Brute Force

[antnield]

NOBODY REALLY ESCAPES

Before making the French crime classic Rififi, Jules Dassin was arguably the greatest of film noir directors, responsible for a string of gems including The Naked City, Thieves’ Highway and Night and the City. Brute Force kickstarted that run of pictures and never did a film live up to its name more.

Burt Lancaster is Joe Collins, one of a number of convicts squeezed into cell R17 intent on staging a prison break. Not only does he need to return to the side of his cancer-ridden wife (Ann Blyth), he also wants to escape the clutches of sadistic warden Captain Munsey (an unforgettable performance from Hume Cronyn) who enjoys a reign of terror over the inmates.

Beautifully shot by the great William H. Daniels, tautly written by Richard Brooks (Blackboard Jungle, In Cold Blood) and impeccably acted by its ensemble of noir familiars, Brute Force remains a prison movie classic.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

- High definition digital transfer
- Newly created and exclusive content
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork to be revealed!
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film and more!
- More to be revealed closer to the release date

[antnield]

Final specs and artwork:

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

- High Definition digital transfer of the film
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Original mono 1.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Burt Lancaster: The Film Noir Years – an in-depth look at the actor’s early career by Kate Buford, author of Burt Lancaster: An American Life
- Theatrical trailer
- Stills gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring the original poster and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist
- Collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Frank Krutnik, author of In a Lonely Place: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity, and Swell Guy, an obituary of Brute Force’s producer, Mark Hellinger, by its screenwriter, Richard Brooks, illustrated with original stills

[manicsounds]

Too bad they couldn't license the Criterion commentary.

[antnield]

Packaging.

[antnield]

A snippet from Burt Lancaster: The Film Noir Years.

[MichaelB]

Beaver.

[MichaelB]

CineOutsider.

[manicsounds]

blu-ray.com

bluraydefinition

[MichaelB]

The Observer (Philip French).

[TMDaines]

Thought the Burt Lancaster piece with Kate Buford on this was excellent.

[MichaelB]

Done in one take, if I remember rightly. She knows her stuff.