Upcoming Indicator/Powerhouse Films Blu-ray Releases
HomeUpcoming Indicator/Powerhouse Films Blu-ray Releases
Posted February 4, 2021 04:40 PM by Webmaster
British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films has announced its next batch of Blu-ray releases. They are: Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) and Columbia Noir #3 (1947-1959). The two releases will be available for purchase in May.
Columbia Noir #3
Description: For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio's archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O'Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts.
Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.
CONTENT:
Johnny O'Clock (1947)
Synopsis: When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy (Evelyn Keyes), looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell), a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.
The Dark Past (1948)
Synopsis: Taken hostage along with his family and friends, psychologist Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb) is held by the murderous fugitive Al Walker (William Holden) and his gang. While Walker's crew, which includes his lover, Betty (Nina Foch), tends to the other hostages, the desperate mastermind talks to Collins about his troubled past. As the night progresses, Collins gets Walker to focus on a disturbing dream, resulting in a psychological breakthrough that may help avoid a violent conflict.
Convicted (1950)
Synopsis: During a barroom brawl, Joe Hufford (Glenn Ford) accidentally kills the son of a powerful, prominent man. The district attorney, George Knowland (Broderick Crawford), wins a manslaughter conviction, despite having doubts about the defendant's guilt. Joe is sent to prison, and George, who eventually becomes the warden there, hopes to get him released. But Joe gets so immersed in the culture and codes of the jailhouse that he finds it difficult to believe in his own innocence.
Between Midnight and Dawn (1950)
Synopsis: Dan Purvis (Edmond O'Brien) and Rocky Barnes (Mark Stevens) are lifelong pals who survived WWII and continue their armed service as uniformed prowl car boys on the night shift in L.A. But their friendship is tested by their ongoing battle with a ruthless racketeer (Donald Buka), and the love they share for a beautiful radio announcer (Gale Storm). Often seen as the first example of the now common buddy cop movie, this film shows the genre has always been rife with tension.
The Sniper (1952)
Synopsis: In San Francisco, Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) is a severely disturbed professional driver who fantasizes about killing beautiful women. He sends out several warning signs about his deteriorating mental state, but they're ignored by those around him. When he begins killing beautiful women and leaving clues for the authorities, the hardened Lt. Kafka (Adolphe Menjou) and police psychiatrist Dr. James G. Kent (Richard Kiley) must help track him down.
City of Fear (1959)
Synopsis: Irving Lerner directs Vince Edwards as a convict who breaks out of prison with a canister of what he thinks is pure heroin, hoping to make a big score. The white powder, however, turns out to be a deadly radioactive substance. As Vince tries to deal away his treasure, he works through his sleazy contacts — all of whom are doomed by their greed and stupidity — as the police desperately try to find him before he contaminates the entire city.
SPECIAL FEATURES AND TECHNICAL SPECS:
Description: After exploring the science-fiction and fantasy worlds of Alien, Blade Runner and Legend, famed British director Ridley Scott turned to modern-day New York for Someone to Watch Over Me, one of a number of adult-orientated erotic thrillers, including Fatal Attraction, Black Widow and Jagged Edge, to appear in the late eighties.
Tom Berenger (Platoon, Inception) plays a blue-collar NYPD detective assigned to protect a wealthy murder witness (Mimi Rogers, The Rapture). Soon, the relationship becomes an affair, threatening Berenger's marriage to Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas, The Sopranos), and the killer is still on the loose…
Stylishly shot by Steven Poster (Donnie Darko), Someone to Watch Over Me is glossy, high-concept filmmaking from start to finish.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Columbia Noir #3
Description: For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio's archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O'Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts.
Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.
CONTENT:
Johnny O'Clock (1947)
Synopsis: When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy (Evelyn Keyes), looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell), a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.
The Dark Past (1948)
Synopsis: Taken hostage along with his family and friends, psychologist Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb) is held by the murderous fugitive Al Walker (William Holden) and his gang. While Walker's crew, which includes his lover, Betty (Nina Foch), tends to the other hostages, the desperate mastermind talks to Collins about his troubled past. As the night progresses, Collins gets Walker to focus on a disturbing dream, resulting in a psychological breakthrough that may help avoid a violent conflict.
Convicted (1950)
Synopsis: During a barroom brawl, Joe Hufford (Glenn Ford) accidentally kills the son of a powerful, prominent man. The district attorney, George Knowland (Broderick Crawford), wins a manslaughter conviction, despite having doubts about the defendant's guilt. Joe is sent to prison, and George, who eventually becomes the warden there, hopes to get him released. But Joe gets so immersed in the culture and codes of the jailhouse that he finds it difficult to believe in his own innocence.
Between Midnight and Dawn (1950)
Synopsis: Dan Purvis (Edmond O'Brien) and Rocky Barnes (Mark Stevens) are lifelong pals who survived WWII and continue their armed service as uniformed prowl car boys on the night shift in L.A. But their friendship is tested by their ongoing battle with a ruthless racketeer (Donald Buka), and the love they share for a beautiful radio announcer (Gale Storm). Often seen as the first example of the now common buddy cop movie, this film shows the genre has always been rife with tension.
