| Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 (The Asphalt Jungle / Gun Crazy / Murder My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-Up) | 
 enlarge | Directors: Edward Dmytryk, Jacques Tourneur, John Huston, Joseph H. Lewis, Robert Wise
Actors: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98
Buy New: $25.99
You Save: $23.99 (48%)
New (45) Used (22) Collectible (1) from $23.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 10604
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 5
Running Time: 463
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.5 x 3.1
MPN: WARD39812D
ISBN: 0790797143
UPC: 085393981228
EAN: 9780790797144
ASIN: B000244F2S
Theatrical Release Date: December 9, 1944
Release Date: July 6, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Some boxed sets claim to be definitive, but are haphazardly selected. Not this one. Four of the five titles here can legitimately lay claim to being essentials in the film noir canon, and the fifth, The Set-Up, is a terrific boxing picture with a strong noir atmosphere. If you're a fan of noir--or have no idea what it's all about--this collection is a treat. Of course, none of these movies were made as "film noir." The term was coined later by French critics to describe the moody, anxious feel of postwar American movies, especially the genre that highlighted duplicitous dames and susceptible men lost in the criminal jungle. Indeed, the title The Asphalt Jungle conveys the edgy urban arena of these pictures. That film is John Huston's masterly 1950 account of a heist, with Sterling Hayden the disenchanted, noirish hero. Joseph H. Lewis's Gun Crazy (1949) is one of the most supercharged (and sexually perverse) of noir films, with John Dall and Peggy Cummins as young criminals in love. Murder, My Sweet (1944) is a straight adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely. Amid the film's shadowy chiaroscuro, former musical comedy star Dick Powell makes a career-changing transition as Chandler's private dick, Philip Marlowe. Out of the Past puts Robert Mitchum (perhaps the quintessential noir actor) in trouble with gangster Kirk Douglas, complicated by classic femme fatale Jane Greer. Jacques Tourneur provides the evocative direction. And The Set-Up plays out an ingenious boxing tale in "real time," superbly enacted by (former boxer) Robert Ryan. --Robert Horton
Product Description
Studio: Turner Hm Entertainm Release Date: 07/06/2004 Rating: Nr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 My Favorite Box Set September 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It almost seems superfluous to add to the other reviews, but I'm compelled to tell people that if you haven't seen "Out of the Past", then you must. Fantastic characters, snappy dialogue and a hopping plot; see it. There isn't a clunker in this set; they all pop.
Amazing collection of noir July 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First of all this the best price on this collection. You can not call your self a noir fan unless you have watched these classics. Out of past consistently rates as one of the greatest movies ever made. All five movies in this set can be found on best 100 film noirs.
Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 1 January 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The product is exactly as described.
The picture quality is excellent.
I have no hesitation in recommending this product to any propective purcher
If You Want One Film Noir Collection, This is the One. October 11, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
If you want to buy one film noir collection, this "Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 1" from Warner Brothers is the one to get. These are all 5-star films. "The Asphalt Jungle", "Gun Crazy", "Murder, My Sweet", and "Out of the Past" are top-notch films from the height of the film noir movement 1944-1950, each representing at least one iconic film noir motif. "The Set-Up" is not film noir, but it's brilliant nonetheless. All of the films in this collection are accompanied by audio commentaries that vary in quality and focus but are worthwhile for film noir buffs. A better sampler of crime films from Hollywood's Golden Era could not have been assembled.
"The Asphalt Jungle" (1950) is a steadily paced, thoughtful heist film. The requisite crew of mastermind, safecracker, driver, stick-up man, and financier are assembled to pull a grand jewel heist. Complex characters and themes make this a great deal more than a typical heist flick. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett and directed by John Huston, "The Asphalt Jungle" was nominated for 4 Academy Awards. The audio commentary is by film historian Drew Casper, and there is a short introduction to the film by John Huston.
