Universal Noir #2 : Limited Edition book and blu-ray set.

October 23rd sees the release of Powerhouse’s Universal Noir #2 box set, a set of six film noirs, all released on blu-ray in the UK for the first time, and, featuring my essay on the glorious Deanna Durbin and the noir detective musical Lady on a Train which I discussed previously below, now promoted from DVD booklet essay, to being featured alongside other essays in an accompanying a 120 page book. Limited to 6,000 individually numbered copies, it’s available to pre-order now.

The set covers six Hollywood films from Universal Studios Lady on a Train (1945, starring Deanna Durbin, written by Leslie Chateris), Time Out of Mind (1947, dir.Robert Siodmak, starring Phyllis Calvert), A Woman’s Vengeance (1948, Korda, Ann Blyth, written by Aldous Huxley), An Act of Murder (1948, starring Fredric March), Singapore (1947, John Brahm, Ava Gardner, Fred McMurray) and The Lady Gambles (1949, Barbra Stanwyk). Other special features include newHigh Definition presentations of the six films in original mono audio;

newly recorded commentaries on four discs (including Pamela Hutchinson of Babara
Stanwyk in The Lady Gambles);

critical appreciations of all of the individual films, and of Ava Gardner as noir star;

a host of rare contemporaenious archival short films from the directors and cast of the main features [Wings Up (1943) staring Robert Preston, Clark Gable and William Holden; Reward Unlimited (1944) directed by Cat People‘s Jacques Tourneur; The Library of Congress (1945) narrated by Ralph Bellamy; French Town… (1945) narrated by Cedric Hardwicke; Welcome Home (1945) narrated by Fredric March; With This Ring (1954) directed by John Brahm];

1940s radio presentations of A Woman’s Vengeance (‘The Gioconda Smile’) (1945) and Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Singapore with Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner reprising their original roles;