{"product_id":"the-big-combo-standard-edition-blu-ray","title":"The Big Combo (Standard Edition) (Blu-ray) PREORDER","description":"\u003ch1\u003eA film noir landmark, The Big Combo returns in a stunning 70th anniversary 4K restoration--raw, brutal, and visually daring as ever.\u003c\/h1\u003e \u003cp\u003eDirector Joseph H. Lewis and cinematographer John Alton push film noir to its starkest extremes in \u003ci\u003eThe Big Combo\u003c\/i\u003e, a 1955 crime classic starring Cornel Wilde and Richard Conte. Wilde plays police lieutenant Leonard Diamond, whose relentless campaign against powerful crime boss Mr. Brown (Conte) has become as personal as it is professional. Diamond's obsession is intensified by his feelings for Brown's troubled mistress Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), whose desperation to escape the gangster's control may provide the opening he needs to finally bring Brown down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten by Philip Yordan, \u003ci\u003eThe Big Combo\u003c\/i\u003e builds its underworld story around shifting loyalties, buried secrets and an increasingly destructive contest between two determined men. Brian Donlevy plays former syndicate boss Joe McClure, while Robert Middleton appears as Brown's associate Dreyer and Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman portray the inseparable hitmen Fante and Mingo. Helen Walker also figures prominently in Diamond's investigation. Lewis stages the violence and psychological cruelty with an intensity that challenged the boundaries of mid-1950s Hollywood filmmaking, while Alton's extraordinary use of darkness, silhouettes, fog and concentrated pools of light gives the picture some of the most recognizable imagery in American film noir.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIGNITE Films presents \u003ci\u003eThe Big Combo\u003c\/i\u003e on Blu-ray from a new 70th Anniversary 4K restoration, preserving its original theatrical presentation. The restoration was created from a new 35mm dupe negative and restored 35mm track negative by the UCLA Film \u0026amp; Television Archive, with funding from The Film Foundation. The two-disc edition includes a new audio commentary by film historian and noir specialist Imogen Sara Smith; a new interview with author and critic Philippe Garnier; Scout Tafoya's new video essay \u003ci\u003eHow a Man Makes a Living -- How a Little Combo Made The Big Combo\u003c\/i\u003e; critic and curator Geoff Andrew on the film; \u003ci\u003eWagon Wheel Joe\u003c\/i\u003e, a video appreciation examining Lewis's camerawork, recurring motifs and evolution as a filmmaker; and an additional commentary by Film Noir Foundation founder Eddie Muller.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlso included is \u003ci\u003eThe Crooked Way\u003c\/i\u003e (1949), another hard-edged film noir distinguished by John Alton's expressionistic cinematography and extensive location photography on the postwar streets of Los Angeles. With reversible artwork and an extensive collection of newly produced and archival supplements, this Blu-ray edition places Lewis and Alton's collaboration within the broader development of postwar noir while showcasing the visual design, performances and uncompromising tone that have sustained \u003ci\u003eThe Big Combo\u003c\/i\u003e's reputation as a landmark of the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e         \u003ch2\u003eMedia\u003c\/h2\u003e         \u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gwiwLOAJBas\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e    \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003ch2\u003eBonus Materials\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew Audio Commentary with acclaimed film historian and noir expert Imogen Sara Smith.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew Interview with celebrated author and critic Philippe Garnier.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow a Man Makes a Living — How a Little Combo Made The Big Combo: New video essay by Scout Tafoya. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Crooked Way (1949) – Another brutal noir with spectacular expressionistic cinematography by John Alton with unfiltered filming on the 1940s post-war streets of Los Angeles. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAudio Commentary with Eddie Muller, the “Czar of Noir” and founder of the Film Noir Foundation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGeoff Andrew, respected critic and curator, on The Big Combo.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWagon Wheel Joe: A fascinating video appreciation of Lewis’s dynamic camerawork and recurring motifs, tracing his evolution from B-movie craftsman to master stylist.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCast \u0026amp; Crew\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eActors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Cornel Wilde as Det. Lt. Leonard Diamond\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Richard Conte as Mr. Brown\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Brian Donlevy as Joe McClure\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Jean Wallace as Susan Lowell\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Robert Middleton as Capt. Peterson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Lee Van Cleef as Fante\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Earl Holliman as Mingo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e      Helen Walker as Alicia Brown\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDirector:\u003c\/strong\u003e Joseph H. Lewis\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003ch2\u003eAdditional Details\u003c\/h2\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e IGNITE\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Film Noir\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e English  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRun Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e 87 mins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1       \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12\/15\/26\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 850045066116\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"IGNITE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50529076642041,"sku":"MVD20895BR","price":17.47,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0815\/4889\/files\/MVD20895BR.jpg?v=1790251087","url":"https:\/\/mvdshop.com\/products\/the-big-combo-standard-edition-blu-ray","provider":"MVD Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}