Man in the Dark is not the best film noir or anything but it kept my attention for its 70-minute duration, though I’d hardly recommend it especially for fans of the genre.
Man in the Dark
(1953)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime
Twilight Time | NR – 70 min. – $29.95 | January 21, 2014
PLOT SUMMARY
Man in the Dark is a classic film noir, complete with tough-guy protagonist (EDMOND O’BRIEN), heart-of-gold moll (AUDREY TOTTER), and plenty of underworld action—but with handsome stereoscopic imagery directed by Lew Landers (The Raven). Focusing on a thug who undergoes brain surgery to eliminate his criminal tendencies, the film utilizes 3-D effects to simulate the newly decent hero’s disorientation as he tries to remember his life of crime, even as he is pursued by former cohorts who want in on the spoils of his latest robbery.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0.5/5
Other than a 6-page essay booklet, the only features are the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:39; HD) and the Isolated Score Track.
VIDEO – 4.75/5
Twilight Time releases Man in the Dark onto Blu-ray with both a 2D and 3D presentation. The movie is shown in its original 1.33 full frame aspect ratio and a sharp and impressive looking 1080p HD transfer. For a movie going on 50 years old, I thought this looked great through and through with incredible detail level, a clean picture free of debris and no noticeable pixilation or artifacting.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track offered up has clear dialogue levels, which is the primary audio for this movie, to go along with the accompanied score. It’s nothing fantastic but more than effective enough.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, Man in the Dark is not the best film noir or anything but it kept my attention for its 70-minute duration, though I’d hardly recommend it especially for fans of the genre. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time at least has excellent video and audio transfers while the bonus features are extremely limited.
Published: 01/26/2014