The Undercover Man (1945)

You know how much we love our pulp, if you do too This November, or should I say NOIRvember. Indicator will take us on a deep dive into the murky, cynical, shadowy world of film noir that will comprise multiple releases across numerous volumes over the coming years. To begin, we dig into the Columbia vaults with COLUMBIA NOIR #1, the first in a series of collections devoted to the studioโ€™s output, encompassing outright classics like Irving Lernerโ€™s Murder by Contract, forgotten gems like Gordon Douglasโ€™ Between Midnight and Dawn, and such major filmmakers as Edward Dmytryk, Nicholas Ray and Robert Rossen.

On 16th November, COLUMBIA NOIR #1 showcases six tough, no-nonsense noirs from six of the genreโ€™s toughest, no-nonsense directors: Budd Boetticherโ€™s Escape in the Fog, in which a nurse and a war veteran take on Nazi spies in San Francisco; Joseph H Lewisโ€™ The Undercover Man, inspired by the real-life case against Al Capone; Richard Quineโ€™s Drive a Crooked Road, which finds Mickey Rooney moving away from comedies and musicals to a tougher persona; Phil Karlsonโ€™s 5 Against the House, starring Kim Novak as a nightclub singer embroiled in a casino heist; Vincent Shermanโ€™s The Garment Jungle, from which Kiss Me Deadly director Robert Aldrich was famously fired; and Don Siegelโ€™s police procedural The Lineup, based on the radio and television series, and as brutal a film as he ever made.

INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:

  • 2K restorations ofย Escape in the Fog,ย The Undercover Manย andย The Garment Jungle
  • High Definition presentations ofย Drive a Crooked Road,ย 5 Against the Houseย andย The Lineup
  • Original mono soundtracks
  • Audio commentary with film historian Pamela Hutchinson onย Escape in the Fogย (2020)
  • Audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns onย The Undercover Manย (2020)
  • Audio commentary with critic Nick Pinkerton onย Drive a Crooked Roadย (2020)
  • Audio commentary with critic David Jenkins onย 5 Against the Houseย (2020)
  • Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons onย The Garment Jungleย (2020)
  • Audio commentary with author James Ellroy and the Film Noir Foundationโ€™s Eddie Muller onย The Lineupย (2009)
  • Audio commentary with film historian David Del Valle and author and screenwriter C Courtney Joyner onย The Lineupย (2020)
  • Introduction toย Drive a Crooked Roadย by Martin Scorsese (2014)
  • Itโ€™s a Jungle Out Thereย (2007): archival interview with actor Robert Loggia conducted after a screening ofย The Garment Jungle
  • Appreciation ofย The Garment Jungleย by Tony Rayns (2020)
  • The Influence of Noirย (2009): appreciation ofย The Lineupย by filmmaker Christopher Nolan
  • Two episodes ofย The Lineupย radio series:ย The Candy Store Murderย (1950), written by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine; andย The Case of Frankie and Joyceย (1951)
  • Screen Snapshots: Mickey Rooney, Then and Nowย (1953): Columbia Pictures promotional short featuring the famed performer looking back at his series ofย Mickey Maguireย comedies
  • Man on a Busย (1955): short film directed by Joseph H Lewis for the United Jewish Appeal, featuring a star-studded cast, including Walter Brennan, Broderick Crawford, Lassie, and Ruth Roman, and presented in High Definition
  • Original theatrical trailers forย Drive a Crooked Road,ย 5 Against the House,ย The Garment Jungleย andย The Lineup
  • The Lineupย trailer commentary: short critical appreciation byย A History of Violenceย screenwriter Josh Olson
  • Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials
  • New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
  • Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Iris Veysey, Paul Duane, Jill Blake, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Nathalie Morris, and Sergio Angelini; archival interview extracts with Budd Boetticher, Joseph H Lewis, Phil Karlson, and Robert Aldrich; extracts from the autobiographies of Don Siegel and Vincent Sherman; and film credits
  • World and UK premieres on Blu-ray
  • Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units
  • MORE EXTRAS TO BE ANNOUNCED
  • All extras subject to change

 


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About the Author

Paul

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The founder of The People's Movies, started the site 20th November 2008.The site has excelled past all expectations with many only giving the site months and it's still going strong. A lover of French Thrillers, Post Apocalyptic films, Asian cinema. 2009 started Cinehouse to start his 'cinema education' learning their is life outside mainstream cinema. Outside of film, love to travel with Sorrento, Guangzhou and Manchester all favourite destinations.Musically loves David Bowie, Fishbone, Radiohead.

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