THE GARMENT JUNGLE [1957] [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray] [1957 / 2020] [UK Release] The Movie Throws the Acid Right Back in the Gangsters’ Faces!
Kerwin Matthews and Lee J. Cobb star in a “film noir” exposé of murder and corruption in the fashion world. When a Korean War veteran takes a job at his father’s fashion business, he finds they are paying the mob to shut out the union. When pro-union employees start to begin getting murdered, he decides to take on the gangsters. Based on true stories about mob involvement in the garment industry, ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ stands as a pro-union response like the 1954 film ‘On The Waterfront,’ and is no less tough and controversial than that film which was by the original director Robert Aldrich, but was fired for his refusal to compromise, so Vincent Sherman stepped in to complete production of the ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ film.
FILM FACT: In November 1955 Columbia announced they had purchased the rights to a Reader's Digest article “Gangsters in the Dress Business” by Lester Velie, about the efforts of organized crime to infiltrate the garment industry. Harry Kleiner was assigned to write and produce. It was to be called ‘Garment Center’ and Executive producer Jerry Wald said the film would pay tribute to the efforts of unions to fight crime, and be shot in part on location in the garment district in New York. In July 1956 Robert Aldrich signed a two-picture deal with Columbia Pictures to make films through his own company, The Associates and Robert Aldrich, and The Garment Center was to be the first title of the film, but of course later on it was officially released as ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ and Robert Aldrich says he mostly agreed to do the film so Columbia Pictures would finance the second movie he wanted to make which was ‘Until Proven Guilty.’ Robert Aldrich said screenwriter Harry Kleiner's script was “terribly tough, and controversial.” Harry Kleiner said it was about how mostly Jewish manufacturers hired the mostly Italian mafia to help them with labour. Robert Aldrich said “it was a marvellous conflict – racial, social, and religious. Eventually the film was made for Columbia Pictures directly, but Robert Aldrich planned to follow it with ‘Until Proven Guilty’ for his company and to be distributed through Columbia Pictures. Robert Aldrich arrived in New York with Harry Kleiner in July to start scouting locations. Filming began on the 12th October, 1956 with location shooting in New York. Columbia Pictures rented and fitted out its own garment centre for filming. Robert Aldrich says he never saw the final film but was told “about half or two thirds of it is mine.” Robert Aldrich may have seen it later because he said Vincent Sherman made it “very quiet and very mild; it became a love story, also about a father who wanted give his business to his son, all that bullshit.” Robert Aldrich went on to sue Columbia Pictures for not financing ‘Storm in the Sun,’ a film he wanted to make. The case settled out of court. Despite the firing Robert Aldrich admired Cohn. "I think he ran a marvellous studio... I think he did it as well as anybody could do it... Robert Aldrich wasn't in the money business he was in the movie business." Robert Aldrich says he had a chance to do other work for Harry Cohn before the latter died but didn't go and "always regretted it.”
Cast: Lee J. Cobb, Kerwin Mathews, Gia Scala, Richard Boone, Valerie French, Robert Loggia, Joseph Wiseman, Harold J. Stone, Adam Williams, Wesley Addy, Willis Bouchey, Robert Ellenstein, Celia Lovsky, Suzanne Alexander (uncredited), Alex Ball (uncredited), Benjie Bancroft (uncredited), Joanna Barnes (uncredited), John Barton (uncredited), Harry Baum (uncredited), Brandon Beach (uncredited), Arthur Berkeley (uncredited), Bonnie Bolding (uncredited), Eve Brent (uncredited), Shirley Buchanan (uncredited), Nora Bush (uncredited), Anna Lee Carroll (uncredited), Charles Cirillo (uncredited), Bud Cokes (uncredited), Paul Cristo (uncredited), Dick Crockett (uncredited), Lillian Culver (uncredited), Roy Damron (uncredited), Jann Darlyn (uncredited), Madelyn Darrow (uncredited), Diane DeLaire (uncredited), Luis Delgado (uncredited), Millicent