years later revealed that he never felt that he had complete control over it.

LA cops Cal Bruner (Steve Cochran) and Jack Farhnam (Howard Duff) are dispatched to investigate a deadly robbery. While digging for clues that would help them recover the money that were stolen during the robbery, they bump into nightclub singer Lilli Marlowe (Ida Lupino), who has been paid with a suspicious bill. The cops very quickly track down the generous customer, but in the ensuing chase he crashes his car and dies on the spot. Next to him, they discover a large metal box with $300,000.

Before their colleagues arrive on the scene, Bruner convinces Farnham to put aside $100,000 of the stolen money, which is enough for them to quit their jobs and become free men. Later on, Bruner hides the money in a trailer park, but Farnham begins to feel guilty and considers walking away from the arrangement. When Captain Michaels (Dean Jagger) summons Bruner and Farnham and reveals that he thinks that the dead thief had not manage to burn $100,000, Farnham panics and forces Bruner to alter their original plan. But Bruner’s improvisations create even more problems.

While Siegel may have had some concerns about his ability to shape up Private Hell 36 as he intended, it is very much his film and any claims to the contrary are quite simply impossible to take seriously. Why? Because everything from the management of the suspense and drama to the manner in which the attitudes of the main characters are allowed to flourish to the pacing of the action reflects his classic vision of how to shoot a crime film. Indeed, in Private Hell 36 there is virtually no fat, which is why it routinely feels like the two cops are being followed by the hidden camera of an unusually curious documentarian. To be perfectly clear, this does not mean that Private Hell 36 lacks the stylized visuals that classic film noirs from the same period are remembered for, but in it they emerge organically. (In The Lineup, which Siegel directed a few years later, all of the above becomes even easier to acknowledge because its unapologetic pursuit of authenticity is what ultimately makes it appear stylish. At the time, this was very much Siegel’s modus operandi).

The cast is very good, but Cochran leads and routinely does a bit more to either set the tone of a key sequence or redirect the film in a new direction. Duff has to undergo a somewhat cliched transformation once it is determined that the metal box is missing money, but his emotions feel authentic.

Siegel shot with the prolific cinematographer Burnet Guffey, whose credits include such excellent film noirs as In a Lonely Place, The Harder They Fall, Framed, The Sniper, Human Desire, and Tight Spot.

The soundtrack was created by Keith Stevens, who had just score the classic sci-fi drama War of the Worlds.

Private Hell 36 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Private Hell 36 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. (In case you are wondering whether this is the same master the folks at Olive Films worked with to produce this North American release, the answer is yes, it is). I think that it is a very nice master. There are some minor scratches and specks that pop up here and there, plus in a few areas density levels can be better, but its overall it has a pleasing organic appearance. On a larger screen delineation and depth are usually good. During darker footage shadow definition is satisfying as well. Yes, there is room for improvement, but a lot of native detail is retained. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Image stability is good, but from time to time you may notice a few bumps. Finally, I think that the grayscale is managed very well, though this is another area where meaningful improvements can be made to enhance and even expand some of the gray nuances. So, while there is room for some small but meaningful improvements, what you get on this disc is a fine organic presentation of Private Hell 36. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Private Hell 36 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very clear and stable. Balance is handled nicely as well. To be honest, I don't think that there is any room for significant improvements. If the film is fully remastered and the audio remixed, I think that at very best there will be some cosmetic improvements that will address roundness. As it is, the audio is actually very healthy.

Private Hell 36 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for Private Hell 36. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary by film historian Drew Casper.

• "No One Else Like Her - Ida Lupino in Hollywood" - an exclusive new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• "I Never Stood a Chance - Don Siegel in the 1950s" - in this new program, author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner discusses the life and legacy of Don Siegel. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• "Barry Forshaw on Private Hell 36" - in this new program, critic Barry Forshaw discusses the style and tone of Private Hell 36 as well as the evolution of film noir during the 1950s. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

Private Hell 36 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I would have loved to see Gloria Grahame play Ida Lupino's character in Private Hell 36. The film is very good as it is, but Grahame, or perhaps another wilder femme fatale, would have given it a greater edge, which is what Don Siegel's best work is remembered for. Lupino looks a little too elegant to be the seductress that Steve Cochran's character falls for. This troublemaker needed a real bad girl to spin his head and make him risk everything he has to lose for her. Private Hell 36 is included in Via Vision Entertainment's recent Essential Film Noir - Collection 2 four-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.