Scarlet Street – 4K UHD Blu-ray Review
Commissions Earned
Film Title: Scarlet Street (1945)
Release Date: 2024
Rating: NOT RATED
Runtime: 101 minutes
Region Coding: Region Free
Distributor: KL Studio Classics
Audio Format(s): DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
High Dynamic Range: HDR10, Dolby Vision
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Version Reviewed: 4K UHD Blu-ray
Release Date: 1/30/24
Director: Fritz Lang
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Margaret Lindsay, Rosalind Ivan, Russell Hicks, Charles Kemper, Jess Barker, Samuel S. Hinds, Vladimir Sokoloff
Jump to Sections:
Movie | Video | Audio | Bonus | Closing | Screenshots
Full 4K Tech Specs found at the bottom
click to view a 4K Screenshot
The Movie
“Scarlet Street” was a 1945 crime-themed film noir directed by Fritz Lang. Lang is best known for directing such films as “Metropolis” (1927), “M” (1931), “Fury” (1936), “You Only Live Once” (1937), “The Return of Frank James” (1940), “Cloak and Dagger” (1946), “House by the River” (1950), “The Blue Gardenia” (1953), and “The Big Heat” (1953). The screenplay, based on a French novel [“La Chienne”] written by Georges de La Fouchardière and André Mouëzy-Éon, was adapted by Dudley Nichols.
The story revolves around a man named “Christopher Cross” (Edward G. Robinson), a basic account cashier at the city works department. Christopher Cross: a man with a truly fitting name, if ever there was one hell of an appropriate combination. Despite years on the job, a gold watch earned, and an unsatisfying marriage to his wife “Adele” (Rosalind Ivan), Chris early on we learn harbors unexplored thoughts. One night, witnessing his boss leaving with a much younger woman sparks an excitement to escape his life with his wife.
After escorting a drunk colleague home, Chris stumbles upon a man assaulting a young woman. Doing what any man would, he intervenes, hitting the assailant. Promising to bring the police, he fulfills the commitment only to find the man missing upon return. This marks the beginning of deception by the young lady and her accomplice.
The woman, “Katherine ‘Kitty’ March” (Joan Bennett), has a fiancé named “Johnny Prince” (Dan Duryea), a conman who schemes to defraud the older protagonist. Unbeknownst to them, Chris possesses nothing but paintings done for fun at home. He has no fortune. As their friendship develops, his paintings end up in the hands of the young lady. When Chris encounters Johnny at her apartment, he struggles to recall where he’d seen him before. The con couple decides to sell Chris’s paintings, falsely believing he is an artist, leading to unexpected attention. And there, the story takes an intriguing turn.
Movie Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
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Video Quality
“Scarlet Street” on 4K UHD Blu-ray is presented in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range. The movie was shot on 35mm film using spherical lenses and is presented in Black and White. This 4K physical media release features a new master from a 16-bit 4K scan of the 35mm nitrate composite fine grain. This was provided to Kino Lorber courtesy of Universal Pictures and UCLA.
Next, let me get technical, for a bit, regarding the 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc itself here. This release uses a BD-100 (100 gigabytes) disc, 72.48 gigabytes total, and 71.1 gigabytes for the film itself. Based on my observations via my 4K UHD Blu-ray player, this seems to be running an average (roughly) of anywhere between 85.5 to 88.6 Mbps in the HEVC (high-efficiency video coding) codec, hitting peaks as high as 95.3 and 106.2 Mbps at times. According to info on the PC side, this seems to have an overall video bitrate of 93.4 Mb/s average. Statistically, that’s one very high overall video bitrate, folks.
When I saw this movie for the first time, it was on VHS tape, I’m saddened to admit to you all it was not in a theater. I’m not that old and I’ve not seen it since on home video until again now. This in comparison is downright amazing to witness a 1945 Black & White film in 4K with a form of high dynamic range behind it. I doubt that the film’s lead (Edward G. Robinson) or its director (Fritz Lang) ever thought that this film would be presented in perhaps theater-like quality now in a home. I know that’s one hell of a statement and sure to have some disagreement over it, but I’m willing to say that this is the best the film has ever looked since it was shown in theaters in the mid-1940s. I doubt many readers saw this particular film during its original showings, and I cannot say that I did — as I was not even born yet. I can only imagine that this is as close to that cinematic experience as one could get.
This 4K visual presentation is remarkably full of beautiful thick film grain and it has a deep dark solid at an ink-black level, many thanks to the addition of high dynamic range. The black level only helps this type of visual subject material to emphasize shadows and detail, which it does an excellent job of. The HDR and higher resolution allow this 1945 classic to have some truly remarkable newfound detail, all through, but most especially in facial closeups.
