Scarlet Street – Kino Lorber (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1945
Director: Fritz Lang
Writers: Georges de La Fouchardière, André Mouëzy-Éon, Dudley Nichols
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Margaret Lindsay, Rosalind Ivan, Jess Barker, Charles Kemper, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Samuel S. Hinds, Vladimir Sokoloff, Arthur Loft, Russell Hicks

Release Date: January 30th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 46 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (4K UHD), 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Blu-ray)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD), Region A (Blu-Ray)
Retail Price: $39.95

"When middle-aged milquetoast Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson, The Stranger) rescues street-walking bad girl Kitty (Joan Bennett, The Woman in the Window) from the rain-slicked gutters of an eerily artificial back-lot Greenwich Village, he plunges into a whirlpool of lust, larceny and revenge. As Chris’ obsession with the irresistibly vulgar Kitty grows, the meek cashier is seduced, corrupted, humiliated and transformed into an avenging monster before implacable fate and perverse justice triumph in the most satisfyingly downbeat denouement in Hollywood history." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New high-definition digital transfer from the 35mm negative preserved by the Library of Congress."

Scarlet Street comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 72.4 GB

Feature: 71.1 GB

Though this is a new 4K transfer, the source has not been fully cleaned up, and there is print debris that varies in degree throughout. Though these instances of debris might turn some viewers off, the result is easily the best Scarlet Street has ever looked on home video. Image clarity ranges from strong to solid, with most of the time falling into the latter. Contrast and black levels are greatly improved when compared to previous releases. Also, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

Scarlet Street comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.8 GB

Feature: 31 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. This audio track is in very good shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. That said, range-wise, this track at times sounds limited.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with film critic David Kalat, and an audio commentary with film critic Imogen Sara Smith.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an audio commentary with David Kalat, audio commentary with Imogen Sara Smith, and trailers for The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse, The Woman in the Window, The Stranger, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Black Tuesday, A Bullet for Joey, One Way Street, Human Desire, and Touch of Evil.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a limited-edition slipcover.

Summary:

Directed by Fritz Lang, whose other notable films include Der Müde Tod (Destiny), Metropolis, Spies, M, Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window, and The Big Heat. Scarlet Street is a remake of Jean Renoir’s La Chienne. Both films were adapted from a story titled La Chienne, written by Georges de La Fouchardière.

The narrative revolves around a banker in a loveless marriage who is seduced by a much younger woman with a conman boyfriend.

Fritz Lang had a lengthy career that began in the silent film era and continued for another three decades when sound took over cinema. And though most silent film directors struggled to make the transition to sound, he was one of a handful of directors who successfully made the move from silent to sound.

Initially, Fritz Lang was known for his films, which are known as German Expressionism, and he would become associated later in his career with film noir, another genre in which visuals play a significant role. Also, it is in the Film noir genre that he would excel, making him arguably one of the directors most familiar with this genre.

Besides Fritz Lang, there were also actors and actresses whose names are synonymous with the Film noir genre. Case in point: Joan Bennett (Suspiria), who would appear in four Film noir's directed by Fritz Lang: Man Hunt, The Woman in the Window, Scarlet Street, and Secret Beyond the Door. Even the other two leads, Edward G. Robinson (The Stranger) and Dan Duryea (Criss Cross), appeared in numerous Film noirs. All three of these actors appeared in Fritz Lang’s The Woman in the Window.

When it comes to the performances, the three leads are exceptional. The most memorable performance is by Dan Duryea in the role of Johnny Prince, an abusive con man's boyfriend. He delivers a performance that perfectly captures his characters' two sides: charming and menacing. Then there is the ever-dependable Edward G. Robinson in the role of Christopher Cross, a meek banker who feels trapped in a loveless marriage. Not to be overlooked is Joan Bennett’s sensational portrayal of Katharine 'Kitty' March, the femme fatale.

Though the premise is pretty standard for a Film noir, it ultimately succeeds because of the performances of its three leads and Fritz Lang’s rock-solid direction. Also, Scarlet Street’s unusual romantic pairing of Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett greatly enhances the story that unfolds. And nowhere is it clearer than how Scarlet Street exploits their noticeable differences in ages.

The perfectly constructed narrative is filled with well-timed twists and double and triple crosses. Also, pacing is never an issue, as key moments are given an ample amount of time to resonate, and a poetic justice finale brings the events that preceded to a very satisfying, albeit downbeat, conclusion. Also, every inch of Scarlet Street is beautifully photographed, and the visuals have all the hallmarks that are synonymous with Film noir cinema. The most memorable moments visually are two scenes connected to Christopher Crosses’ self-portrait of Katharine 'Kitty' March. Ultimately, Scarlet Street is an extraordinary cinematic experience that is arguably one of Film noir's greatest films.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer