Witness in the City | Back to the Wall | Speaking of Murder

Witness in the City a.k.a. Un Témoin dans la Ville (1959)

A roar of a speeding train! A woman screaming for her life! A ruthless man throwing her off the side of a train! With all of that just in the first 30 seconds, 1959’s Witness in the City a.k.a. Un Témoin dans la Ville sure does have an explosive start. Rounding out Kino Lorber’s French Noir Collection, this film is full of nothing but revenge and all love is doomed love.

When the handsome and successful industrialist, Pierre (Jacques Berthier), gets tired of his mistress, Jeanne, he decides to dump her…literally…off of a moving train. But with no real evidence to convict him, he gets off. And that should be it, right? Of course not! Justice has not been served! And Jeanne’s now widowed husband, Ancelin (Lino Ventura) decides to deliver the proper justice himself. But his revenge, though successful, leaves some unexpected loose ends to tie up when young taxi cab driver, Lambert (Franco Fabrizi), unintentionally witnesses Ancelin leaving Pierre’s house late at night. Ancelin becomes obsessed and quickly concludes there is no choice but to try and silence the sole witness…forever.

With Édouard Molinaro in the director’s chair for this one, there’s no surprise that this film, much like Back to the Wall, has some bold stylistic choices and familiar camera moves that possess a precise and deliberate precision to them. With both of these films displaying such an extraordinary vision for the noir genre, it is surprising that his legacy relies on his comedies of all things.

Nevertheless, Molinaro handles this story with a great expertise. Jumping back and forth between Ancelin’s pursuit of Lambert and Lambert’s persistent pursuit of trying to get the beautiful Liliane (Sandra Milo) to take their young love to the next level not only gives the film a good balance that makes it fly by, but it also heightens the suspense even further with an overarching feeling of dread added to it in fear that the young lovers romance will be halted from Ancelin’s pursuit.

And the use of sound (or rather lack of sound) and the music are other standout features of this revenge tale. The opening sequence bashes you in the head with abrupt sounds to grab your attention – in effect hearing the picture before you see it. And this technique is used a couple more times in the film. But probably the most daring part is the climax sequence is done in virtually complete silence. Ancelin is trying to outrun his own justice and the heart-pounding silence pulls you in and raises the tension more than I think any score ever could. For such an important seen, I think it is a very daring but very effective choice. But of course, I don’t want to not touch on the score which is this interesting mix of a swingy jazz but also very abrasive that I think works well.

With an ending that only makes too much sense, Witness in the City, more than fills its noir shoes. Perhaps out of all three of the movies included in this collection, this one is, I think, the most impactful in that it shows that there is a danger in the cycle of violence. Those that seek revenge will always get their own comeuppance. Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and a tight story, Witness in the City, is a great closing film for this set and it is hard not to find delight in this dark tale of doomed characters.

Witness in the City a.k.a. Un Témoin dans la Ville (1959)

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - November 29, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.66:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Witness in the City (1959) a.k.a. Un Témoin dans la Ville – Based on a novel by the legendary Thomas Narcejac (Diabolique, Vertigo, Eyes Without a Face), this dark tale of vengeance stars the great Lino Ventura (Razzia Sur La Chnouf, A Pain in the Ass) in an early leading role. Industrialist Pierre Verdier kills his mistress Jeanne Ancelin by throwing her off a train. Her husband (Ventura) decides to take revenge on his wife’s murderer, who has been acquitted by justice. Directed by Édouard Molinaro (Back to the Wall) and shot by Henri Decaë (Diabolically Yours), Witness in the City is a pulse-pounding film noir set on the grim and gritty streets of Paris. Co-starring Fellini favorites Sandra Milo (8½) and Franco Fabrizi (I Vitelloni), with Jacques Berthier (Shoot First… Ask Questions Later), Daniel Ceccaldi (Rififi in Paris) and Françoise Brion (L’Immortelle).

Video

With a brand-new 2K transfer Witness in the City receives a nice and neat restoration courtesy of Kino Lorber. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, this new restoration gives us all of the fine details from beads of sweat and fabric of clothes to brick-laid roads and dirt-stained walls. The depth of the shadows is not as deep as one would hope for, but they still prove effective and the greyscale is handled very well. Grain exposure also isn’t as apparent as it seems it should be, but sacrificing that for a little more detail might have been a justifiable trade off.

Audio

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles, of course) sounds nothing but clean and clear. This newly restored lossless track captures all of the gun shots, dialogue, and music with no problems. The dynamic range isn’t really shown off a ton, but that just comes with the age of the picture. Overall, a fantastic and healthy restoration.

