The Stranger

[RayKelly]

I just received the press release:

Orson Welles’ Oscar-nominated 1946 classic The Stranger – in HD for the first time – will be available in a special DVD/Blu-ray combo pack, Feb. 15 from Film Chest on the HD Cinema Classics label (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment).

Considered one of early cinema’s greatest talents, filmmaker Orson Welles (F for Fake, Chimes at Midnight, Touch of Evil, Citizen Kane) directs and stars in the film noir classic as a Nazi war criminal, Franz Kindler, who has assumed a new identity following World War II. Now Charles Rankin, Kindler is a professor at a prep school, residing in a quiet Connecticut town with his new American wife, Mary (Academy Award-winner Loretta Young, The Farmer’s Daughter, The Bishops Wife, Come to the Stable), the daughter of a Supreme Court Justice.

Although Kindler has held strong to his fascist ideals, he has effectively erased his identity and left nary a shred of evidence – not even a photograph – to identify him as a notorious mastermind of the Holocaust.

But Mr. Wilson (Robert G. Robinson, Key Largo, Double Indemnity, Kid Galahad, Little Caesar), an agent from the U.N.’s War Crimes Commission, is relentless in his determination to track Kindler down and expose his lurid secrets. Releasing a former comrade from prison, Wilson follows him to the states and his prey … but the man is killed before he can identify Kindler.

With little hope of convincing the townspeople or Kindler’s naive new wife who the stranger in their midst really is, Wilson must come up with a plan before Kindler – who feels his past closing in – decides to eliminate his bride as well.

Digitally restored in high definition from original 35 mm film assets, The Stranger is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 4 x 3 and original sound, as well as a new 5.1 surround sound mix. Enclosed is a collectible postcard reproduction of the original movie poster and special features include Spanish subtitles, before-and-after film restoration demo and trailer.

About Film Chest:
Film Chest, headquartered in New York City, boasts one of the world’s largest digitized libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio, which it continues to grow aggressively. Founded in 2001, the company offers high-quality content (much in HD) for a wide variety of production and distribution needs and produces collector’s sets for consumers. In 2010, Film Chest unveiled three new labels. HD Cinema Classics are films that have been painstakingly restored in HD and 5.1 stereo – utilizing state-of-the art digital technology – from original film assets. American Pop Classics restores classic American film and TV shows from the ’30-70s. CULTRA showcases the best (and worst) of cult cinema, a cinematic cesspool of films that are surreal, eccentric, controversial, comical and scary but ultimately engaging and entertaining. With directors who were both visionaries and crackpots, these films were originally misunderstood and rarely a box office success, achieving status by word-of-mouth and underground distribution. Film Chest releases theatrically, on DVD (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment) and digitally on iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon FIOS and more. Visit us online at http://www.FilmChest.com.

About Virgil Films & Entertainment:
Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America, was founded in 2003 as Hart Sharp Video by Joe Amodei to develop, acquire, market and distribute DVD product in the theatrical film, documentary, special interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with such high-profile entertainment brands as Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions, Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets, among others. For more information, please visit: http://www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com.

The Stranger (2 Discs)
Film Chest / Virgil Films & Entertainment
Genre: Crime-Drama/Film Noir/Cult/Classic
Original Release: 1946 (B&W)
Not Rated
Format: DVD & Blu-ray Combo Pack
Running Time: Approx. 95 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price: $15.99
Pre-Order Date: January 11, 2011
Street Date: February 15, 2011
Catalog #: APC-003
UPC Code: #851169003032

[Glenn Anders]

Thanks, Ray: The promotional material is not all that encouraging, but we'll have to see.

Glenn

[Roger Ryan]

A straight-ahead public domain release, but with a price point to match (I'd expect this to dip below ten dollars very soon). I guess we'll see how the new restoration looks; perhaps this will be the first public domain release to look better than its major studio issue.

[tonyw]

I'd like to know what the special features will comprise on the second disk.

[Roger Ryan]

I'd like to know what the special features will comprise on the second disk.

The second disc is simply the DVD version...you know, so you can watch it in your car or whatever.

This latest trend in retail is really annoying me: I just want the Blu-ray, but I have to pay for a package that contains a DVD version as well and possibly a third disc that contains a digital download version. If you just want the 3-D Blu-ray version of Jim Carrey's A CHRISTMAS CAROL (I don't by the way), you have to buy the package that contains the 3-D Blu-ray, the 2-D Blu-ray, the DVD version and the digital download version - that's four discs of the same movie when you only need one! Okay, rant over. I guess I should just be happy they're still releasing physical media at all.

