Warner Archive New Releases: Beyond All Doubts

WARNER ARCHIVE - WHAT'S NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY
WITH DANA ANDREWS, JOAN FONTAINE, IDA LUPINO, GEORGE SANDERS, RHONDA FLEMING, VINCENT PRICE, FAYE EMERSON, ZACHARY SCOTT & PETER LORRE
WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956) New to Blu-ray with a 2018 1080p HD Remaster
The sudden death of a newspaper tycoon sets his successors at each other’s throats while a city is stalked by a serial killer, and they ruthlessly exploit the city’s fear to move more papers. Noir’s traditional chiaroscuro gives way to a world full only of shadows, in which crazed killer and cynical reporter are separated by the slimmest of moral shivers. Fritz Lang’s late noir thriller is criminally overlooked and now looks fresher than ever thanks to this new master. Lang’s sly blend of deco danger and mid-century modern media satire fairly screams #FakeNews long before that was a thing. Superb cast includes Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino, George Sanders, and Vincent Price. 16×9 Letterbox
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (1956) New to Blu-ray with a 2018 1080p HD Remaster
For his final US film, Fritz Lang subversively underscores the very narrative underpinnings of Film Noir, ultimately throwing the film’s very audience into the shadows of compulsion and collusion. A writer (Dana Andrews) conspires to expose the failings of circumstantial evidence by framing himself for murder, and succeeds. But his plan goes awry when the evidence that will exonerate him is destroyed in a tragic accident, leaving him sentenced to die. Fritz Lang’s roots in German Expressionism pops from the screen in eye-melting contrast thanks to this crisp and detailed new master for 1080p HD. Also starring Joan Fontaine. 16×9 Letterbox
MURDER IN THE BIG HOUSE (AKA BORN FOR TROUBLE) (1942) New to DVD
When a condemned killer gets fried ahead of schedule thanks to a freak bolt of lightning, a trio of intrepid reporters want to know who’s cheating the chair. Crime reporter Scoop Conner’s suspicions are raised when he witnesses high society shyster Bill Burgen (Douglas Wood) promising condemned killer Dapper Dan Malloy (Michael Ames) a reprieve from the governor after Dapper Dan threatens to name names. After Scoop helps Dan get wise, he takes a swan dive into a bottle, leaving news gal Gladys Wayne (Faye Emerson) to grab new guy Bert Bell (Van Johnson, in his first leading role) and head to the pen to cover Dapper Dan’s execution. But a lightning strike on death row saves the state the trouble, and all three reporters smell something rotten at work in the Big House.
HOTEL BERLIN (1945) New to DVD
A fugitive from the resistance hides in the cellar. Nazi High Commanders conspire to bring their poison to America. A hotel “hostess” entertains majors and generals, willing to do anything for a new pair of shoes. Another general faces his doom, fallout from a failed attempt to assassinate the Führer. His mistress, a famous actress, harbors a hostage as a bargaining chip – but for who? A scientist struggles to find his soul, lost somewhere in his research at Dachau. A boy bellhop braves death at the hands of the SS to spy for the resistance in the name of his father. These are just some of the suspects gathered within the confines of the Hotel Berlin during the closing days of World War II. Based on a novel by Vicki Baum, the film is reminiscent of her earlier smash hit Grand Hotel and serves up a similar, striking ensemble drama, only this time the stakes are far more deadly and desperate. With Peter Lorre, Faye Emerson and Raymond Massey.
DANGER SIGNAL (1945) New to DVD
One of the greatest opening scenes in all of Film Noir sets the stage for this sublime suspenser that rises above its B-Movie limitations thanks to the skills of its ensemble, story and director. As a woman frantically knocks on a flophouse door, a man coolly removes a wedding ring from the hand of a supine figure, empties her purse, and jumps out the window. Zachary Scott, in all his silky, seductive glory, plays the man, wannabe writer Ronnie Mason. Ronnie possesses a preternatural sense of what woman want, and uses it to fulfill his narcissistic pleasures. Faye Emerson plays the next stop on his trail of destruction, smart stenographer Hilda Fenchurch. Fate takes a turn when Hilda’s younger sister (Mona Freeman) returns home, and Mason’s take a fancy to her – and her inheritance. Now Mason is the one hunted, as Hilda discovers how far she will go to save her sister. Directed by Robert Florey (The Beast with Five Fingers).
BACK IN PRINT ON DVD
THE ORIGINAL NANCY DREW MOVIE MYSTERY COLLECTION (1938-39) Back on DVD
When young Bonita Granville donned trench coat and fedora to play everyone’s favorite teenage detective, Nancy Drew, it was an instant perfect pairing. Collection includes: NANCY DREW, DETECTIVE (1938) where Nancy sleuths out the secret of a missing heiress. In NANCY DREW, REPORTER (1939) she investigates a poisoning. In NANCY DREW, TROUBLE SHOOTER (1939) she looks to clear a family friend of murder. And finally, in NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE (1939) Nancy faces death inside a secret tunnel.
POSSESSED (1947) Back on DVD
Joan Crawford stars as a woman found wandering the streets of Los Angeles and taken to a mental hospital where she weaves a harrowing tale of insanity, murder and the passion by which she became possessed. Louise Howell (Crawford) is a nurse hired to care for a dying woman but the suicide of her charge and rejection by the man she loves drive Howell to madness and murder. Or do they? Special Features: Commentary by Film Historian Drew Casper; Featurette: “Possessed: The Quintessential Film Noir”; Original Theatrical Trailer
THE WOMEN (1939) Back on DVD
George Cukor directs an amazing all-star ladies-only ensemble in this scintillating comedy drama from Hollywood’s storied golden year of 1939. Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Mary Boland and Paulette Goddard are among the array of husband snatchers, snitches and lovelorn ladies while Norma Shearer shines as the jilted Mary Haines, who learns her own worth the hard way.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1948) Back on DVD
Gene Kelly plays D’Artagnan in this rollicking and swashbuckling adaptation of the Dumas classic. Gene brings his one-of-a-kind brio and athleticism to the action scenes, and joined by a top-notch cast that includes Vincent Price as unctuous Cardinal Richelieu, Lana Turner as villainous Lady de Winter, June Allyson as Constance, Van Heflin as Athos, Robert Coote as Aramis, Gig Young as Porthos and Frank Morgan and Angela Lansbury as King Louis and Queen Anne.
THE OBLONGS: THE COMPLETE TWISTED SERIES (2001) Back on DVD
Will Ferrell and Jen Smart lead the vocal cast as Bob and Pickles Oblong, patriarch and matriarch of a decidedly different nuclear family in this cult animated favorite. Living next to a toxic dump may have left the Oblong clan with damaged DNA but their dignity is intact as they strive to lead normal lives in a world that views them as anything but. Based on the twisted books from Angus Oblong.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (2006) Back on DVD
Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as single working mom Christine Campbell, now dubbed “Old Christine” as her ex-husband (Clark Gregg) has now gotten hitched to a younger, “New Christine” (Emily Rutherford). Christine struggles to hold it together as she adjusts to her new nickname, confronts the meanie moms at her son’s private school, and jumps back into the dating pool. 16×9 Widescreen

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

OnVideo News via Email

Get our free new-release newsletter every week in your inbox:

Subscribe to our weekly new-release newsletter. Join here.

Want more? Keep up-to-date with OnVideo's Breaking News, sent straight into your email box. Subscribe here.

Subscribe to OnVideo's Email News