Out of the Past, Jacques Tourneur’s superlative 1947 film noir classic, makes its 4K UHD debut courtesy of Warner Archive this week. The film itself needs no introduction. It has all the elements of great film noir nirvana: the rugged Robert Mitchum (in a career-defining role as Jeff Bailey), a solid and sultry femme fatale (Jane Greer in her signature role as Kathie Moffat), a larger-than-life villain (Kirk Douglas in a sinisterly entertaining role as Whit Fleming), Geoffrey Homes’ punch screenplay, Roy Webb’s riveting score, Nicholas Musuraca’s moody cinematography, and of course Tourneur’s incredible direction.
Buy Out of the PastJeff (Mitchum) is a small-town gas station owner (and former detective) whose past comes back to haunt in a big and very bad way when a small-time crook tracks him down. The crook’s boss Whit (Douglas) had once hired Jeff to find Kathie (Greer), who shot Whit and stole $40,000 from him. She and Jeff immediately fell in love, but she instantly went back to Whit. Now, Whit wants Jeff to do a new job, one that he obviously isn’t too happy about.
The film (told in flashback) is about an ordinary man who wants do right again, but just can’t shake the ties and fate that binds him. Eventually, he will fall back into the same traps, especially because of love, where he’s torn between Kathie and good, local girl Ann Miller (Virginia Huston). Every character has a reality to them, which makes them so compelling. However, the standout of the film is Greer, who is beautiful, chill, and temptation redefined. You don’t really know her angle until a pivotal moment where she shows her true colors. Her introduction is pretty cool too. You know about her before you see her. You know she’s bad news, but you’re still just as drawn to her as Mitchum is. That’s a sign of an iconic film noir dame. The moral of the film is that no matter how many rights you try do, the wrongs will always catch up too you. There is no real escape.
I’m sure that the new 4K UHD/Blu-ray release will be a must have for fans and first-time viewers. And the special features sound decent enough as well. It includes the original commentary by film critic James Ursini (found on the 2004 DVD and 2014 original Blu-ray); 2022 introduction by TCM Noir Alley host & the Czar of Noir Eddie Muller and four radio broadcasts featuring Mitchum and Douglas.
Other releases:
Shoah (Criterion): Claude Lanzmann’s devastating, nine-and-a-half-hour documentary about the Holocaust told from the perspectives of the survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators of one of the darkest events in human history.
Two Prosecutors (Criterion Premieres): A young prosecutor sets out to disrupt a system during Stalin’s Great Terror in 1937 after finding a letter written by a prisoner that really needs serious help.
Charlie Wilson’s War 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Shout Factory): Mike Nichols’ real-life drama based on the Texas congressman’s covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to guide rebels in their war with the Soviets have some grim and long-reaching effects.
The Inugami Family (Radiance): Kon Ichikawa’s 1976 mystery drama about a very rich family plagued by a series of gruesome murders all because of a fortune left to an outsider instead of the family itself.
