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Category:    Home > Reviews > Film Noir > Drama > Crime > British > Racing > Hammer Film Noir Double Collector’s Set Two (Volumes 4 – 7/VCI)

Hammer Film Noir Double Collector’s Set Two (Volumes 4 – 7/VCI)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C     Extras: C+     Films: C+

 

 

VCI’s Hammer Film Noir series is resurrecting some gems from the studio usually known for its Horror films.  A new box set covering double feature Volumes 4 – 7 has been issued and we already covered the first two.  You can read about it at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5173/Hammer+Film+Noir+–+Volumes

 

 

The newest volumes contain the following films:

 

The Black Glove (1953 aka Face The Music) is a murder mystery centered on the recording of a jazz song.  More than just a story device, it is another efficiently directed little gem by Terence Fisher.  Will the trumpet player be framed for murder?  Geoffrey Keen co-stars.  (1.33 X 1)

 

The Deadly Game (1954 aka Third Party Risk) takes place in Spain, where a man (Lloyd Bridges) having a simple vacation may be framed for murder.  The key will be finding a special microfilm and knowing it exists.  (1.66 X 1)

 

The Unholy Four (1955 aka A Stranger Came Home) has Paulette Goddard juggling guests and strangers from all sides, some of whom may want her dead as she vacations in Portugal and the killings begin to pile up.  William Sylvester and Patricia Holt co-stars and Fisher again directs.  (1.66 X 1)

 

A Race for Life (1954 aka Mask Of Dust) has Richard Conti as lead and George Coulouris the senior cast member in a tale about a racer trying to make a Grand Prix comeback, but his #1 rival is hospitalized and that may get in the way of the overall victory he wants.  Made 12 years before John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix (1966, reviewed elsewhere on this site) features real life racing legends Stirling Moss, Reg Parnell, John Cooper, Alan Brown, Geoffrey Taylor and Leslie Marr and holds up well for its age, making it of interest to car fans as well.  (Letterboxed 1.66 X 1)

 

Walter J. Harvey is again the cinematographer on all four films by coincidence and they all look decent, with some anamorphically enhanced 1.66 X 1 (a cheat at 1.78 X 1?) others are 1.33 X 1 and all in decent black and white.  All are softer than one would like, but the Video Black often saves them from troubles including detail and depth.  He had a knack for shooting thriller material and he does not fail in any case here.

 

VCI has done their best with the materials available, extending to the old monophonic tracks here in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono.  Extras on the new volumes include quizzes, text bios, trailers and Richard Gordon/Tom Weaver interview on A Race for Life.  You can read about the first releases at the following link:

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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