Supplements:

With nothing but trailers to show for extra features, it is needless to say that there is much left to be desired in this area for the home release.

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

Back to the Wall a.k.a. Le Dos au Mur (1958)

“I had planned everything but this incident.”

Now this is how you do noir! The second film in Kino Lorber’s French Noir Collection, Back to the Wall a.k.a. Le Dos au Mur, announces itself with a bold and masterfully stylish presence that demands the utmost attention with the slow and gripping tension that opens the picture. The sharply dressed, low-eyed Jacques Decrey (Gérard Oury) is cleaning up the body of a man unknown to us. He’s calm and deliberate with his moves as we cannot help but admire the craft of the chore. With the absence of any music, VERY sparse dialogue, and only the ambient noises, the long, deafening silence that cascades the scene with Decrey’s careful and quiet moves is a bold and effective choice to perfectly grab our attention and set the whole mood of the shadow-filled film.

After Decrey hides the body and experiencing a couple of close calls of being seen, his inner monologue sends up back in time to see how he got there. It stared with his wife – his cheating wife, Gloria (Jeanne Moreau). By accident, he caught her in the act, sucking face with the tall and handsome Yves (Philippe Nicaud) with whom she’s had a long history with. Decrey gets a private eye to confirm with pictures, but more importantly, he comes up with another plan: blackmail.

Decry, using an alias, send anonymous notes to Gloria and Yves threatening to expose their affair is they don’t pay up. He hopes that in their desperation and inability to afford the blackmail that Gloria will come clean. But when that proves fruitless, Decrey is forced to become more creative. But Decrey digs his hole deeper and deeper with this lie, and even when he starts to get what he wants, the whole thing is bound to blow up in his face.

Aside from the riveting story and fantastic performances by the whole cast, the movie is so gorgeously shot. To be frank, Édouard Molinaro directed the hell out of this film, and cinematographer Robert Lefebvre shot the hell out of this picture. Back to the Wall is absolutely packed with beautifully composed shots that are paired with the drastic lighting that constructs the moody atmosphere that is so stunning and perfect for the film.

Everything you could every want from a noir picture, Back to the Wall has with loads to spare. The stark lighting, the deep shadows, the emotional and cunning inner monologue of the protagonist, the aggressive force of the score, the wife of eight years caught in the act of infidelity, the deeply satisfying precision of the camera movements, and so much more (I could go on forever). And even on top of all of that, the film isn’t without its bits of comedic relief that are unabashedly sprinkled in there. Twist after twist, betrayal after betrayal, Back to the Wall is a neat and suspenseful concoction that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. Relish in the revenge gone wrong!

Back to the Wall a.k.a. Le Dos au Mur (1958)

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - November 29, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.66:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Back to the Wall (1958) a.k.a. Le Dos au Mur – Screen legend Jeanne Moreau (Elevator to the Gallows, Seven Days... Seven Nights) stars in this twisty, mood-drenched film noir from acclaimed crime writer Frédéric Dard (Rendezvous). When wealthy industrialist Jacques Decrey (Gérard Oury, Sea Devils) discovers that his wife (Moreau) is having an affair with a young actor, he decides to exact revenge by blackmailing her under an assumed identity. In the film’s bravura introductory sequence, we witness Jacques meticulously disposing of a corpse—just a taste of the pitch-black intrigue to follow in director Édouard Molinaro’s (Witness in the City) stylish tour de force, featuring dazzling black-and-white cinematography. Co-starring Philippe Nicaud (The Mysterious Island) and Claire Maurier (The 400 Blows).

Video

With a brand-new 2K transfer Back to the Wall receives a nice and neat restoration courtesy of Kino Lorber. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, this new restoration gives us all of the fine details from beads of sweat and fabric of clothes to brick-laid roads and dirt-stained walls. The depth of the shadows is not as deep as one would hope for, but they still prove effective and the greyscale is handled very well. Grain exposure also isn’t as apparent as it seems it should be, but sacrificing that for a little more detail might have been a justifiable trade off.

Audio

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles, of course) sounds nothing but clean and clear. This newly restored lossless track captures all of the gun shots, dialogue, and music with no problems. The dynamic range isn’t really shown off a ton, but that just comes with the age of the picture. Overall, a fantastic and healthy restoration.

Supplements:

With nothing but trailers to show for extra features, it is needless to say that there is much left to be desired in this area for the home release.

