A pair of low-budget film noir rarities make their respective home video debuts in this beautifully produced set, and it is a perfect pairing.
The Guilty (1947) and High Tide (1947) are not only the first two English-language films by Austrian-born director John Reinhardt, who began his career directing Spanish-language versions of Hollywood films for export in the early days of sound. They are both independently produced by Jack Wrather, a Texas oil man turned first-time producer, scripted by Robert Presnell Sr., photographed by cinematographer Henry Sharp, and star Don Castle, a struggling Hollywood actor who Wrather promoted to leading man. Both were produced for Poverty Row studio Monogram Pictures and for decades both were unavailable.
Bonita Granville gets top billing in The Guilty for playing dual roles as twin sisters, good girl Linda and bad girl Estelle, and Castle plays Mike Carr, an alienated World War II veteran who turns detective when Linda is found dead. Adapted from a short story by the prolific Cornell Woolrich, this is an offbeat mystery that uses its cheap production values to great effect. Reinhardt and cinematographer Henry Sharp create an oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere from the minimalist apartment and barroom sets and lonely street scenes. It enhances the film's sense of disconnection and alienation.
High Tide offers a more ambitious story and a bigger canvas, and it opens with a terrific narrative hook: two men trapped in a wrecked car on the beach as the tide comes in, threatening to drown them both. The story unfolds in flashback to tell the story of Hugh Fresney (Lee Tracy), a mercenary newspaper editor, and Tim Slade (Don Castle), a private detective he hires to protect him as he takes on the city's gangsters. Where The Guilty is moody and understated, Reinhardt drives the plot of High Tide with propulsive energy and uses Tracy's snappy patter and barbed comments to give his scenes the crackle of a classic newspaper picture.
While neither film ranks as a masterpiece of film noir, both are entertaining reminders of the ingenuity that talented and ambitious filmmakers can bring to B-movie budgets and limited resources.
Both films have been beautifully restored by The Film Noir Foundation and the UCLA Film and Television Archive and released by Flicker Alley in an impressive special edition. The Guilty features an audio commentary by author and film noir scholar Jake Hinkson and High Tide features commentary by film historian Alan K. Rode. The set includes informative, well-produced original featurettes on producer Jack Wrather, author Cornell Woolrich, director John Reinhardt, and actor Lee Tracy, all produced by The Film Noir Foundation.
The set features both films and all of the supplements in both DVD and Blu-ray editions and comes with an illustrated booklet with essays that compare the screen adaptation to the original short stories.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Fans of classic film noir will surely be interested in this double feature of rarities. The films were long thought lost until The Film Noir Foundation restored them and they spotlight a forgotten filmmaker and two minor classics of the genre that have never before been available on home video.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
These films would add character to any collection of film noir, and they are examples of independently-made films outside the studio system long before American Independent Cinema was recognized. Additionally, the generous supplements provide informed and informative context for viewers.
What academic library shelves would this title be on?
This double feature offers two film noir rarities that would enhance any academic film studies collection, but they also are examples of superior films made by B-movie studios and films adapted from works of pulp fiction.