Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Pickup On South Street
Collapse
X
Collapse
-
Pickup On South Street
Released by: Eureka Entertainment
Released on: August 174th, 2015.
Director: Samuel Fuller
Cast: Richard Widmark, Thelma Ritter
Year: 1953
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Samuel Fuller's 1952 film Pickup On South Street has yet to receive a Blu-ray release in its native land but the good people at Eureka over in the United Kingdom have seen fit to give the noir classic a very fine high definition home video debut (Criterion gave it a great DVD release but haven't announced a Blu-ray at the time of this writing).
The movie tells the story of Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark), a pick pocket who winds up pilfering the contents of a purse owned by a prostitute named Candy (Jean Peters) when the opportunity presents itself in a crowded subway car. Skip has no idea, when he makes his exit, that he's leaving with a piece of microfilm that was being moved along by Candy's boyfriend, Joey (Richard Kiley), who just so happens to be a communist agent.
Candy soon realizes what's happened and, through the cooperation of a police informant named Moe Williams (Thelma Ritter), comes to learn that Skip is the one with the goods. She tracks him down and after getting socked in the jaw, tries to use her not inconsiderable feminine whiles to get the film back. It doesn't go as planned. Soon enough, Candy can't fight the feelings she's developed very quickly for Skip, all while Joey is doing everything he can to get th film back. This includes taking out anyone who might stand in his way, leaving Skip in a rather dangerous predicament… and if that weren't complicated enough, well, the cops are on to Joey and they're hot on his tail.
A low budget suspense film that hits all the right marks, this one was mostly shot on soundstages and back lots but some period New York City location footage does manage to sneak into the picture here and there (for a great look at those locations, check out this link). These help capture the claustrophobia that life in the big city can sometimes entail. Lots of tightly shot shadowy camera setups create the right mood for the story (Fuller wrote the screen play in addition to directing) to play off of in a big way and the movie goes at a very quick pace, never wasting a second of its eighty minute running time. The film features great use of sound as well, not limited to just the soundtrack - pay attention when Candy realizes she's been victimized and listen for an alarm going off in the background. You probably won't hear it the first time but it's there and it's perfect. The film has a lot of neat little touches like that, the kind that reward repeat viewings and that maybe you pick up on subconsciously, in turn enhancing your own involvement in the story.
As a self-proclaimed 'three-time loser' Richard Widmark is great as the male lead. His Skip McCoy is a tough guy, he lives in a literal shanty down by the water front and he's full of some great, gritty dialogue. He's cool enough to offer the cops a beer, rather than flip out when they show up at his place. Not afraid to get his hands (or his fists) dirty, Skip's definitely rough around the edges but Widmark's work here is good enough that, as much of a bastard as he may be, we kind of like the guy. The same goes for beautiful Jean Peters as Candy. Flawed? Absolutely! But a fascinating character regardless as she wrestles with her loyalties. Richard Kiley is great as Joey, the communist who is willing to do whatever he needs to do in order to get that microfilm back. He gets some great moments here and can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be, but the real scene stealer is an unlikely one: Thelma Ritter. Nominated for Oscar for her work here, most will recognize her from the type of light, comedic roles that she was often cast in but as Moe she really is fantastic. Her work here is completely believable and absolutely a career highlight for the actress.
The perfect combination of great acting, tight action and rock-solid suspense, Pickup On South Street remains one of those consummate noirs, the kind you go back to time and again and a legitimate classic.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Pickup On South Street looks very good indeed on this disc framed at 1.33.1 and presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. The black and white picture shows strong detail throughout, especially in close up shots which really benefit from the added resolution. Some minor specks appear here and there but nothing really distracting at all, while black levels stay pretty deep here without ever crushing things. Compression artifacts don't factor into this at all, the bit rate stays pretty healthy throughout playback and there's no evidence of any obvious noise reduction or edge enhancement. This is a nice, film-like transfer that should make fans of this picture very happy.
The only audio option on the disc is an English language LPCM Mono track, there are no alternate audio options available although removable subtitles are provided, again in English only. This track sounds fine. There's more depth in some scenes than you might expect to hear while the levels remain properly balanced throughout. If a few spots sound a little flat we can safely assume that's due to the original recording and not a flaw in the audio on the disc. Hiss and distortion are never a problem and the score sounds quite good, adding to the tension when and where you'd expect it to.
The main extra on the disc is a twenty-four minute long video interview with Franí§ois Guérif supplied by Allerton Films that was originally made for the French DVD release that came out some years back (but which now includes English subtitles). We also get a thirty-two minute piece with Kent Jones who speaks quite a bit about the making of this picture, the various influences that worked their way into the film, the performances, the style, the direction, the locations and more. A twelve minute video interview with Samuel Fuller is also included here in which he talks about making the picture. Outside of that we get an original theatrical trailer for the picture, menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Pickup On South Street is a genuine classic, a tense and fantastically executed film with plenty of great performances, memorable dialogue and exciting set pieces. The film is not only entertaining, but it's whip-smart and it hits all the right notes at all the right times. Eureka's Blu-ray release looks and sounds fantastic and features a few choice supplements as well. An excellent release overall, and very highly recommended.
Posting comments is disabled.
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4162)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (391)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Grindhouse Releasing
Released on: March 12th, 2024.
Director: William Grefé
Cast: William Shatner, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Impulse – Movie Review:
Directed by the one and only William Grefé, 1974’s Impulse is one of those rare films that allows you to witness what it would be like if a really sweaty William Shatner got mad at a lady carrying balloons. Before that...-
Channel: Movies
04-15-2024, 01:20 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Andrew Legge
Cast: Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini, Rory Fleck Byrne
Year: 2022
Purchase From Amazon
Lola – Movie Review:
Irish filmmakers Andrew Legge’s 2022 movie, ‘Lola’, which was made during Covid-19 lockdowns, is a wildly creative movie made in the found footage style that defies expectations, provides plenty of food for thought and manages to make...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:09 PM -
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Arizal
Cast: Barry Prima, Eva Arnaz, W.D. Mochtar
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Special Silencers – Movie Review:
When director Arizal’s 1982 epic begins, we meet a man named Gumilar (W.D. Mochtar), a sinister dude who has constantly bloodshot eyes. He’s meeting with a man about some sort of business deal, but a flashback shows us how some time ago he killed...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:35 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Piero Regnoli
Cast: Walter Brandi, Lyla Rocco, Maria Giovannini, Alfredo Rizzo, Marisa Quattrini, Leonardo Botta
Year: 1960
Purchase From Amazon
The Playgirls And The Vampire – Movie Review:
Piero Regnoli’s 1960 goofy gothic horror, The Playgirls And The Vampire, revolves around a quintet of beautiful showgirls - Vera (Lyla Rocco), Katia (Maria Giovannini),...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:30 PM -