Deming (uncredited), George DeNormand (uncredited), Jimmy Dime (uncredited), Richard Elmore (uncredited), Billy Engle (uncredited), Tom Ferrandini (uncredited), George Ford (uncredited), Kenneth Gibson (uncredited), Joe Gilbert (uncredited), Ruth Gillis (uncredited), Joseph Glick (uncredited), James Gonzalez (uncredited), Herschel Graham (uncredited), Joan Granville (uncredited), Stuart Hall (uncredited), Marilyn Hanold (uncredited), Chester Hayes (uncredited), Bob Hopkins (uncredited), Shep Houghton (uncredited), Michael Jeffers (uncredited), Betsy Jones-Moreland (uncredited), Dorothy Kellogg (uncredited), Kenner G. Kemp (uncredited), Ellie Kent (uncredited), June Kirby (uncredited), Donald Kirke (uncredited), Paul Knight (uncredited), Betty Koch (uncredited), Joe Lanza (uncredited), Perk Lazelle (uncredited), Frank Marlowe (uncredited), Kathy Marlowe (uncredited), William Meader (uncredited), Russell Meeker (uncredited), Sid Melton (uncredited), Harold Miller (uncredited), Laurie Mitchell (uncredited), Hans Moebus (uncredited), Mike Morelli (uncredited), Charles Morton (uncredited), Sol Murgi (uncredited), Peggy O'Connor (uncredited), Gloria Pall (uncredited), Charles Perry (uncredited), Joe Ploski (uncredited), Jose Portugal (uncredited), Ray Pourchot (uncredited), Paul Power (uncredited), Fred Rapport (uncredited), Leoda Richards (uncredited), George Robotham (uncredited), Edwin Rochelle (uncredited), Victor Romito (uncredited), Cosmo Sardo (uncredited), Archie Savage (uncredited), Irene Seidner (uncredited), Jon Shepodd (uncredited), Charles Sherlock (uncredited), Hal Taggart (uncredited), Jud Taylor (uncredited), June Tolley (uncredited), Danny Truppi (uncredited), Dale Van Sickel (uncredited), Paul Weber (uncredited) and William Woodson (uncredited)
Director: Robert Aldrich (uncredited) and Vincent Sherman
Producer: Harry Kleiner
Screenplay: Harry Kleiner (story and screenplay) and Lester Velie (articles)
Composer: Leith Stevens
Make-up and Hair Department: Clay Campbell, S.M.A. (Make-up Artist) and Helen Hunt (Hair stylist)
Costume Design: Jean Louis (Gowns)
Cinematography: Joseph Francis Biroc, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black and White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
Audio Description: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 87 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Columbia Pictures / Powerhouse Films / INDICATOR
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ [1957] is a wonderful dramatic classic “film noir” and mostly directed by Robert Aldrich, who did not get the credit for his work, and was completed by Vincent Sherman. The stand out performance is the actor Lee J. Cobb is not surprising, and plays Walter Mitchell the owner of a garment manufacturer entitled Roxton Fashions in the garment district of Manhattan in New York, and in ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ Walter Mitchell turns a blind eye to what is going on with the mobsters controlling the situation and ignoring the workers’ rights to join a union.
This film starts out with an argument between two partners; Walter Mitchell [Lee J. Cobb] and his partner Fred Kenner [Robert Ellenstein] are discussing what the workers should be paid. Walter Mitchell is against the union and his partner is for it. Walter Mitchell partner Robert Ellenstein walks away and gets in the elevator, and the elevator fails dramatically and his partner Robert Ellenstein falls to his death. Walter Mitchell’s son Alan Mitchell [Kerwin Mathews] comes back to town and wants to work with his father Walter Mitchell. When a confrontation between a union organizer Tulio Renata [Robert Loggia] and Walter Mitchell happens in front of Alan Mitchell on the factory floor, and it gets Alan Mitchell thinking.
Alan Mitchell goes to Tulio Renata where he meets the union organizer’s beautiful wife Theresa Renata [Gia Scala]. The three work together to break the mob, which is behind trying to keep the company union free and hired by Walter Mitchell for protection. The situation escalates and soon turns violent. Will the mob break the union or will the union break the mob? Will Walter Mitchell finally look at employees’ rights or will he continue to support the mob? Who will survive and who will die in this war between the two?
