Universal Noir #2 (Limited Edition, Region B)

 

LADY ON A TRAIN (1945, Charles David)
TIME OUT OF MIND (1947, Robert Siodmak)
SINGAPORE (1947, John Brahm)
A WOMAN’S VENGEANCE (1948, Zoltán Korda)
AN ACT OF MURDER (1948, Michael Gordon)
THE LADY GAMBLES (1949, Michael Gordon)

Release date: 18 September 2023
Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (6 x UK Blu-ray premieres)

Universal Noir #2 – the second in Indicator’s series of box sets focusing on the celebrated film noir output of Universal Pictures – collects six crime classics from Hollywood’s golden age.

Starring the cream of US and British acting talent – including Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, Phyllis Calvert, Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner, Ann Blyth, Jessica Tandy, Cedric Hardwicke, Fredric March, and Barbara Stanwyck – these dark and dangerous dramas feature witnesses to murder (Lady on a Train), family rifts (Time Out of Mind), amnesia and smuggling (Singapore), murderous infidelity (A Woman’s Vengeance), mercy killing (An Act of Murder), and gambling addiction (The Lady Gambles).

This indispensable collection marks the UK Blu-ray premiere of all six films, and also features an array of fascinating contextualising extras, including newly recorded commentaries, critical appreciations, rare archival short films, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 individually numbered units.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

• High Definition presentations of Lady on a Train, Time Out of Mind, Singapore, A Woman’s Vengeance, An Act of Murder and The Lady Gambles
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with critics and writers Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme on Lady on a Train (2023)
• Audio commentary with film historian Adrian Martin on Time Out of Mind (2023)
• Audio commentary with screenwriter and author Kelly Goodner and filmmaker and film historian Jim Hemphill on Singapore (2023)
• Audio commentary with writer and film historian Pamela Hutchinson on The Lady Gambles (2023)
• Jose Arroyo on ‘Time Out of Mind’ (2023): the writer and academic discusses the film
• Neil Sinyard on ‘A Woman’s Vengeance’ (2023): an in-depth appreciation by the author and film historian
• Christina Newland on Ava Gardner (2023): the writer and critic considers the famed actor’s noir persona 
• Wings Up (1943): WWII propaganda film featuring The Lady Gambles star Robert Preston alongside Hollywood legends Clark Gable, Gilbert Roland and William Holden
• Reward Unlimited (1944): dramatised short film about the training of cadet nurses during WWII, directed by Jacques Tourneur and featuring Singapore actor Spring Byington
• The Library of Congress (1945): documentary short, made as part of The American Scene film series, narrated by Lady on a Train star Ralph Bellamy
• French Town… (1945): documentary short offering a portrait of a French town following liberation, narrated by A Woman’s Vengeance actor Cedric Hardwicke
• Welcome Home (1945): documentary short about returning soldiers following the end of WWII, narrated by An Act of Murder star Fredric March
• With This Ring (1954): dramatised promotional film for the Miller Brewing Company, directed by John Brahm
• Mollé Mystery Theatre: ‘The Gioconda Smile’ (1945): radio play based on the Aldous Huxley short story, later adapted as A Woman’s Vengeance
• Lux Radio Theatre: ‘Singapore’ (1947): radio adaptation of the film’s screenplay, featuring Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner reprising their original roles
• Theatrical trailers
• Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Ellen Wright, Paul Duane, Philip Kemp, Tara Judah, Imogen Sara Smith, and Iris Veysey, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits
• UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units for the UK