Due in mid-June from Arrow. While the movie has been released in high definition elsewhere before now, this limited edition looks like being a full bells and whistles version. The price isn’t cheap but the list of contents is impressive to say the least:

It’s just come to my attention that Criterion in the US are upgrading Anthony Mann’s The Furies (1950) to Blu-ray, it’s due out in April.

This is an impressive if imperfect work, the western, film noir and melodrama converging in Anthony Mann’s movie, adapted from the Niven Busch novel. I wrote about the film here almost nine years ago (now that’s a sobering thought!) and it’s good to hear it’s getting reissued in high definition. Unfortunately, I’m locked in to Region B for Blu-ray but I’d like to think it might come on the market in Europe, maybe via Eureka if not Criterion’s UK division.

I’ve just been made aware of the fact (courtesy of John Knight) that Delmer Daves’ superior western Jubal is on its way to Blu-ray in Europe via Explosive Media / Koch in Germany in late February. This is a wonderful movie that comes highly recommended – I wrote about it here years ago.

A welcome bit of news just came to my attention so I thought it might be nice to pass it on here. Robert Wise’s noir-tinged western Blood on the Moon (which I wrote about here a good few years ago) has been announced as coming from the Warner Archive in April. From the Warner Archive Facebook page:

New 2020 1080p master from 4K scan of original camera negative!
BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948)
Run Time 93:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs MONO – English, DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 – English
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4 X 3 FULL FRAME
Product Color BLACK & WHITE
Disc Configuration BD 50
Extra Content: Theatrical Trailer (SD)

A brief request here. Someone just contacted me in relation to Sam Fuller’s feature debut I Shot Jesse James, which I wrote about over a decade ago, to see if I could help. What it amounts to is this – the guy says his late stepfather was one Robert W Gardner, who maintained he was a writer on Fuller’s movie. The man has been dead since the 1960s and the online links seem to point to a different Robert Gardner, someone who was directing films into the 1980s.

Anyway, my correspondent is seeking information and has hit a brick wall so I thought I might as well throw the question out there on the off chance any of the visitors to the site, and some of you are very well informed, can shed light on this.

One of the great names among film noir directors has to be Robert Siodmak, a man who made a series of hugely impressive pieces of dark cinema throughout the 1940s. The first of those stylish and influential works was Phantom Lady, which I wrote about here some years ago. It’s satisfying to see this film now getting a very attractive release on Blu-ray in the UK via Arrow Academy.

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation transferred from original film elements
• Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Dark and Deadly: 50 Years of Film Noir, an insightful archival documentary featuring contributions from Robert Wise, Edward Dmytryk, Dennis Hopper and more
• Rare, hour-long 1944 radio dramatization of Phantom Lady by the Lux Radio Theatre, starring Alan Curtis and Ella Raines
• Gallery of original stills and promotional materials
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Alan K. Rode

I’m delighted to see listings appearing online for a new Blu-ray/DVD combo release for Fritz Lang’s 1954 film Human Desire.  I reckon this is an underrated movie and am pleased to see UK boutique label Eureka including it in their Masters of Cinema line in February. It’s a welcome follow up to their January slate of Laura and Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte.

Yes, things have been a little quiet here of late, mainly due to a rather packed work schedule and other tedious matters. Hopefully, I’ll get back to at least semi-regular posting when things feel a little less hectic. In the meantime though, I want to take the time to flag up a collaborative effort my blogging buddy JJ of The Invisible Event invited me to take part in. Read on…

As part of his ongoing investigations into the wonders, intricacies and delights of classic detective fiction, JJ has hosted a number of spoiler heavy discussions on a range of notable works. I’ve enjoyed reading along and adding the odd comment when I thought I could sneak one in as unobtrusively as possible amid a lot of well-informed contributions from people who are far better read than I,  and so it was very flattering to be asked to participate in one myself!

Anyway, to cut to the chase, next Saturday, if all goes well, should see JJ posting the chat he and I had about the 1936 Ellery Queen novel Halfway House, as announced here. I’ll put up a link here when it goes live, but wanted to flag it up in advance for anyone interested in perusing our back and forth.

So, see you soon…