New on Blu-ray: HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948) Starring Richard Basehart and Scott Brady

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Product Description: Starring Richard Basehart (Time Limit), Scott Brady (Undertow) and Jack Webb (Appointment with Danger), this film noir classic was the inspiration not only for TV’s Dragnet (also with Webb) but for many other subsequent “ripped-from-the-headlines” crime dramas. Taken from actual case files, He Walked by Night is the suspenseful, action-packed tale of a manhunt for the most cunning criminal in the history of the LAPD. With a combination of ingenuity, state-of-the-art technology, sweat and sheer determination, the police painstakingly track down a brilliant, elusive thief and cop-killer (chillingly played by Basehart in only his third film) who seems to have the ability to vanish into thin air. But can they catch him before he murders again? This gritty, groundbreaking police procedural features direction by Alfred L. Werker (Shock) and an uncredited Anthony Mann (T-Men) with stunning cinematography by John Alton (Raw Deal).

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Classic Movies: JOHN ALTON FILM NOIR COLLECTION (1947-1948)

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Product Description: "It's not what you light... it's what you don't light."- John Alton

No other individual defines the foreboding film style known as noir more than John Alton, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer (An American in Paris) who established his reputation as one of the movie industry's finest by plying his unique talents in the arena of B-movies.

It was his work at Eagle Lion Films in the late 1940s, particularly his collaborations with director Anthony Mann which showcased Alton's unsurpassed mastery of low-key lighting and bold use of shadows and darkness, that made Hollywood take notice. Though his film work is later represented by such iconic noirs as Border Incident and The Big Combo, the three features in this collection present the incomparable John Alton at the peak of his art.

T-MEN (1947, 92 min.)

"Superb visual quality that does justice to John Alton's striking black & white cinematography..." - Leonard Maltin

The initial pairing of Anthony Mann and John Alton resulted in this classic noir actioner, with a pair of dedicated Treasury agents (Dennis O'Keefe, Alfred Ryder) assigned to infiltrate a Los Angeles counterfeit ring. Spotlighting a first-rate supporting cast that includes noir icons Charles McGraw and Wallace Ford, T-Men transcends its low budget pedigree by utilizing highly stylized camera angles along with Alton's trademark light and shadows to accentuate its gritty urban realism.

RAW DEAL (1948, 79 min.)

"Another beautifully produced Blu-ray from ClassicFlix." - Robert Harris, Home Theater Forum

Fresh off the success of T-Men, Mann and Alton upped the noir ante with this tragic tale of a convict (Dennis O'Keefe) whose prison "crash out" turns complicated when a romantic triangle develops involving the two women (Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt) along for the ride. Featuring character veterans Raymond Burr, John Ireland, Regis Toomey, and Whit Bissell, Raw Deal skillfully places a fatalistic love affair against the backdrop of a fog-shrouded nightmare that offers little chance of escape.

HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948, 79 min.)

"Film noir aficionados will love this top-notch rendering that brings this movie to life like never before." - David Krauss, High-Def Digest

Alfred Werker directs this groundbreaking police procedural that focuses on the manhunt for a cop killer (Richard Basehart) by a pair of doggedly determined detectives (Scott Brady, James Cardwell). Alton's cinematography is positively stunning, and He Walked by Night also features a key contribution from actor Jack Webb (as a lab technician), who used his experience on the film to create the seminal television crime drama Dragnet. Anthony Mann, believed to be responsible for directing the films most of the iconic scenes, is uncredited. Co-written by John C. Higgins and Crane Wilbur.

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Classic Movies: HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948) - Special Edition

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When a Los Angeles police officer is savagely gunned down, a city-wide manhunt ensues for his cunning and ruthless killer.

But finding the murderer, chillingly played by Richard Basehart in only his third film, proves difficult for Detective Marty Brennan (Scott Brady) and his colleagues as Basehart's Roy Morgan is always one step ahead of the law. Will modern police methods and sheer determination be enough to find the elusive cop-killer before he strikes again?

Visually stunning, cinematographer John Alton's brilliant use of light and shadows shine in this groundbreaking police procedural that paved the way for the TV series Dragnet; which itself spawned an entire sub-genre of television crime-dramas that are still popular to this day.

Based on true events, He Walked by Night was directed by Alfred L. Werker, along with an uncredited Anthony Mann (who is believed to be responsible for the film s most iconic scenes). Co-written by John C. Higgins (Raw Deal) and Crane Wilbur (The Phenix City Story), it also features Jack Webb who went on to create and star in the aforementioned Dragnet.

Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.