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• None

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

Speaking of Murder a.k.a. Le Rouge Est Mis (1957)

Gentlemen by day, criminals by night. A very strong concept that any filmmaker could make a killing on in the noir genre. But in the case of Speaking of Murder a.k.a. Le Rouge Est Mis, the first of three movies included on Kino Lorber’s newly restored French Noir Collection, it is a bit of a stretch to really categorize this picture into the moody genre (Unless there is such a thing as soft noir, I guess).

Now, I am not going to sit here and tell you the film is bad. It’s far from it. So, here’s the thing: More of a crime drama that has some noir elements, Speaking of Murder is a quick and entertaining ride, for sure, that makes the most of its amusing story with a fair share of action to be enjoyed. And it capitalizes on its cast of dishonest, selfish characters led by French screen legend Jean Gabin playing a calm, cool, collected, and clever (but also controlling) gangster named Louis with a small town that gravitates toward his distinguished and generous persona.

Louis and his associates are seasoned at making quick and smart robberies. Watching them not only pull off the crime but also swiftly clean up the evidence with a quick change of both the plates and the color of the rims on their getaway car makes the audience admire the craft of the illegal routine. And having Louis be the owner of a garage that is a front for the gang makes the job all too easy for the gang. But once Louis’s headache of a naïve and reckless little brother, Pierre (Marcel Bozzuffi), gets released from jail, the gang’s smooth operations start to hit some rough patches.

For starters, Pierre returns still love-stricken by the seductive, gold-digging Hélène (Annie Girardot) who Louis hates with a passion. And he eventually makes a point to forbid the two from seeing each other after executing a clever plan of confrontation that leaves Hélène with a slap on the face but not a change in behavior. But on top of that, the police quickly catch Pierre violating his parole while making his late-night visit to Hélène, and they try to strike a deal with Pierre to rat out Louis and the gang. Pierre claims (honestly) that he doesn’t know anything. But one night he hears his Louis and Pepito (Ventura) talking, and Pepito becomes convinced that Pierre will rat them out. Soon after that, the gang and their operations quickly start becoming a bit of a mess.

With the amount of time that is spent between showing off Louis’s good reputation around town or the family relations between him, his brother, and even their mother, a lot of this film feels almost like a soap opera than anything else. If anything, the betrayal and back-stabbing is an entertaining tension that keeps the film moving. But when the film does take the time to show off the exciting action sequences, it executes them in neat and clever ways.

Being included in his little noir collection set, I was hoping for something a little more…well...noir. But it’s a lot of fun that is wrapped up in a compact 85-minute runtime. And if you’re looking for a simple crime picture full of juicy family drama, then Speaking of Murder fills that order with and enjoyable ease.

Speaking of Murder a.k.a. Le Rouge Est Mis (1957)

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - November 29, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.66:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Speaking of Murder (1957) a.k.a. Le Rouge Est Mis - From acclaimed crime writer Auguste Le Breton (Rififi, Bob Le Flambeur) comes this gripping noir thriller starring cinema icon Jean Gabin (Rififi in Paris, The Sicilian Clan). Louis Bertain (Gabin) is the owner of a Paris garage which serves as a front for a gang of thieves. He and his accomplices are careful to keep up a civic veneer by day, indulging in criminal activities only when “the red light is on” at night. This status quo is upset when one of the gang members becomes convinced that Louis’ younger brother is a police informer. Featuring taut direction from Gilles Grangier (The Night Affair) and excellent supporting turns by Paul Frankeur (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi), Marcel Bozzuffi (Illustrious Corpses), Lino Ventura (The Valachi Papers) and Annie Girardot (Maigret Sets a Trap).

Video

With a brand-new 2K transfer Speaking of Murder receives a nice and neat restoration courtesy of Kino Lorber. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, this new restoration gives us all of the fine details from beads of sweat and fabric of clothes to brick-laid roads and dirt-stained walls. The depth of the shadows is not as deep as one would hope for, but they still prove effective and the greyscale is handled very well. Grain exposure also isn’t as apparent as it seems it should be, but sacrificing that for a little more detail might have been a justifiable trade off.

Audio

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles, of course) sounds nothing but clean and clear. This newly restored lossless track captures all of the gun shots, dialogue, and music with no problems. The dynamic range isn’t really shown off a ton, but that just comes with the age of the picture. Overall, a fantastic and healthy restoration.

Supplements:

With nothing but trailers to show for extra features, it is needless to say that there is much left to be desired in this area for the home release.

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade