Classic Film Noir 2023│Kino Lorber

by CHAD KENNERK

For fans of classic film noir, this has been another stellar year of noir releases from leading home entertainment distributor Kino Lorber. Their fantastic series Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema continued with four new collections, bringing the total number of instalments thus far to 15 and the number of films in the series to 47.

Featuring a deep dive into the studio vaults, the series puts a spotlight on titles that are unlikely to receive their own individual blu-ray releases. In addition to boxsets, Kino Lorber also released Special Edition blu-rays of noir films this year that rank among the best examples of the genre. When it comes to home video, Kino Lorber has built a reputation synonymous with quality and that’s certainly on display here with most discs featuring new HD masters from 2K scans of the 35mm fine grain film. The following guide highlights all of the classic film noir titles released from Kino Lorber this year, as well as a look ahead at 2024 releases available for pre-order.

Orson Welles’ noir classic The Lady From Shanghai, starring Welles and then-wife Rita Hayworth (they would divorce before the film was released) kicked off the Kino Lorber year of film noir with a special edition blu-ray. Originally released in 1948, the film is filled with remarkable camera work indicative of Welles’ work as a director (Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil).

Hired to work on a yacht belonging to the disabled husband of a femme fatale (Hayworth), Welles plays an innocent man drawn into a dangerous web. Hayworth’s iconic flaming red hair was cut short and dyed blonde, which some claimed was the reason for the film’s poor box office in its initial run.

Now considered a major classic in the film noir canon, The Lady From Shanghai includes a number of special features, including new audio commentaries with film historian Imogen Sara Smith and novelist and critic Tim Lucas. Also included in the bonus features, is a conversation with Peter Bogdanovich, as well as audio commentary by Bogdanovich, and thoughts from film noir historian Eddie Muller.
(Released 31 January 2023)

The twelfth collection of Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema features Undertow (1949), Outside the Wall (1950), and Hold Back Tomorrow (1955).

Cult schlock director William Castle turned his lens to guns and gangsters for Undertow. A gambler just out of wartime military service turns away from his past to open up a mountain vacation lodge. Before he can realise his dreams, he finds himself framed for murder and is forced to go on the run from both the police and the unknown killers. Future star Rock Hudson makes his second film appearance. In addition to brand new 2K masters for all three films, Undertow features new audio commentary by leading man Scott Brady's son Tim Tierney and professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney.

Outside the Wall sees a parolee released after serving nearly half of his thirty-year sentence. When he takes a job at a country sanitarium, he meets and falls for a gold-digging nurse. This classic noir story of an ex-con’s struggle to go straight features new audio commentary by author and film historian Alan K. Rode.

Universal contract player John Agar stars as Joe in Hold Back Tomorrow. When a death row inmate makes a final request–to spend the night with a woman–the police oblige. The two tormented souls meet with disdain, but soon gain each other’s respect. The virtual two-hander is written, produced, and directed by Hugo Haas. This was the second film to co-star Moore and Agar, who previously appeared in 1954's Bait, also directed by Haas.
(Released 4 April 2023)

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIII features the three film noir classics Spy Hunt (1950), The Night Runner (1957), and Step Down to Terror (1958).

Howard Duff stars with Märta Torén in the Cold War thriller Spy Hunt. Steve Quain (Duff) escorts two zoo-bound black panthers on a train from Milan to Paris, unaware that secret agent Catherine Ullven (Torén) has concealed an incriminating microfilm in the collar of one of the animals. When the train is derailed in the Swiss Alps and the panthers escape, the two must team up to beat enemy spies to the microfilm. The espionage thriller is directed by George Sherman from the novel Panther’s Moon by Victor Canning. All three feature brand new 2K masters. Spy Hunt also features new audio commentary from entertainment journalists and authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.

In The Night Runner, a man with a violent past (Ray Danton) is prematurely released from an overcrowded mental institution. Unable to handle the stress of the big city, Roy moves into a small-town beachside motel and falls in love with the owner’s daughter (Colleen Miller). Director Abner Biberman turned to the directing chair after a long acting career, including roles in such films as Gunga Din, His Girl Friday, and Winchester '73. The disc features new audio commentary by author and film historian Lee Gambin and Dr. Eloise Ross

Based on the same source material as Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, Step Down to Terror follows killer Johnny Walters (Charles Drake) as he escapes the city to visit his family in a small California town. His deceased brother’s widow Helen (Colleen Miller) is initially attracted to Walters, but soon grows suspicious of her brother-in-law. In addition to helming numerous westerns, director Harry Keller was responsible for additional scenes and re-shoots on Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. He went on to produce a number of films, such as the Doris Day and Rock Hudson comedy Send Me No Flowers. Entertainment journalists authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry provide the audio commentary.
(Released 2 May 2023)

The collection Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIV features the film noir titles Undercover Girl (1950), One Way Street (1950), and Appointment with a Shadow (1957).

