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The Film Noir of Anthony Mann: T-Men/Raw DealRating:
Release Date: 15 June, 1999 Retail Price: $39.95 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (12 total) |
The Film Noir of Anthony Mann: T-Men/Raw Deal Reviews
excellent presentation, but a few flaws
Few american directors can claim as large a volume of quality work as Anthony Mann. This dvd has two of his best and one of his lesser film noirs. T-MEN and RAW DEAL are worth buying these disks for on their own, HE WALKED BY NIGHT, while a good film doesn't come close to the other two in terms of Mann's spatial awareness and Alton's expressionist camera work. I can't help feeling that one of Mann's other great film noirs like THE TALL TARGET, RAIROADED, BORDER INCIDENT or STRANGE IMPERSONATION would have been more appropriate (but then again the films on this dvd also showcase the talents of John Alton while some of those other films don't). The reviewer below is right to say that the sound on these films is substandard (T-MEN is alright but the other two are unsatisfactory) but the dialogue is still audible and the quality of the transfer, especially in the case of RAW DEAL, is amazingly clear. Finally, that these three films should be available at this price means that these disks are a must-buy. I hope that the Roan Group releases a second collection of Anthony Mann film noirs, including the films listed above, as this is my favourite dvd in my limited collection.
MASTERPIECES IN BLACK AND WHITE
It was a great idea from the Roan Group to present three movies directed by Anthony Mann in the late forties. Unfortunately, their copies have seen better days ! Too bad.
So, the sound and the images of HE WALKED BY NIGHT are simply awful. There's a slight improvement for RAW DEAL and only T-MEN could be qualified as visible for the average DVD addict.
But, as always, if the movie is interesting, I try to forget the imperfections and concentrate myself on the movie. And, believe me, these three are good movies. I personally have a little preference for RAW DEAL with its typical Film Noir mood : a hero, played by Dennis O'Keefe, two girls - the blonde and the brunette - and a sadistic villain impersonated by Raymond Burr.
HE WALKED BY NIGHT and T-MEN are typical examples of the semi-documentary style used in a lot film noir of the 1945-1950 period. They present a case which, if you want to believe the narrator, was a real story. Well, well, well. Naturally, it's one of the numerous clichés used by Hollywood in order to nail the viewer.
Director Anthony Mann is known for his westerns of the 50's starring James Stewart ; he deserves also to be recognized as a Master of the Film Noir genre.
No menu... and hardly a scene access.
A DVD for your library.
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