Richard Boone plays the mob boss Walter Mitchell has partnered with and Wesley Addy plays the head thug for the mob. Both are great in their evil ways. Besides Lee J. Cobb’s performance, Robert Loggia’s performance is well worth checking out. The dynamic between him and his wife are very interesting. Even though he is a good man trying to do what is right, he has his dark side. I really got a vibe that he beats his wife even though he was madly in love with her.
Robert Loggia’s wife Gia Scala is also very good in this film. But Gia Scala had a very short career and looks to have had a hard life with bouts of depression and turned to drugs. This eventually ended her life at a very young age.
Director Robert Aldrich was replaced by Vincent Sherman a week before the end of the shoot for refusing to compromise a tough screenplay, and shooting then continued for 16 days. Nevertheless, the result was a powerful film on the influence of racketeers in the garment industry. Though ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ covers a familiar film noir topic of racketeers, it’s helped considerably by terrific performances by Lee J. Cobb as the befuddled legit boss who made a bargain with the Devil and Richard Boone who is the ruthless mobster.
The screenplay was inspired by an expose written by Lester Velie and published in the July 1955 issue of Readers Digest called “Gangsters in the Dress Business.” The Hispanic workers at the garment factory and represented in the film are overworked, underpaid and fed up with it. When they try to fight back, they are oppressed with extreme violence. In real life, a union worker was killed by gangsters and the footage of the funeral is used in the film. The exploitation of Hispanic workers is still an ongoing problem today so this film could definitely open up the opportunity to have some round table discussions.
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Columbia Pictures, Powerhouse Films + INDICATOR presents us the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ with a really exceptional 1080p black-and-white image and again surprisingly it is shown in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Occasionally wider shots can feel a little soft, but facial close-ups are impressive across the board, as are the textures of surfaces and clothing. The contrast balance is generally very good, though there is some variance in the strength of the black levels, being a tad softer on darker shots in the film. This has some impressively deep black levels, however, and detail levels are often quite satisfying, especially when close-ups are employed. So all in all, Columbia Pictures, Powerhouse Films + INDICATOR have done a really good image transfer. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Columbia Pictures, Powerhouse Films + INDICATOR brings us the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ with a standard 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio and it is fine throughout the film, and at least the sounds are very clean enough with no serious signs of damage, and dialogue is clear and easy to hear. This is wonderful, and it very smooth, unobstructed sound cleaner than films twice its age. The same goes for the composed film score by the wonderful Leith Stevens, and is punctuated with some pure highs and specially the lows the capture the tone of the wonderful audio and the dramatic atmosphere throughout the film. Like the print, damage is readily avoided, from hissing to popping. All in all, this is a really good audio track experience.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ Audio Commentary with Kevin Lyons [Audio only] [2020] [1080p] [1.85:1] [87:40] With this featurette, we get to hear a special audio commentary from Film Historian Kevin Lyons who is here to talk about the 1957 Columbia Pictures film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ and as the film begins Kevin Lyons introduces himself and immediately comments that he edits the Encyclopaedia of Fantastic Film and Television website, and for the next 87 minutes I am here to talk about this cracking 1957 Columbia Pictures genre film and opens with a hard bold voice over setting up the outline of the story and accompanying lots of shots of 1950’s New York and particularly the garment industry in the Manhattan district, where the action will predominately takes place, and now Kevin Lyons says that when you usually do an audio commentary you usually ease into the plot, but not here, where you have a brilliantly written screenplay by Harry Kleiner and then we get the main credits at the start of the film and then we plunge straight into the film that informed us that it was directed by Vincent Sherman but that is not telling the full story who directed some of the film, but in reality it was directed and uncredited by Robert Aldrich before he was fired from the project by slightly convoluted circumstances and Kevin Lyons says he will go into more detail later on in this audio commentary as well as talking about the key players in this film and also about people behind the script and screenplay, as well as other important people involved with the film and anything else that takes Kevin Lyons fancy. Now Kevin Lyons starts to talk about the opening of the main part of the film and its convoluted plot and wants to talk about the great American actor Lee J. Cobb who runs the garment company Roxton Fashions