NYPD cop Christine Miller (Alexis Smith) goes undercover to investigate her father’s killing in Undercover Girl. Posing as a drug buyer named Sal Willis, Christine infiltrates a narcotics ring in order to take down the crooks responsible for her father’s death. Film historian and writer Julie Kirgo provides new audio commentary.

Screen great (and former Film Review contributor) James Mason stars in One Way Street. After stealing a gangster’s money—and his girlfriend—Dr. Frank Matson (Mason) hides out in a small Mexican village. When the townspeople take him in, he decides to live an honest life in Mexico–while he can. This marked Argentine director Hugo Fregonese’s first American picture. The disc features new audio commentary by author and film historian Lee Gambin and costume historian Elissa Rose

Alcoholic reporter Paul Baxter (George Nader) has drowned his career in booze. When a comeback opportunity presents itself, Baxter must stay sober for a day in order to get the scoop. Shot in CinemaScope, Appointment With a Shadow co-stars Joanna Moore, Brian Keith, and Virginia Field. The excellent ticking clock noir was helmed by actor Richard Carlson aka the creature in Creature from the Black Lagoon. Filming began on 23 October, 1957. Jeffrey Hunter was originally cast in the lead, but was replaced with Universal contract player George Nader when Hunter fell ill. In the UK, the unrelated 1957 Tony Curtis film The Midnight Story was released with the same title. Film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau provide new commentary for the disc.
(Released 30 May 2023)

This collection features the three film noir classics Man Afraid (1957), The Girl in the Kremlin (1957), and The Tattered Dress (1957). All three films are brand new HD masters from 2K scans of the 35mm fine grain film.

George Nader and director Harry Keller team up for Man Afraid, a CinemaScope noir that sees Reverend David Collins (Nader) and his wife catch a burglar in their son’s room. The ensuing struggle ends with an injury to Lisa’s eyes and David unintentionally killing the thief. The father of the burglar soon vows revenge. Audio commentary is provided by film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau

When Stalin alters his appearance, fakes his own death and vanishes in 1953 Moscow, ex-O.S.S. agent Steve Anderson (Lex Barker) and Lithuanian refugee Lili Grisenko (Zsa Zsa Gabor) lead the manhunt across Europe in The Girl in the Kremlin. Film historians Emma Westwood and Paul Anthony Nelson provide new audio commentary.

In The Tattered Dress, lawyer James Blane (former Film Review contributor Jeff Chandler) is a man known to do anything it takes to win a case. When Blane defends a socialite on trial for the murder of a bartender who made a pass at his wife, a scheming sheriff (Jack Carson) frames Blane for bribing a juror (Gail Russell) and exposes the hidden evil simmering beneath the surface of their quiet desert town. The Los Angeles Times declared it Chandler’s best acting job to date. Director Jack Arnold is perhaps best known for helming Creature from the Black Lagoon and 1950s science fiction films. New commentary is provided by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney.

Director Fritz Lang reunites with the stars of The Big Heat, Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame, for 1954’s Human Desire, an underrated noir based on Émile Zola’s La Bête humaine. It marked the third time the story was brought to the screen, having previously been filmed as Die Bestie im Menschen in 1920 and La Bête humaine in 1938 by director Jean Renoir. The story centres on Korean War vet Jeff Warren (Ford) who returns to his job as a railroad engineer, and quickly succumbs to his boss’s wife, Vicki Buckley (Grahame). Included in the special edition blu-ray is the feature Terror and Desire with actor Emily Mortimer discussing the film.
(Released 11 July 2023)

Force of Evil sees John Garfield perfectly cast as Joe Morse, a lawyer whose connection to a ruthless racketeer has nearly destroyed his sense of morality. His participation in a rigged numbers racket could prove disastrous for his high-strung brother. Writer and director Abraham Polonsky (in his directorial debut) was later victimised by the Hollywood blacklist, curtailing his career for decades until he directed Robert Redford in 1969’s Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here. The film looks stunning thanks to a 2022 4K restoration by Paramount Pictures, UCLA, and The Film Foundation. The extras include a new audio commentary by film historian Imogen Sara Smith and an introduction by Martin Scorsese.
(Released 1 August 2023)

2024 Pre-Order Preview

The latest collection in Kino Lorber’s Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema series sees three more classics added in volume 16; The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942), Chicago Deadline (1949), and Iron Man (1951). All three titles feature new HD masters from 2K scans of the 35mm fine grains.