"Gun Crazy" (1949) is a Bonnie-and-Clyde-inspired fugitive couple film that might be the most blatant expression of the sexualization of violence in the film noir canon. Sharpshooting femme fatale Annie Laurie Starr lures her equally "gun crazy" nice-guy husband Bart into a life of crime. Their "amour fou" is irrational but, at the same time, completely fascinating. The audio commentary is by film critic Glenn Erikson.
"Out of the Past" (1947) typifies the noir style so elegantly and in so many ways. Retired private detective Jeff Bailey has settled down to a quiet life in a small town when his past comes back to haunt him. Years before, he was hired by a wealthy gambler in New York to track down the man's errant mistress Kathie. But Jeff fell head over heels for the beautiful, duplicitous Kathie, and now both the lady and her lover insist on his loyalty. Actors Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer make a striking pair, accented by beautiful low-key light. The audio commentary is by film noir historian James Ursini.
"Murder, My Sweet" (1944) exemplifies labyrinthine plots in the style of Raymond Chandler, upon whose novel the film is based. Private detective Philip Marlowe finds that two of his cases may be related when a quest to find the girlfriend of an insistent thug and a case of missing jewels lead him around in circles but always to Mrs. Helen Grayle, the lady whose jewels went missing. The audio commentary is by film noir historian Alain Silver.
"The Set-Up" (1949) is not film noir, but an introverted character drama starring Robert Ryan as a boxer past his prime, clinging to hopes of moderate success in the ring. "The Set-Up" is perhaps best remembered for being shot in real time, including15-minutes in the ring. With a beautiful naturalistic visual style and a subdued, sympathetic performance from Robert Ryan, "The Set-Up" is one of the most memorable boxing films made. The audio commentary is by directors Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese, who were recorded separately.
"You're not a detective, you're a slot machine. You'd slit your own throat for six bits plus tax." August 21, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
From Warner Home Video comes the Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 1, featuring, in no particular order, the following films...
The Asphalt Jungle (1950), directed by John Huston and starring Sterling Hayden as a streetwise hooligan hired on as muscle for a big-time heist, caught in the middle when things go seriously sour. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio, available in both English and French, comes across sharp and clean. There is a so-so commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Drew Casper with co-star James Whitmore, along with a theatrical trailer, an introduction by director John Houston (0:49), and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly Is the Female, directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring John Dall and Peggy Cummins as a pair of pistol packing newlyweds who embark on a life of crime because it's a hell of a lot easier (and exciting) than actually working for a living, that is at least until the Johnny Law makes the scene...the picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio is sharp and clean. There is a commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Glenn Erickson, along with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Murder, My Sweet (1944), directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell and Claire Trevor, the former playing Private Eye Philip Marlowe, caught up in a mystery involving a stolen jade necklace, a couple of hot tomatoes, and a corpse or two. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very clean and clear, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across clearly. As far as extras, included is a commentary track with author/film-noir specialist Alain Silver, a rough looking theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Out of the Past (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. Mitchum plays a once private eye now fulltime schlub whose past catches up to him after getting too close to a dame he was only supposed to find for a well to do client, and ultimately ends up on the wrong end of a murder investigation. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), is strong, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across well. As far as extras, included is a commentary track with author/film-noir specialist James Ursini and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
The Set-Up (1949), directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Ryan as an aging boxer who gets crossed by his unscrupulous manager while going for his last, big shot. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), comes across well with few, if any, noticeable flaws, and the Dolby Digital mono comes through cleanly. As far as extras, there's an audio commentary track featuring director Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese, along with subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
While each film in this set is outstanding in its own right, my personal favorites are The Asphalt Jungle and Murder, My Sweet.
Cookieman108
By the way, if you dig on these, you might want to check out the other DVD sets in the series, listed below...and the quote I used for the title of this review came from the film Murder, My Sweet.
Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 2
Born to Kill (1947), Clash by Night (1952), Crossfire (1947), Dillinger (1945), The Narrow Margin (1952).
Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 3
Border Incident (1949), His Kind of Woman (1951), Lady in the Lake (1947), On Dangerous Ground (1952), and The Racket (1951). This set also includes a bonus disc which includes a handful of short features
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