and says he wants to talk more about Lee J. Cobb throughout this audio commentary and especially the film. But with Lee J. Cobb in the scene in the film is another actor and that is his partner Fred Kenner [Robert Ellenstein] are discussing and arguing what the workers should be paid, but due to circumstances has to leave and get into the lift which is very high up the top of the building, but because of the gangsters aka the mobsters have fixed the lift that plunges dramatically plunges 12 stories to the bottom of the shaft and of course kills Fred Kenner instantly and the end of his appearance in the film, but Kevin Lyons says Robert Ellenstein (1923-2010) had a very prolific acting career in films and television and says that he had over 200 television appearances, performed hundreds of stage roles as an actor and directed many theatre productions in New York, Los Angeles and was best known for having played the villain in the pilot episode of ‘Moonlighting’ (1985), and then the Federation President in ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’ (1923 – 2010). Now Kevin Lyons talks about the actor Kerwin Mathews who plays Walter Mitchell’s son Alan Mitchell who has returned to New York after a spell in the Korean War and has come back to work Roxton Fashions, but is constantly battling and fighting with his father who will not allow the workers to join a union because of the mobsters are in control who again Alan Mitchell throughout the film is have a hard task to thwart the mobsters rule in Roxton Fashions. But at that point Kevin Lyon goes into great detail about the actor Kerwin Mathews (1926 – 2007) who was a contract player for Columbia Pictures and mentions that he was an American actor best known for playing the titular heroes in ‘The 7th Voyage of Sinbad’ (1958), ‘The Three Worlds of Gulliver’ (1960), and ‘Jack the Giant Killer’ (1962) and also says that Kerwin Mathews at two years old when he moved with his divorced mother to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he attended Janesville High School, graduating in 1943. Kerwin Mathews said that “a kind high school teacher put me in a play, and that changed my life.” Kerwin Mathews served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a pilot and swimming instructor; he attended and performed at nearby Milton College for two years before transferring to Beloit College on drama and music scholarships. Kerwin Mathews remained at Beloit three years after graduation, teaching speech and dramatic arts, and appeared in regional theatre. Kerwin Mathews also taught high school English in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Kerwin Mathews retired from acting in 1978 and moved to San Francisco, where he ran a clothing and antiques shop. Kerwin Mathews was survived by his partner of 46 years, Tom Nicoll, a British display manager at Harvey Nichols, the British luxury department store. The two met in 1961. Kerwin Mathews died in his sleep in San Francisco on the 5th July, 2007, at age 81. Now Kevin Lyons wants to talk briefly about the actor Lee J. Cobb (1911 – 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage, as well as for his television role in the series, ‘The Virginian.’ Lee J. Cobb often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectable figures such as judges and police officers. Lee J. Cobb originated the role of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's 1949 play “Death of a Salesman” under the direction of Elia Kazan, and was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for ‘On the Waterfront’ (1954) and ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ (1958). Lee J. Cobb died of a heart attack on the 11th February, 1976 in Woodland Hills, California at age 64, and was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. As we go through the film, Kevin Lyons starts talking in-depth about some of the prominent actors in the film like Gia Scala, Richard Boone, Valerie French and Robert Loggia and talks in-depth about their acting careers and mentions some of the films they have appeared in. At chapter 6, Kevin Lyons now gets into the plot of the film where the mobsters are controlling lots of clothing companies in the Manhattan area of New York and again controlling the bosses in not allowing the workers to join a union and at one point Tulio Renata [Robert Loggia] is a union organizer trying to organize the Roxton Fashions factory workers to join the union, who also later gets murdered by Artie Ravidge [Richard Boone] mobster’s men, and his wife Theresa Renata [Gia Scala] endures threats against herself and their child. But eventually the mobsters get their justified comeuppance, but of course it is a very long slog, especially with Alan Mitchell who is a thorn in the side of the mobsters and stands up against them which of course the mobsters are willing to stop Alan Mitchell in his pursuit against the mobsters and from that Kevin Lyons now talks in-depth about other dramatic scenes throughout the film. But when we get to chapter 10 we get to see Alan Mitchell and Theresa Renata are held up Tulio Renata's mother apartment that is played by Celia Lovsky and at that point the milkman arrives and leaves a very important package outside the door that is a pivotal plot to the film because it is two books that showed that Walter Mitchell was making payments to Artie Ravidge [Richard Boone] who was in control of the workers and