The Extras
The Extras
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Archive April Release Announcement: Safe In Hell, One Way Passage, The Strawberry Blonde, Storm Warning, A Lion is in the Streets
George Feltenstein of the Warner Archive announces the April 2023 Blu-ray releases.
Safe in Hell is a 1931 American pre-Code thriller film directed by William A. Wellman (Public Enemy) and starring Dorothy Mackaill. MacKaill gives a phenomenal performance as a woman of ill repute who’s wanted for the murder of a man under accidental circumstances. It’s a horrifying and shocking film, as many Warner Brothers pre-code films are. The previous DVD release of the film came from a 16 mm master, however, this new Blu-ray is taken from a 4K scan of a new 35mm master nitrate print master that was discovered so the film now looks stunning.
One Way Passage is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic film that reunites 2 stars that had arrived at Warner Brothers from Paramount, William Powell and Kay Francis. Powell plays a convicted murderer who meets a terminally ill woman played by Francis in a Hong Kong bar. Aboard the ship on his way to America, Powell spots Francis and over the course of the month-long voyage, they fall in love. This new Blu-ray is taken from a 4K scan from the camera negative.
The Strawberry Blonde (1941) is a delightful romantic comedy set at the turn of the century. directed by Raoul Walsh, it stars James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, and features Rita Hayworth, who was on loan to Warner Brothers for the film. Cagney is irresistible as the leading man who is going to marry his sweetheart de Havilland, but he is seduced somewhat by Hayworth. This is a bona fide classic that has been adored for generations since its release. This Blu-ray is taken from a 4K case scan off of the original camera negative and looks terrific.
Storm Warning is a 1951 American thriller directed by Stuart Heisler and starring Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, and Steve Cochran. Ginger Rogers is a dress company sales representative who goes to visit her sister Doris Day in a little southern town. Inadvertently she witnesses the Ku Klux Klan pulling a guy out of prison and lynching him. Ronald Reagan plays the government agent who is sent to investigate the case and Cochran plays Doris Day’s husband, who is a member of the Klan. This Blu-ray is taken from a 4K scan off the nitrate camera negative with restored picture and sound.
A Lion Is in the Streets is a 1953 American drama directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney and Barbara Hale as his wife. Cagney plays a charismatic roving peddler who conspires with a local southern political boss to rise to power. His character is loosely based on Huey Long, who was a controversial governor of Louisiana in the late twenties and early thirties. This technicolor film was restored from the 3 technicolor safety negatives and it looks and sounds terrific.
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