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Man in the Dark 3D
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Twilight Time Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (5th February 2014). |
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The Film
 Before James Cameron and Peter Jackson were preaching the advantages of 3D, before technology companies where pushing 3D as the next big step in home entertainment, long before passive polarized or active shutter glasses, there was "Man in the Dark", released in 1953 by Columbia Pictures, it has the distinction of being the first ever 3D movie released by a major studio. Released ahead of Warner Brothers' "House of Wax" - stealing some thunder along the way. Columbia Pictures needed to ensure it had the first 3D picture and raced to release it, trying to secure a foothold into this new technology that at one time was thought to revolutionize the movie going experience. 61 years later and 3D is still trying. There have been some proven winners, "Avatar" (2009) being the most obvious example (It is, after all, the highest grossing film in the world), and there have also been some proven stinkers, 2010's "Clash of the Titans" was almost universally criticized for it's rushed conversion to 3D, resulting in an overall terrible effort. 3D has always been seen as a gimmick, a means to entice people back into the theatres. However recently filmmakers have been using it as another storytelling tool, as a means to involve viewers in the story like never before. And like all other tools, it's success hinges on the hands that are using it. "Man in the Dark" tells the story of a tough-guy thug, Steve Rawley (Edmond O'Brien) who undergoes experimental brain surgery to eliminate his criminal tendencies. The surgery doesn't go according to plan and Steve spirals into a decent of disorientation as he tries to remember his life of crime, even as he is pursued by former cohorts who want the spoils of his latest robbery. "Man in the Dark" is a fairly paint-by-numbers noir thriller, the story itself is unique (a loose remake of "The Man Who Lived Twice" (1936)) and an interesting way to involve 3D elements into the film, however the execution was rudimentary. Cobbled together by a director-for-fire and quickly rushed to release. The performances aren't particularly memorable, they're two dimensional characters in a three dimensional world. perhaps these characters could have been given greater depth at the hands of better screenwriters and brought to life by A-list actors, it would have cost more for the studio to produce but could have turned a fairly straight forward b-movie into a remembered classic? Despite some of it's flaws, the film was mostly enjoyable. I loved the tough guy talk these characters spoke, especially the gangster-types, the interactions between Steve and gang boss Lefty (Ted de Corsia) and gang members, Cookie (Nick Dennis) and Arnie (Horace McMahon) encompass the classic "bad guy talk, see", which was a popular method of performance in the 50's, it seems like gangsters and villains almost always came from Brooklyn or the Bronx. In any case "Man in the Dark" was a film from a bygone studio system era, and at the time, it ticked all the boxes the studio heads were after. All the usual noir tropes are present here, from the crime-riddled story, to the anti-hero lead and his heart-of-gold moll (Audrey Totter), cardboard cut-out villains and gritty action. It's exactly what you'd expect, so there aren't many surprises in "Man in the Dark", our hero is in peril, he fights his way out of peril, and then gets the girl. Nothing too complicated. The 3D format is used here as much as possible and almost always to gimmicky effect and always from the perspective of the receiver or viewer - punches thrown at the screen, cigarettes being flicked, gun shots, stunts, even a rubber spider in string coming at the screen. One particular scene crafted with some expertise (although short) was the brain surgery sequence from the perspective of Steve on the operating table. Another scene takes place at an amusement park, what better way to show off the format than at an action sequence on a roller coaster, right? One thing's for certain - there's a Kitsch value to the whole film, especially the way in which the 3D moments were staged. "Man in the Dark" was not made by a famous director, it does not feature known stars and by all accounts - the tools used to make this film, can be considered primitive by today's 3D standards and was rush to completion and release, and it shows. If anything "Man in the Dark" is certainly not the classic it tries to be, instead it's more a curiosity, a historical document of a format whose start was choppy at best.
Video
Presented in the film's original full frame ratio of 1.33:1, two encodes are available on this disc, a 2D presentation in 1080p 24/fps using AVC MPEG-4 codec and a 3D presentation in 1080p 24/fps using MVC MPEG-4 codec. The film looks good for a b-movie, with most instances of dirt and scratches cleaned up. The overall image is very grainy and at times soft. Detail looks decent in some close ups but are lacking in others. Black levels look good, as do gray levels but the whites are sometimes a tad blown out. The 3D has been given a new conversion, the conversion looks good, I couldn't find any instances of ghosting. The 3D gives the otherwise flat image a bit more depth. This is the preferred viewing method, if you have a 3D set-up.
Audio
The film's audio is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono mixed at 48kHz/24-bit. The film is mostly a mix of dialogue and score, as a result the audio mix isn't complicated and mostly front focused. This is a typical 50's era sound mix, dialogue is clean and clear, there were no flaws that I could detect, no pops, buzz, crackle or any other issues that normally plague films of this age. The score is well rendered and does a decent job of immersing the viewer despite the lack of overall depth of a mono track. optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Twilight Time has released this film with only a scant collection of supplements. Aside from getting two versions of the film (2D and 3D), the disc includes an isolated score and the film's original theatrical trailer, also included is a catalogue and an 8-page booklet. Below is a closer look at these extras. The film can be viewed with an isolated score presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo, the music was directed by Ross DiMaggio and he used stock music from various composers as well to create the score. Also included is the film's original theatrical trailer which runs for 1 minute 39 seconds. Distributor Twilight Time has included a catalogue consisting of 24 pages that shows off their collection of films on Blu-ray, all titles are limited to 3,000 copies only and a few of them are already sold out. Rounding out the supplements is an 8-page liner notes booklet.
Packaging
Packaged in a standard eco Blu-ray keep case, this edition is limited to 3,000 copies only.
Overall
Available to purchase exclusively only at Screen Archives Entertainment. Like Twilight Time on Facebook by going here.
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