also in charge of the union-busting gangsters and of course instantly Artie Ravidge gets his comeuppance with the law and the end of his control of Walter Mitchell and his union-busting gangsters. Kevin Lyons says now this is the pivotal part of the cracking action packed film and now the heroes of the film have now the upper hand of the situation, but of course you will have to watch the 1957 film to find out how this was achieved. But at this point Kevin Lyons talks in general about the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE' and says the 1957 film was not universally likes and upon the release of the film on the 25th April, 1957 where a critic from the Saturday Review USA publication review of the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE' said, “that it was a contrived mess and urged its readers to miss this one if you can,” but other critics were not so negative about the film. Nut Kevin Lyons says, “And I hope you stuck with me throughout the last 87 minutes, that you will share my opinion of ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE' is a lot better than the negative critics at the rime allowed for and also says it had a great cast, excellent cinematography, exciting direction regardless who was the director, and felt the film was a cracking little thriller that is deserved to be better known, and at that moment we are about the leave the garment district, and I hope you have enjoyed the last 87 minutes, and this chat has proved entertaining and perhaps a little educational and my thanks to INDICATOR for my opportunity to talk about this film. This is Kevin Lyons and thank you for your company, and at that point this audio commentary with Kevin Lyons comes to an end.
Special Feature: It’s a Jungle Out There: Robert Loggia on ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE' [2007] [480i / 1080p] [1.78:1 / 1.85:1] [19:42] With this featurette, we get to view an archival interview with actor Robert Loggia, conducted by Alan K. Rode of the Film Noir Foundation following a screening of the 1957 film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ at The Egyptian Theatre and Robert Loggia recalls Robert Aldrich's contribution to the film, what attracted the filmmaker to the film, and his eventual firing by Harry Cohn. It's a wonderful addition to the release of the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ and I'm very happy INDICATOR was able to locate it. While viewing this featurette, we get to view clips from the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE.’
Special Feature: Law of the Jungle: Tony Rayns on Robert Aldrich and ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ [2020] [1080p] [1.85:1 / 1.78:1] [15:05] With this featurette, we get to view British Writer, Commentator, Film Festival Programmer and Screenwriter Tony Rayns discusses Robert Aldrich and Vincent Sherman and ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ 1957 film, and we hear Tony Rayns the film scholar explaining how Robert Aldrich's original idea behind the film contained its more progressive themes front and centre, which went against what Columbia Pictures Harry Cohn wanted just a simple gangster film with a love story at the centre. Robert Aldrich shot most of the film before he was fired and Tony Rayns tries to guess how much of the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ was actually directed by Robert Aldrich, though there is a lot of conflicting information throughout this featurette. While viewing this featurette, we get to view clips from the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE.’
Special Feature: Theatrical Trailer [1957] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:34] With this featurette, we get to view the Original Theatrical Trailer the film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’
Special Feature: Image Gallery: With this featurette, we get to view 45 wonderful 1080p black-and-white and colour images of publicity and promotional material related to the 1957 film ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE.’ To advance the images you have to press the right hand NEXT button on your remote control. To EXIT the featurette, you have to press either MENU or TOP MENU on your remote control.
Special Feature: Rip, Sew and Stitch [1953] [1080p] [1.37:1] [00:00] With this featurette, we get to view another so called comedy film starring the Three Stooges, in which the trio run a tailor shop and need money to pay their creditors. A bank robber leaves his coat in the shop with a combination to a safe. When the crook comes back to retrieve the coat, the stooges capture him and get his bankroll.
Finally, ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ [1957] is a very, very good film. Films can surprise you, and when they do it can prove so very welcome. This is a film with a superb cast, a genuinely interesting story with real surprises and plenty of opportunity for that cast to display some great performances. It is much more nuanced and complex than the exploitation films that poster suggested it was. ‘THE GARMENT JUNGLE’ is a good classic “film noir” well worth checking out. It is an interesting time capsule of the union movement in the 1950’s. It is especially interesting to look at the clothing industry then and compare it to how it works now in today’s modern society and industry. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