The Sniper (1952)
Synopsis: In San Francisco, Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) is a severely disturbed professional driver who fantasizes about killing beautiful women. He sends out several warning signs about his deteriorating mental state, but they're ignored by those around him. When he begins killing beautiful women and leaving clues for the authorities, the hardened Lt. Kafka (Adolphe Menjou) and police psychiatrist Dr. James G. Kent (Richard Kiley) must help track him down.
City of Fear (1959)
Synopsis: Irving Lerner directs Vince Edwards as a convict who breaks out of prison with a canister of what he thinks is pure heroin, hoping to make a big score. The white powder, however, turns out to be a deadly radioactive substance. As Vince tries to deal away his treasure, he works through his sleazy contacts — all of whom are doomed by their greed and stupidity — as the police desperately try to find him before he contaminates the entire city.
SPECIAL FEATURES AND TECHNICAL SPECS:
- 2K restoration of Johnny O'Clock
- High Definition presentations of The Dark Past, Convicted, Between Midnight and Dawn, The Sniper and City of Fear
- Original mono soundtracks
- Audio commentary with filmmaker and film historian Jim Hemphill on Johnny O'Clock (2021)
- Audio commentary with lecturer and curator Eloise Ross on The Dark Past (2021)
- Audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson on Convicted (2021)
- Audio commentary with critic and author Bryan Reesman on Between Midnight and Dawn (2021)
- Audio commentary with the Film Noir Foundation's Eddie Muller on The Sniper (2009)
- Audio commentary with critic and author Adrian Martin on City of Fear (2021)
- Introduction to The Sniper by Martin Scorsese (2009)
- Pulp Paranoia (2010): appreciation of City of Fear by filmmaker Christopher Nolan
- Pamela Hutchinson on Nina Foch (2021): appreciation of celebrated actor and her regular appearances in Columbia noir productions
- Kim Newman on Gordon Douglas (2021): examination of the director's wide-ranging career
- Ford Noir (2021): video essay on the various Columbia noir performances of Glenn Ford
- The Screen Guild Theatre: 'Blind Alley' (1940): radio adaptation of Broadway play which inspired The Dark Past, starring Edward G Robinson
- The Autobiography of a "Jeep" (1943): light-hearted documentary by Irving Lerner, the director-producer of City of Fear, about the then-new, multi-purpose automobile
- Hymn of the Nations (1944): documentary short, directed by Alexander Hammid and produced by Lerner, featuring famed conductor Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra performing the music of Giuseppe Verdi
- The Cummington Story (1945): docudrama short, written and directed by Helen Grayson and Larry Madison, produced by Lerner, and featuring the music of Aaron Copland, re-enacting the stories of a group of refugees who relocated to a small American town during World War II
- The Negro Sailor (1945): US Navy docudrama short, by Convicted director Henry Levin, about African American combatants in World War II
- Three Lives (1953): United Jewish Appeal short from the writers and director of The Sniper, Edna and Edward Anhalt and Edward Dmytryk, and featuring Jane Wyman, Randolph Scott, Charlton Heston, and Arthur Franz
- Not One Shall Die (1957): United Jewish Appeal short starring Guy Madison and made by the core crew of many Columbia noirs, including cinematographer Burnett Guffey, editor Al Clark, art director Cary Odell, set decorator Frank Tuttle, and composer Morris Stoloff
- Six short films starring the Three Stooges, lampooning the tropes and themes of the features included in this set: Whoops, I'm an Indian! (1936), So Long Mr. Chumps (1941), Dizzy Detectives (1943), Three Pests in a Mess (1945), Shivering Sherlocks (1948), and Oil's Well That Ends Well (1958)
- Original theatrical trailers for Johnny O'Clock, Between Midnight and Dawn, The Sniper, and City of Fear
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Peter Stanfield, David Cairns, Michał Oleszczyk, Adam Scovell, Fintan McDonagh and Andrew Nette; archival interviews and articles; new writing on the short films; and film credits
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
Description: After exploring the science-fiction and fantasy worlds of Alien, Blade Runner and Legend, famed British director Ridley Scott turned to modern-day New York for Someone to Watch Over Me, one of a number of adult-orientated erotic thrillers, including Fatal Attraction, Black Widow and Jagged Edge, to appear in the late eighties.
Tom Berenger (Platoon, Inception) plays a blue-collar NYPD detective assigned to protect a wealthy murder witness (Mimi Rogers, The Rapture). Soon, the relationship becomes an affair, threatening Berenger's marriage to Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas, The Sopranos), and the killer is still on the loose…
Stylishly shot by Steven Poster (Donnie Darko), Someone to Watch Over Me is glossy, high-concept filmmaking from start to finish.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 2K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
- Original stereo audio
- Audio commentary with filmmaker and film historian Jim Hemphill (2021)
- Someone… to Write a Script (2019): interview with screenwriter Howard Franklin
- Someone… to Shoot a Movie (2019): interview with celebrated cinematographer Steven Poster
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Jamie Graham, extracts from an American Cinematographer article on the making of the film, a selection of interviews with key cast members, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
