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Licensor Information
Paramount Home Entertainment
Directed by: Billy Wilder
One of the most scathing indictments of American culture ever produced by a Hollywood filmmaker, Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole is legendary for both its cutting social critique and its status as a hard-to-find cult classic. Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career as Chuck Tatum, an amoral newspaper reporter caught in dead-end Albuquerque who happens upon the story of a lifetime-and will do anything to ensure he gets the scoop. Wilder's follow-up to Sunset Boulevard is an even darker vision, a no-holds-barred exposé that anticipated the rise of the American media circus.
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Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (2 Discs)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
1 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Audio Options:
English Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Documentary, Interview, Q&A, Audio Interview, Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Poster Insert
- Audio commentary by film scholar Neil Sinyard
- Portrait of a “60% Perfect Man”: Billy Wilder, a 1980 documentary featuring interviews with Billy Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment
- Interview with actor Kirk Douglas from 1984
- Excerpts from a 1986 appearance by Billy Wilder at the American Film Institute
- Audio excerpts from an interview with Wilder’s coscreenwriter Walter Newman
- Video afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee
- Stills gallery
- Trailer
- Fold-out insert with essays by critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Johanna Schiller
Artwork: F. Ron Miller
Release Notes on Restoration
Ace in the Hole
Ace in the Hole is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. The picture has been slightly window-boxed to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive and a 35mm duplicate negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 has been encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of materials included.
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack negatives, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack negatives, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.