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.

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

Classic Movies: RAW DEAL (1948) - Classicflix Special Limited Edition

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Product Description: All Joe Sullivan wants is "a breath of fresh air." But when you're serving time in stir for robbery, fresh air is a rare commodity. That's about to change though as mob boss Rick Coyle has greased the skids inside the prison walls, so Joe can make it outside where girlfriend Pat will be waiting.

But things don't exactly go as planned for the duo as car trouble during their getaway forces them to get help from the only person nearby -- strait-laced legal assistant Ann Martin, whom they kidnap and use to evade capture. Things aren't going as planned for Rick either who set up the escape fully expecting the fugitive to get "cut down" so he could keep the $50,000 he owes Joe for taking the rap for him.

Now past the dragnet, the trio each find themselves increasingly conflicted in their loyalties and core beliefs as Joe is torn between the two women, who both care for him, while Pat and Ann each make decisions that prove they're not as bad, or as good, as they're supposed to be.

Raw Deal presents the moviemaking team of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton at the peak of their success (fresh off their box office smash T-Men), offering dark, moody atmosphere filled with fog-shrouded landscapes and characters who are no strangers to the "left-handed endeavor" of crime. Scenarist John C. Higgins (He Walked by Night) and co-writer Leopold Atlas offer a taut, suspenseful tale of one man s desperate bid for freedom and the two women who love him.

Dennis O'Keefe, star of the earlier T-Men, contributes a first-rate performance as the determined Joe, with Marsha Hunt (Pride and Prejudice) as Ann and Oscar winning actress Claire Trevor (Key Largo) as the fiercely loyal Pat. Raw Deal also features a suitably slimy Raymond Burr as Rick, John Ireland as Burr's sadistic henchman Fantail, and noir standbys Regis Toomey and Whit Bissell. Raw Deal is film noir at its finest!

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