[Michael O'Hara]

I am new to the world of Blu-Ray and like the Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs for titles I don't already have on DVD. The Blu-Ray machine is in the living room with the "good" HDTV, while downstairs (where I spend most of my time), we have a "not as good" 480i TV, and a DVD player to pair it with. So I like the comfort in knowing if I have the urge to watch a film and have to do it in the solitude of the basement (because wifey doesn't like good movies!) I can. I imagine, though, if I already had the movie on DVD, then the superfluous materials would be irritating.

This Stranger disc sounds interesting. I'll hold off and wait for a review first, though. I'd like to keep the Blu-Ray collection tidy, buying things that are absolute necessities. For the most part, I find the DVD counterparts look "good enough" on the Blu-Ray player and don't wish to make a habit of rebuying stuff I already have (although there will be no hesitation when Kane is released, hopefull (and mercifully) with Ambersons not too far behind).

[the scotsman]

Anyone thinking of buying the new Bluray of the Stranger should first look up the review of this new issue by DVD Beaver (dvdbeaver.com).It is not very flattering.
Using the comparison screen captures it is obvious that anyone with the MGM DVD release of this movie need look no further.
With no subsequent additions to the Bluray in the way of extras (even allowing for the relatively cheap asking price),this issue is a non-starter.

[Roger Ryan]

Agreed. I'm glad DVDBeaver took the time to do the comparison. All the ballyhoo about presenting the film in High Definition is pointless if you're simply upconverting an image from an inferior public domain print. I'm sorry that this was the first Welles Blu-ray on the market...but not too surprised either.

[atcolomb]

Since MGM did release a good print of it on dvd maybe they can release a blu-ray version...but MGM was in bankruptcy so i do not think they will invest the time and the money to do it....but you never know...

[Nathan23]

I have seen this movie recently on star movies. I heard that it is based on true events but don't know how true are they. But what I found from my movie experiences that it is a mixture of three stories.
The killers, a principle male assailant and female accomplices, is based upon Charles Manson and the Manson killings.
The frantic "there's blood everywhere" 911 phone call and "bounding to a chair and stabbing" was based on the killings in Cabin 28.
The basic story of a couple being terrorized by a group of people was based on the famous killing in the Czech Republic, which was also made into a French Film titled Ils, translated to mean "Them."
In the Czech Republic murders, an Austrian couple are terrorized in their vacation home by three teenagers and are later killed in the forest when they try to escape. BUT, a concrete source for this alleged crime has yet to be found other than countless blog postings, leading most people to believe that the story was engineered much like the Blair Witch Project, to give Directors a legal excuse to claim that it was based on a "True Story."
In the Cabin 28 murders, the daughter of a woman walks into a cabin where her mother, brother, and brother's female friend were staying only to find them stabbed and hammered to death. She calls 911 frantically repeating "there's blood everywhere," which there was although no one heard anything all night.
This took a few hours to finally piece together, but I noticed that no one else had figured it out and wanted to be the first to say, "I cracked the story."
So in the end The Strangers inspired by aTrue Story claim is definitely true, but a combination of several stories to appeal to general audiences. That's Hollywood, but, as scary as it may be, also real life. By the Way Bryan Bertino the writer and director admitted this too! Well I really enjoyed this movie, masks were so scary.

[RayKelly]

Hi Nathan23,
You are referring to the 2008 horror film "The Strangers" by Bryan Bertino. This thread is about the 1946 film, "The Stranger" by Orson Welles.

[atcolomb]

Amazon has for pre-order the Blu-ray release of "The Stranger" by Film Chest on Feburary 21 with the movie "Kansas City Confidential" (1952) with John Payne.
I do hope for a better transfer and less DNR.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OT0U4W?_en ... ive=373501

[Roger Ryan]

Amazon has for pre-order the Blu-ray release of "The Stranger" by Film Chest on Feburary 21 with the movie "Kansas City Confidential" (1952) with John Payne.
I do hope for a better transfer and less DNR.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OT0U4W?_en ... ive=373501

Film Chest is the same company that did the "restoration" of the THE STRANGER that received a Blu-ray release last year. Given that the film has been bumped to second place on this double feature release, I suspect they used the same transfer.

[A Sled in Flames]

How disappointing. I have the MGM version and it looks quite extraordinary for a DVD-5... good contrast and such. I wish MGM would release a Blu-Ray from whatever superior sources they're using. The Blu-Ray transfer looked pretty awful...

[tulip]

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