This 4K scan has its share of visible blemishes such as the occasional scratches, hairs, and the persistent at times vertical lines found in some scenes. The reason for these vertical lines being there has to do with original film elements and this is the best I believe that the movie can look without doing a full-scale [very costly] restoration. I like these vertical lines still being there on occasion, as it gives this a very cinematic feel.
This 4K presentation is nothing near complete perfection, by no means, but it is impressive enough to earn every bit of an impressive 4.5 rating for video quality. This film has visually been done justice and this is by far the best that the movie has ever looked. Kino Lorber continues to prove to be one of the best distributors out there when it comes to producing high-quality 4K presentations.
Video Quality Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
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Audio Quality
“Scarlet Street” arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. If you’re not able to decode the aforementioned lossless audio format, this includes a DTS 2.0 Mono core.
We have to keep in mind that this film was originally shown in theaters back in 1945 in Mono sound. Here audio is delivered in a 2-channel Mono sound configuration and they’ve cleaned up the previous amount of hiss found on previous home video releases such as DVD and VHS. The music during the opening credits serves as an example of what to expect from the musical Score this film noir has to offer. The musical score by Hans J. Salter does a good job of setting the mood throughout the film and it sounds good here, in this lossless mix.
Dialogue is delivered distinctly and never once do we hear pops or anything to prevent you from making out dialogue. The mix can be cranked to reference volume level and it still sounds very good. This is a really solid audio presentation for a 1945 film and a Mono sound mix and it sounds good enough to certainly do this classic motion picture justice. That being said it merits a solid 4 rating for audio quality.
Audio Quality Rating: 4 (out of 5)
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Bonus Materials
Then you also get a Blu-ray Disc included in this 2-disc “combo pack” set.
- The Blu-ray Disc includes the film. This features a 1080p HD video presentation in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio with lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono sound. This Blu-ray Disc is locked to Region A.
Bonus materials that are included on both the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray are listed below.
- Audio Commentary by Film Historian Imogen Sarah Smith
- Audio Commentary by David Kala, Author of “The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse”
Overall, the bonus materials are just two audio commentary tracks that can be found on both the 4K and Blu-ray Discs. They’re certainly worth the listen for any fan of the film. It’s great to see these here from a film historian’s perspective. For a film this old, it’s understandable that there would be no extras aside from those audio commentary tracks.
Bonus Materials Rating: 1.5 (out of 5)
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Closing Thoughts
“Scarlet Street” from 1945 was not your typical film noir, as it had its share of comedic undertones between the crime drama. The movie was also perhaps a bit too much for some audiences originally, upon its 1945 release, being banned in three states for being too “profane.”
Our protagonist Chris, while seemingly a good-hearted person, falls deep down a spiral of deceived deranged descent here in the con that the couple try to pull on him. To say that he lets them get the better of him would be a serious understatement. It’s amazing what a man will do for “love” or better yet, for desire. This was cited as being one of director Fritz Lang’s favorite of his films and it is understandable why. This is great film noir.
In terms of video quality, this Black & White 1945 film proves to look remarkably impressive with the addition of the high dynamic range [HDR]. It has its share of issues with persistent vertical lines in some scenes, and that’s acceptable here in my opinion. The amount of newfound detail here is certainly going to leave fans of this film who have previously owned it on home video very pleased.
In terms of audio quality, this lossless Mono mix certainly is enough to do the film justice. There are no problems with either excessive hiss or pops that you typically find on older movies and that’s very nice to hear. All and all, it does its job and delivers a beautiful original musical score and the dialogue distinct. This audio mix is solid.
Finally, in terms of bonus materials, you get two great audio commentary tracks that offer historical insight into this film noir that fans should listen to. However, if you were expecting anything more than audio commentary tracks you might feel a slight bit disappointed. Still, you need to keep in mind an older film like this is not likely to get much anything more than you find here.
All and all, this release proves to be very interesting and is a must-own for any fans of Fritz Lang, Edward G. Robinson, and/or film noir in general. Kino Lorber has put together a 4K UHD Blu-ray release that left me saying, “Jeepers, Johnny,” It’s An Upgrade.
In terms of 4K UHD Blu-ray release, this gets:
4.5 (out of 5) for video quality
4 (out of 5) for audio quality
1.5 (out of 5) for bonus materials
Overall Verdict:
“Jeepers, Johnny,” It’s An Upgrade
Available As:
2024 4K UHD Blu-ray Release
Available at: Amazon | Kino Lorber | Walmart
Commissions Earned
4K UHD Blu-ray Screenshots:
Standard Packaging:
4K UHD Blu-ray Technical Specifications:
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Exact Runtime(s): 1:41:46
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with a DTS 2.0 Mono core)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English
HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision
Disc Size: BD-100
Disc Use: 72.48GB total / 71.1GB for the film
Video Bitrate: 93.4 Mb/s