The Black Book Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Black Book Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2019

Note: This film is available as part of Noir Archive - Volume 1: 1944-1954.

While the frequently questionable “expertise” of Wikipedia asserts that film noir lasted from the early 1920s until the late 1950s, my hunch is at least some fans of film history would tend to proscribe the idiom’s heyday to a probably smaller window of time beginning at some point in the 1940s and then extending into some other point in the 1950s. If that proscription is accepted, it might then be arguable that there was no better purveyor of film noir than Columbia Pictures during this period. While many of the undisputed classics of film noir came from other studios, as in the case of Paramount’s Double Indemnity (released on Blu-ray through Universal, due to the vagaries of film catalogs changing hands), or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s The Postman Always Rings Twice (released on Blu-ray through Warner Brothers, due to — well, you get the idea), Columbia Pictures managed to churn out a rather significant amount of noir offerings, albeit often in what would probably be termed the “B-movie” category. Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment have now assembled nine of these rather interesting Columbia offerings in one three disc package, and for noir fans, there are at least a couple of rather notable films in this first collection (it looks like Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954- 1956 is due in a few months), as well as some other outings which frankly might be best categorized as oddities.

Nothing quite screams film noir like the French Revolution, wouldn’t you agree? In what is arguably the weirdest entry in this first volume of noir films (at least in terms of it being thought of as a noir film) 1949’s The Black Book offers a kind of delirious take on supposed late 18th century French "history". The film evidently was released at some point under the title The Reign of Terror, a name which probably gives a more accurate indication of the setting and general plot dynamics. Robert Cummings, an actor I personally would not generally think of as possessing an excess of “swash” (i.e., swagger), so to speak, is on hand as Charles D'Aubigny, a French patriot who goes undercover to combat the excesses of Robespierre (Richard Basehart in a totally gonzo performance).

Arlene Dahl is on hand as the putative love interest and (of course) eventual damsel in distress, but the film indulges in more standard soap operatic material than any attempt at real history. Anthony Mann invests the proceedings with his typical visual acuity, and the legendary John Alton invests the cinematography with gorgeous chiaroscuro and askew framings, but some may feel there’s a decided lack of excitement about things. There’s a little “sting” of sorts at the end pointing to what was about to happen in France, but even that revelation doesn’t really create much energy.

The Black Book Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Black Book is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment and Kit Parker Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. As odd as it may sound given the film's subject matter, in some ways this has the most "traditional" noir stylization in terms of the visuals, courtesy of the always amazing John Alton. Perhaps because of the ubiquity of dark settings and chiaroscuro, scratches are more noticeable. The right side of the frame seems prone to some relatively long lasting ones, though you can see a rather large one on screenshot 2 toward the center of the frame. There are also other signs of age related wear and tear, including minor speckling and dirt. The repeated use of completely shrouded imagery can tend to keep fine detail levels at bay at times, and there are some rather striking exterior shots that look like they may have been optically composited, and in those moments grain spikes appreciably. Some of the close-ups of Arlene Dahl are in soft focus, but generally speaking this is a sharp and well detailed accounting of a very uniquely shot film.

The Black Book Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Black Book's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track offers good support for the sometimes raucous dialogue, though Sol Kaplan's score can sound just a trifle boxy at times, especially in the midrange where he tends to exploit bombastic brass sonorities. As with several other films in this set, background hiss becomes more evident when things quiet down, but nothing ever reaches really problematic levels.

The Black Book Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this release.

The Black Book Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I guess since noir is after all a French word, it shouldn't seem that strange that a noir-ish film was made about the French Revolution. And yet — The Black Book kind of is strange, with a delirious, near hallucinatory, quality, especially with regard to some of the hyperbolic supporting performances and John Alton's often askew framings. I think the film might have worked better with a less foppish seeming actor in the leading role, but one way or the other, The Black Book is a really interesting watch, even if it never generates the excitement it seems to be aiming for. Video and audio have a few minor issues, but are generally solid. With caveats noted, Recommended.