Coming to DVD: Film Noir Classics

The good news about a new Deanna Durbin DVD release is followed by some wonderful news about film noir releases set for this December.

The TCM Vault Collection will release three excellent films from Universal and Paramount in the new set Dark Crimes: Film Noir Thrillers, which will start shipping December 3rd.

The films in the set are:

...PHANTOM LADY (1944), a thriller with some memorable set pieces and an appealing performance by Ella Raines, which I had the pleasure of seeing again at this year's Noir City Film Festival

...THE GLASS KEY (1942), a Paramount film with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake

...THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946), another Paramount title starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, with some great location shooting at the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica

All three of these films had previous releases on VHS, which is how I first watched them. This is the first time the movies have had a Region 1 DVD release.

From ClassicFlix comes the great news that PITFALL (1948) will have a DVD release from Film Chest on December 11th.

PITFALL stars Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, and Raymond Burr. It's an excellent film which I was able to see at the historic Million Dollar Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles last winter.

PITFALL previously had what appears to be a poor DVD release from Synergy, as well as a good-quality 1998 Republic release on VHS. Based on the info from ClassicFlix, there's reason to hope this new DVD will be a good-looking print.