The Big Clock is a fun 1940s film noir-esque thriller that actually would probably play well today as it did then. The acting is fairly good, Ray Milland especially, and features a compelling and suspense-filled story.
The Big Clock
(1948)
Genre(s): Drama, Thriller
Arrow Video | NR – 96 min. – $39.95 | May 14, 2019
Date Published: 05/10/2019 | Author: The Movieman
|
|
|||||||||||
Arrow Video provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
PLOT SYNSOPSIS |
|
Overworked true crime magazine editor George Stroud (RAY MILLAND) has been planning a family vacation for months. However, when his boss, the tyrannical media tycoon Earl Janoth (CHARLES LAUGHTON), insists he skips his vacation, Stroud resigns in disgust before embarking on an impromptu drunken night out with his boss’s mistress, Pauline York (RITA JOHNSON). When Janoth kills Paulina in a fit of rage, Stroud finds himself to have been the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time: his staff have been tasked with finding a suspect with an all too familiar description… Stroud’s very own. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.75/5 |
|
This release comes with a 20-Page Booklet and the cover artwork is reversible. Audio Commentary – Film Scholar Adrian Martin breaks down the film, its themes and bits of trivia about the cast and filmmakers. Turning Back the Clock (23:01) – This is an analysis of the film by Adrian Wootton, critic and Chief Executive of Film London. A Difficult Actor (17:31) – Featurette on actor Charles Laughton by actor/writer/theatre director Simon Callow. Lux Radio Theatre: The Big Clock (59:28) is a rare 1948 radio dramatization of The Big Clock starring Ray Milland. Last up is the Theatrical Trailer (2:21) and an Image Gallery for Posters & Press and Production Stills. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| The black and white presentation of The Big Clock looks great. The transfer was given to Arrow Video so the studio did not do the restoration work, but in any case, the movie, shown in its original 1.37 aspect ratio shows off sharp and very well defined picture with only a minor amount of specs permeating an otherwise pristine 1080p transfer. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| This release comes with a standard but effective PCM Mono track. This is a mostly dialogue driven movie to begin with and on that front, it is clean and clear throughout with some limited depth for the era-appropriate score. Nothing amazing or something to write home about, yet still for a movie from 70 years ago, the restoration work was not at all bad. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
|
Overall, The Big Clock is a fun 1940s film noir-esque thriller that actually would probably play well today as it did then. The acting is fairly good, Ray Milland especially, and features a compelling and suspense-filled story. The Blu-ray release from Arrow Video, through their “Arrow Academy” line, offers good video/audio transfers and a fine selection of bonus material. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.