Private Property Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Private Property Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 17, 2016

Leslie Stevens' "Private Property" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Cinelicious Pics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and an exclusive new video interview with still photographer and technical consultant Alexander Singer. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring writer and film noir historian Don Malcolm's essay "Ten Properties of Private Property". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The wife

These are the types of films that Hollywood forgot how to make. They did not require massive budgets but they had so much quality and style that one could not help but admire them. In the digital era many of these films are being restored and preserved, and this is a good thing, but when one realizes what appears to have been irreversibly lost during the years, one cannot but feel sad about the big picture -- style and quality have very, very different definitions now.

The plot is not at all complicated. At a small gas station just outside of LA, two bad guys (Corey Allen and Warren Oates) convince a clueless driver to give them a ride to the city. They release him after they reach a fancy neighborhood somewhere on the hills and then quickly move into an empty house. The two drifters then decide to have a bit of fun with their bored and beautiful neighbor (Kate Manx), who foolishly assumes that the two are traveling businessmen looking for new clients.

Leslie Stevens made his directorial debut with this film in 1960. It is easy to tell that it was a modest production, but it has a very distinctive dark edge that makes it incredibly attractive.

The film is broken into two uneven parts that to push the narrative in two different directions. The first is basically structured as a small psychological thriller in which the two drifters become predators and begin playing with their prey. One of them is a lot more aggressive and a lot more experienced; the other reveals himself only towards the end after the lonely wife’s defensive mechanism has been disabled. There is a rather big segment in the middle where the two sides tempt each other that is really well done. The second part enters the dark territory that most noir pictures typically visit. The rules of the game are abruptly abandoned here and two big character transformations effectively end it.

The resolution is largely unimportant. What works incredibly well is the buildup where one can literally feel how the static in the air gradually grows after each encounter. Also, there is plenty that is seen through the eyes of the lonely wife that adds a different flavor to the game. There is a very effective segment, for instance, where the film actually provides a couple of unusual excuses for a few of her ‘poor’ choices and leaves one wondering if she is in fact as vulnerable and naïve as she initially appears. After that there are also a few cracks that emerge in the seemingly solid relationship between the two drifters. So there is plenty of gray material that can be deconstructed in different ways, and the more one begins to pay attention to it, the more attractive the film becomes.

Ted McCord‘s (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Sound of Music) camera movement is simple but effective. It never feels like close-ups or larger panoramic shots were done in specific ways to impress. On the contrary, the entire film has a very natural flow and oozes pure elegance that works great for the intended atmosphere.

*Private Property was recently restored in 4K restoration from previously lost film elements rediscovered and preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The project was completed at Cinelicious Pics under the supervision of Paul Korver and Craig Rogers.

Private Property Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Leslie Stevens' Private Property arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinelicious Pics.

The film has been recently restored in 4K by the folks at Cinelicious Pics and while ideally density could be better -- previously lost film elements were accessed via the UCLA Film and Television Archive -- I think that the end result is simply magnificent. I projected the film a couple of nights ago and from start to finish it has the solid organic appearance we have now come to expect from high-quality restorations. Excluding a few areas where time appears to have left its mark, detail is typically excellent. The grayscale is also very well balanced. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Debris, scratches, dirt, cuts, stains have also been removed as best as possible. Also, I would like to specifically mention that there are no encoding anomalies. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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 Property Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

It immediately becomes obvious that age-related imperfections have been fully addressed because there isn't even a whiff of background hiss, buzz, or mid/high register distortions. The dialog is always stable and very easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is somewhat modest, but this is hardly surprising for film of this caliber from the 1960s.

Private Property Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original restored trailer for Private Property. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Alexander Singer - in this new video interview, Alexander Singer, still photographer and technical consultant for Private Property, recalls how he became involved with the project, and discusses its visual style (with some excellent comments about the 'softening effects' that were used in the film), Corey Allen and Warren Oates' performances (and the homoerotic overtones in their relationship), Ted McCord's work and some setbacks from his personal life, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Cinelicious Pics in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring writer and film noir historian Don Malcolm's essay "Ten Properties of Private Property".

Private Property Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Private Property is my second favorite release this year (after I Knew Her Well). I thought that the film was refreshingly provocative, in more than a few ways, and strikingly elegant. I had not seen it before and it completely exceeded my expectations. I must also mention that this is the best release that Cinelicious Pics have produced to date. The 4K restoration of the film is outstanding and the technical presentation is top-notch. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.