In the haunting film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s detective story The Mystery of Marie Roget, Rue Morgue sleuth Dr. Paul Dupin works to track down the killer of a young woman. Also known as Phantom of Paris, the story was inspired by the real-life unsolved murder case of Mary Rogers. ‘Queen of Technicolor’ Maria Montez stars as the sister of the deceased. The cast also includes Stanislavsky acting teacher and Russian legend Madame Maria Ouspenskaya, who was a founding member of the Moscow Art Theatre’s First Studio. The disc features new audio commentary by film historians Tom Weaver, Gary L. Prange, and Tom Zimmerman (who authored The Queen of Technicolor: Maria Montez in Hollywood). A second new audio commentary track features novelist and critic Kim Newman and writer/editor Stephen Jones.

Alan Ladd and Donna Reed head Chicago Deadline from noir director Lewis Allen. In a cheap hotel room on Chicago’s South Side, hard-nosed newspaperman Ed Adams (Ladd) finds the body of a dead girl. Her address book leads to a host of men who are frightened by her death, but claim they don’t known her. The more questions Ed asks, the more he uncovers about the truth. Based on the novel One Woman by Tiffany Thayer, Chicago Deadline was planned as the Claudette Colbert vehicle Are Men Worth It? The project never came to fruition, but following the success of similar themed films, Paramount put it back into development as a vehicle for Ladd, filmed on location in Chicago. Author and film historian Alan K. Rode provides new commentary for the film.

Jeff Chandler stars as a coal miner who turns to professional boxing in the noir Iron Man. In a small Pennsylvania mining town, Coke Mason (Chandler) finds himself in the ring where his brother plans to use Mason’s intense rage to turn him into a professional boxer. Worried that he may not be able to control his rage in the ring, Mason must manage his newfound success. To promote the film, Jeff Chandler (who had trained intensely for the role) went two rounds with professional boxer Jersey Joe Walcott at Polo Grounds in front of thousands of spectators. Film historian and screenwriter Gary Gerani provides the audio commentary.
Available 09 January 2024

Directed by Robert Wise and based on the novel by William P. McGivern, Odds Against Tomorrow is often cited as the first film noir with a black protagonist. Harry Belafonte leads an all-star cast, including Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley, and Gloria Grahame. Ex-con Earl Slater (Ryan) agrees to take part in a bank robbery with former cop Burke (Begley) for a chance at $150,000. When he discovers that one of his partners (Belafonte) is black, Earl’s hatred threatens the heist. Blacklisted after refusing to testify at McCarthy-era congressional hearings, screenwriter Abraham Polonsky’s work is credited to American fiction writer John O. Killens. The Writers Guild of America finally restored credit to Polonsky in 1996. Author and film historian Alan K. Rode provides new audio commentary on the 1959 film.
Available 09 January 2024

Featuring a brand new HD master from a 16bit 4K scan of a 35mm nitrate fine-grain composite, director Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street sees Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson) rescue bad girl Kitty (Joan Bennett) from the streets. As his obsession with her grows, Kitty’s boyfriend Johnny (Dan Duryea) suggests using the situation to their advantage. Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea all previously appeared together in Lang’s 1944 film The Woman in the Window. When Scarlet Street was released in 1946, New York, Milwaukee, and Atlanta all banned the film due to the darker elements of the plot. Film historian Imogen Sara Smith provides new audio commentary and there’s a second commentary track from author David Kalat.
Available 30 January 2024

KINO LORBER has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 45 years, releasing 35 films per year theatrically, which have garnered seven Academy Award nominations. The company also brings over 350 titles to home entertainment each year through digital and physical media releases. Most recently, the company has expanded its own direct digital platforms through the acquisition of leading international series streamers MHz Choice and Topic, as well as the launch of Kino Film Collection, a subscription service for film lovers showcasing new releases direct from theaters plus curated international, indie, and documentary films and newly restored classics from the Kino Lorber library.