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High Sierra



Marking the moment when the gritty gangster sagas of the 1930s began giving way to the romantic fatalism of 1940s film noir, High Sierra also contains the star-making performance of Humphrey Bogart, who, alongside top-billed Ida Lupino, proved his leading-man mettle with his tough yet tender turn as Roy Earle. A career criminal plagued by his checkered past, Earle longs for a simpler life, but after getting sprung on parole, he falls in with a band of thieves for one last heist in the Sierra Nevada. Directed with characteristic punch by Raoul Walsh—who makes the most of the vertiginous mountain location—Roy and Lupino's Marie, a fellow outcast also desperate to escape her past, hurtle inexorably toward an unforgettable cliffside climax and a rendezvous with destiny.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Colorado Territory, director Raoul Walsh's 1949 western remake of High Sierra
• New conversation on Walsh between film programmer Dave Kehr and critic Farran Smith Nehme
• The True Adventures of Raoul Walsh, a 2019 documentary by Marilyn Ann Moss
• Curtains for Roy Earle, a 2003 featurette on the making of High Sierra
• Bogart: Here's Looking at You, Kid, a 1997 documentary aired on The South Bank Show
• New interview with film and media historian Miriam J. Petty about actor Willie Best
• New video essay featuring excerpts from a 1976 American Film Institute interview with High Sierra novelist and coscreenwriter W. R. Burnett
• Radio adaptation of High Sierra from 1944
• Trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith

A nice-looking set of extras (Kehr/Nehme/Smith/two docs/video essay), but

Criterion wrote:Colorado Territory, director Raoul Walsh’s 1949 western remake of High Sierra

is an amazing inclusion. The release has two discs, so I'm assuming it'll be in HD.

The release doesn’t say anything about Colorado Territory being remastered. It would be a shame if it’s only in SD, because I actually prefer it to the original.

JakeStewart wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:18 pm The release doesn’t say anything about Colorado Territory being remastered. It would be a shame if it’s only in SD, because I actually prefer it to the original.

I wonder if that's the reason they don't advertise both on the cover like they did with the Hellman set.

Usually they advertise both if they're roughly equal in reputation and when they have special features relating to both. High Sierra is a much more famous film that Colorado Territory. (But I agree that putting both on the cover might be a good choice as it would show people who don't read the special features list that they're getting good bang for their buck)

They'll probably mention it on the sticker, as they did with The Front Page on His Girl Friday.

The best analogue is perhaps Magnificent Obsession, with the 30s version in HD on the second disk, though that is specified as restored while this is not, not yet at least.

Why not throw in I Died a Thousand Times to complete the remake cycle? Note: it sucks and you aren’t missing anything by it being missing here

cdnchris wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:40 pm They'll probably mention it on the sticker, as they did with The Front Page on His Girl Friday.

The Front Page was also mentioned in the write-up that's on the back of the blu-ray and the website whilst High Sierra doesn't mention it outside of the special features section.

This looks like a bonus film rather than a double feature for now, because it doesn't seem like there are separate extras and booklet essay for each film.

HIs Girl Friday/the Front Page is one of the oddest Criterion double feature, it has the higher 49.99 price point of a double feature. both films are presented as a double feature on the back cover, the extras and booklet present it as a double feature, but unlike many other double features (back cover, extras, booklet) that were given double spine numbers, like The Shooting/Ride the Whirlwind, Lady Snowblood 1&2, Emigrants/NewLand, Police Story 1&2, Streetwise/Tiny (often at the standard 39.99 pricepoint) His Girl Friday/Front Page was given one spine number.

I am happy they aren't doing the $50 price for this and hopefully Colorado Territory is HD. The one difference between this and other releases mentioned is that Raoul Walsh directed both of these. I'd be surprised if it wasn't mentioned in some of the special features listed (such as the Raoul Walsh documentary). It doesn't really matter in the end. I just thought maybe they dropped it to supplement status because the copy of the film doesn't look as good.

Maybe this means we’ll see an eventual Ball of Fire / A Song is Born double feature from Criterion along the same lines

domino harvey wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 6:40 pm Maybe this means we’ll see an eventual Ball of Fire / A Song is Born double feature from Criterion along the same lines

I would really like to see An Affair to Remember / Love Affair release someday.

movielocke wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 6:18 pm This looks like a bonus film rather than a double feature for now, because it doesn't seem like there are separate extras and booklet essay for each film.

HIs Girl Friday/the Front Page is one of the oddest Criterion double feature, it has the higher 49.99 price point of a double feature. both films are presented as a double feature on the back cover, the extras and booklet present it as a double feature, but unlike many other double features (back cover, extras, booklet) that were given double spine numbers, like The Shooting/Ride the Whirlwind, Lady Snowblood 1&2, Emigrants/NewLand, Police Story 1&2, Streetwise/Tiny (often at the standard 39.99 pricepoint) His Girl Friday/Front Page was given one spine number.

Oddly enough, I think the UK release of His Girl Friday/Front Page was released at the normal price point and not the higher price point like the digipacks and releases like Othello or The Emigrants/The New Land.

The supplements look outstanding.

Of course (spoilers!) as famously noted in the Scorsese documentary on American cinema, the later Colorado Territory does another western-genre set version of the same story, although with a more Bonnie and Clyde-prefiguring twist to its tragic climax.

colinr0380 wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:21 am Of course (spoilers!) as famously noted in the Scorsese documentary on American cinema, the later Colorado Territory does another western-genre set version of the same story, although with a more Bonnie and Clyde-prefiguring twist to its tragic climax.

Yes, as the release itself makes clear in describing the included film as a remake.

colinr0380 wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:21 am Of course (spoilers!) as famously noted in the Scorsese documentary on American cinema, the later Colorado Territory does another western-genre set version of the same story, although with a more Bonnie and Clyde-prefiguring twist to its tragic climax.

Thanks, colin. Here's a link to an alternate upload of the same, but minus the Italian dub track.
Scorsese documentary

I asked Mulvaney if Colorado Territory would be in HD and from what source.

Jon Mulvaney wrote: I'm happy to share the following notes about COLORADO TERRITORY from our producers of the upcoming HIGH SIERRA release:

This unrestored 4K scan of Raoul Walsh’s long unavailable Colorado Territory (1949) was made from the 35 mm original camera negative, which is housed at the Library of Congress. Visible damage, jump cuts, black frames, and dirt remain.

While we were fortunate to get access to the film's original negative, some issues do remain as noted. The colors and details, however, are gorgeous, and we hope you can enjoy this release.

That sounds wonderful

Agreed, my excitement for this is through the roof! What a stacked release.

[]

Beaver.

A little disappointed Colorado Territory isnt a remaster/restoration but hopefully it's still miles ahead of the WA DVD

nitin wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:06 am A little disappointed Colorado Territory isnt a remaster/restoration but hopefully it's still miles ahead of the WA DVD

It's a 4K scan of the camera negative. It's definitely a remaster, even if not an outright restoration.