Franco Noir (Rififi in the City/Death Whistles the Blues) – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Spain/France, 1963 (Rififi in the City), Spain/France, 1964 (Death Whistles the Blues)
Director: Jesus Franco (Both Films)
Cast: Fernando Fernán Gómez, Jean Servais, Laura Granados, Antonio Prieto, Robert Manuel, Maria Vincent, Dina Loy, Agustín González, Manuel Gas, Luis Marín (Rififi in the City), Conrado San Martín, Danik Patisson, Perla Cristal, Georges Rollin, Manuel Alexandre, María Silva, Adriano Domínguez, Marta Reves, Gérard Tichy, Fortunio Bonanova (Death Whistles the Blues)

Release Date: October 26th, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 104 Minutes 22 Seconds (Rififi in the City), 81 Minutes 16 Seconds (Death Whistles the Blues)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"Set in New Orleans and based on a novel by the authors of Vertigo, Death Whistles the Blues is a hard-boiled tale of betrayal, violence and revenge featuring smoky jazz compositions by Franco himself. Jean Servais of Rififi fame stars in Rififi in the City, a nihilistic trip through a pulp underworld of thugs, snitches, nightclub dames and black-gloved giallo-style murders." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "HD scans from the original negatives for the first time ever."

Rififi in the City and Death Whistles the Blues comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB (Rififi in the City), 18.4 GB (Death Whistles the Blues)

The sources used for both transfers are in great shape. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels look solid throughout. That said, there are a few instances where the image looks soft.

Audio: 4.25/5

Rififi in the City and Death Whistles the Blues each come with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and both films come with removable English subtitles. Both audio mixes are in great shape, dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with Stephen Thrower, author of "Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema Of Jess Franco," titled Franco Noir (66 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Rififi in the City is based on Charles Exbrayat’s novel "Vous souvenez-vous de Paco?". The film’s title is "Rififi in the City." The only connection to the Jules Dassin film Rififi is that they both feature an actor named Jean Servais. The plot revolves around a hardboiled detective cut in the mold of Sam Spade. Besides, the main part of the plot centers on the bringing down of corrupt politician and crime boss Maurice Leprince. The key event that helps drive the main plot revolves around the killer’s motivation for killing Maurice Leprince’s henchmen. The deaths in the film are done in a giallo-like way, with the killer wearing black and their indemnity not being revealed until very late in the film. The plot is filled with exciting moments, and the pacing of the film is pitch-perfect.

The look and feel of Rififi in the City is very much in the spirit and style of the Film Noir genre. Visually, there are some wonderfully realized compositions, and the black-and-white image is beautifully lit. Despite being an early film by Jess Franco, there are many moments that foreshadow stylistic choices that have become so identified with his later films. The action is top-notch, and some of the fighting scenes are brutal. There are many scenes that center around the nightclub that Maurice Leprince owns, and as usual, Franco shows his uncanny knack for combining music and image via stage performances. One of my favorite moments in the film involves the nightclub singer who, during one of her numbers, stands in front of a row of mirrors. The film's conclusion and that buildup, too, is very satisfying. Rifif en la ciudad features a wonderful score by Daniel White, who, at this point, had only worked with Jess Franco once before, in The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus.

The cast may not feature many names, outside of maybe Jean Servais, who cult movie fans will recognize. This doesn’t mean that the acting is not up to snuff. In fact, it is one of the better all-around acting films directed by Jess Franco. Fernando Fernán Gómez is convincing in the lead role as Detective Miguel Mora. The most memorable performance was by Jean Servais as Maurice Leprince. His performance is cold and calculating, with his character’s unflinching ability to kill anyone in his way. Making her film debut was an actress named Dina Loy, who some Franco fans might recognize from Residence for Spies and Attack of the Robots. All of the female leads, Laura Granados, Maria Vincent, and Dina Loy, are exquisitely photographed by Jess Franco. Ultimately, Jess Franco is a chameleon-like filmmaker whose films mostly fall into two categories: beautifully cut gems or cubic zirconium. One of the diamonds in the ruff is Rififi in the City.

Death Whistles the Blues sees Jess Franco return to the world of film noir. Content wise, Death Whistles the Blues has all the elements that are synonymous with film noir. Most notably, the striking black and white cinematography. That said, besides film noir, there are a few moments where the visuals are clearly inspired by Orson Welles, a filmmaker who’s fond of framing the image in unconventional ways.

When discussing the films of Jess Franco, too often he is criticized for his overuse of zooms. And though the films he directed from the late 1960’s onward are marked by his use of zooms, Being able to see films he directed in the early part of his career is like watching films by another filmmaker. These early films are more polished visually than the films he’s most known for.

Even at this early stage of his career, "Death Whistles the Blues" features elements that Jess Franco would return to throughout his career. Most notably, his fondness for nightclub sequences. Also, music always played a significant role in the films of Jess Franco. And Death Whistles the Blues features a jazz score that does a great job of reinforcing the mood.

From a production standpoint, the double cross premise is well-executed, and a briskly paced narrative keeps things lively. The cast is all excellent in their roles, with Perla Cristal (The Awful Dr. Orlof, The Corruption of Chris Miller) playing a femme fatale named Lina. Ultimately, Death Whistles the Blues is a well-made film that fans of film noir are sure to enjoy.

Rififi in the City and Death Whistles the Blues are two of Jess Franco’s more accessible films. Franco Noir is an excellent release from Severin Films that comes with strong audio/video presentations and an insightful extra, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer