The Garment Jungle Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Garment Jungle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 18, 2020

Vincent Sherman's "The Garment Jungle" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; exclusive new audio commentary by film noir expert Alan K. Rode; and an archival session with actor Robert Loggia. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Avoid experts claiming that they can recognize Robert Aldrich’s touch in The Garment Jungle. They can’t, because the truth is that it is impossible to tell with absolute certainty who did what in it. Aldrich made some quite interesting statements after he was removed and Vincent Sherman took over his duties, but in its present form the film looks entirely coherent. The dramatic buildup, the character arcs, the manner in which the visuals are composed and edited suggest a very particular vision that was executed with proper authority. Naturally, there are two possible scenarios that explain precisely how the film was put together. Here’s the first: Aldrich did not leave behind a substantial amount of footage and the various statements he produced after the film was completed are basically full of half-truths and lies. Here’s the second: Aldrich walked away from a nearly finished film and Sherman and his team focused only on small gaps that did not alter its composition.

Something else that is worth pointing out when The Garment Jungle is discussed is the manner in which it was promoted by Columbia. The vintage theatrical poster the studio commissioned for it actually sells a film that neither Aldrich nor Sherman directed -- it has an attractive half-naked blonde suggesting some sort of an intriguing temptation; a threatening hand holding a pair of scissors; and a young couple running away from someone or something. All of these visuals point toward a range of specific genre thrills that are actually not part of the film’s narrative. (In a new program that is included on Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release of The Garment Jungle, Tony Rayns also spends some time discussing the poster and notes that it essentially promotes an exploitation film. He is correct, because the poster really does give off such a vibe).

The film is set in New York City’s garment district at a time when representatives of the growing local union and various underground figures are clashing to determine how employers and employees coexist in a booming economy. The owner of Roxton Fashions, Walter Mitchell (Lee J. Cobb), has a business relationship with Artie Ravidge (Richard Boone), a shady character with a reputation, whose goons have ensured that union boys do not disrupt his operations. The protection isn’t cheap, but because it allows Mitchell to remain independent it is treated as a smart business expense. However, Michell’s relationship with Ravidge becomes complicated when the former’s partner shows support for the union boys and dies in a freak accident and then his son, Alan (Kerwin Mathews), reappears and sides with a local union activist (Robert Loggia) who has been trying to organize the workers. When Mitchell finally questions Ravidge’s methods and then chooses to walk away from him, all hell breaks loose.

The predictable sympathy for the union does not distort the reality of the situation that Mitchell and his son face after the former finally admits that he has been manipulated -- the business cannot be truly independent. So, when the violent confrontations begin, Mitchell has to pick the lesser of the two evils and pay to continue operating his business.

The fate of Loggia’s activist is also entirely predictable because his actions are not driven by a sensible strategy that can help him accomplish his goal. He is filled with anger, and whether justified or not, it is what ultimately makes it impossible for him to realize that he is surrounded by traitors.

When the final credits roll it is difficult not to conclude that the deaths have been entirely preventable and actually pointless. A simple compromise and a couple of cool heads would have been enough to avoid all troubles, with Mitchell also having the ability to effectively neutralize Ravidge and his entire organization. So, the drama that is documented is in fact a byproduct of a range of basic errors of judgement.

Shot in New York City and Los Angeles, The Garment Jungle has a quasi-documentary appearance, which coupled with its politics and melodrama makes it rather difficult to profile as a classic film noir.

The Garment Jungle 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, The Garment Jungle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same 2K master that Indicator/Powerhouse Films worked with to produce this Region-B release of The Garment Jungle. Predictably, the basic characteristics of the presentation are practically identical. The same minor bot noticeable density fluctuations are retained with the exact same shifts in highlights and contrast (the most obvious ones are during the funeral footage). Grain exposure seems just a tad looser on this release, but I don't think that viewers will notice. The grading job is very, very nice, and as you can tell from the screencaptures we have included with our review there are very solid blacks and fine ranges of whites and grays. A few blemishes and flecks remain, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (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).

The Garment Jungle 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 lossless track is very good. Obviously, when it was prepared for the current master it was cleaned up and optimized as best as possible. I mentioned a few minor fluctuations in our review of the UK release, but they are part of the original sound design. There are no audio dropouts, distortions, or other similar encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Garment Jungle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Q&A Session with Robert Loggia - presented here is an archival Q&A session with actor Robert Loggia in which he recalls his contribution to The Garment Jungle and discusses the period in which the film was conceived. The session is conducted by critic Alan K. Rode at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on May 4, 2007. (The same session was also included on Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release of The Garment Jungle, but here there is quite a bit of extra footage). In English, not subtitled. (36 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, film noir expert Alan K. Rode offers a terrific analysis of the complicated production of The Garment Jungle, the main characters and dilemmas they face, the style and tone of the film, the careers of the principal actors, etc. Excellent commentary.

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Garment Jungle. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Garment Jungle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A lot of people have different takes on what happened before and after Robert Aldrich was replaced with Vincent Sherman. But does the real story, whatever it might be, actually matter? To be honest with you, I don't think it does, because as it is The Garment Jungle is a complete film with a proper identity. It is a bit overly melodramatic at times, but a lot of films from the same era are. It is entirely possible that with Aldrich behind the camera the end product could have been drastically different, but the message that emerges from it would have been largely the same. This release is sourced from a nice organic master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It is included in this four-disc box set from Australian label Via Vision Entertainment. RECOMMENDED.