THE KILLERS [1946 / 2014] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] The Most Suspenseful Picture of Them All! The Screen’s All-Time Classic of Suspense!
Ernest Hemingway’s spare, laconic short story about two professional killers and their encounter with a mysteriously unresisting victim was significantly expanded into this all-time film noir classic, which Ernest Hemingway said was the first adaptation of his work that he really admired.
As washed-up boxer turned hit-man victim Ole "Swede" Anderson [Burt Lancaster] made his screen debut, and was catapulted to instant stardom, not least for the screen chemistry that he showed opposite sultry Kitty Collins [Ava Gardner], whose is the very personification of the femme fatale.
German émigré Robert Siodmak was one of the filmmakers who helped create film noir, and Elwood Bredell’s high-contrast cinematography, all harsh lighting and long shadows, elevates the film far above a conventional crime drama. But even on that level it’s a first-rate demonstration of how to maintain narrative tension, with the flashback structure withholding crucial details until almost the very end.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1946 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1947 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Director for Robert Siodmak. Nominated: Best Writing for a Screenplay for Anthony Veiller. Nominated: Best Film Editing for Arthur Hilton. Nominated: Best Music Scoring of a Dramatic Picture for Miklós Rózsa. 1947 Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Win: Best Motion Picture for Anthony Veiller (writer), Mark Hellinger (producer) and Robert Siodmak (director). 2008 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry for the film ‘THE KILLERS.’
FILM FACT No.2: Scenes from ‘THE KILLERS’ were used in the Steve Martin film noir spoof ‘Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid’ [1982]. Ernest Hemingway, who was habitually disgusted with how Hollywood distorted his thematic intentions, was a fan of the 1946 film directed by Robert Siodmak, stating that "It is a good picture and the only good picture ever made of a story of mine." In 2008, ‘THE KILLERS’ was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene, Vince Barnett, Virginia Christine, Jack Lambert, Charles D. Brown, Donald MacBride, Charles McGraw, William Conrad, Ernie Adams (uncredited), Audley Anderson (uncredited), George Anderson (uncredited), Sam Ash (uncredited), Frank Baker (uncredited), Brooks Benedict (uncredited), John Berkes (uncredited), Edward Biby (uncredited), Harry Brown (uncredited), Phil Brown (uncredited), Jack Cheatham (uncredited), James Conaty (uncredited), Jeff Corey (uncredited), Gino Corrado (uncredited), Noel Cravat (uncredited), Oliver Cross (uncredited), Rex Dale (uncredited), Neal Dodd (uncredited), Mike Donovan (uncredited), Howard Freeman (uncredited), Dick Gordon (uncredited), Robert Haines (uncredited), Michael Hale (uncredited), Sam Harris (uncredited), Harry Hayden (uncredited), Mark Hellinger (uncredited), Al Hill (uncredited), George Hoagland (uncredited), Jimmie Horan (uncredited), Geoffrey Ingham (uncredited), Kenner G. Kemp (uncredited), Paul Kruger (uncredited), Ethan Laidlaw (uncredited), Mike Lally (uncredited), Perc Launders (uncredited), Nolan Leary (uncredited), Vera Lewis (uncredited), Jack Lomas (uncredited), Therese Lyon (uncredited), Frank McLure (uncredited), Charles Middleton (uncredited), John Miljan (uncredited), Howard Negley (uncredited), Garry Owen (uncredited), Beatrice Roberts (uncredited), Wally Rose (uncredited), William Ruhl (uncredited), Wallace Scott (uncredited), John Sheehan (uncredited), Queenie Smith (uncredited), Ann Staunton (uncredited), Jack Tornek (uncredited), John Trebach (uncredited), Bill Walker (uncredited), Milton Wallace (uncredited), Gabrielle Windsor (uncredited) and Florence Wix (uncredited)
Director: Robert Siodmak
Producer: Mark Hellinger
Screenplay: Anthony Veiller (screenplay), Ernest Hemingway (from the story), John Huston (uncredited) and Richard Brooks (uncredited)
Composer: Miklós Rózsa
Cinematography: Elwood Bredell (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 103 mins
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / Arrow Academy
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE KILLERS’ [1946] is widely recognised as one of the great classics of what is now known as “film noir” and although that term had only just been coined by French critics at the time of its release in 1946. Not only is it one of the great classics, but it also includes many of the genre’s quintessential elements, and was made with the involvement of several of its foremost exponents.
A film based on an Ernest Hemingway short story, “The Killers” is a stunning piece of American “film noir” that ticks all the boxes of the genre while bringing to the table more than anticipated. The source material is only eight pages long, with not much explained, so for a whole film to succeed on so little is an achievement. French director Robert Siodmak had some success throughout his career outside of European cinema and ‘THE KILLERS’ can rightly rank as one of his finest foreign market efforts. The style of the characters, the camera angles and the lighting all create a rich image that makes the “film noir” feel authentic.
The first fifteen minutes are nearly a perfect telling of Ernest Hemingway’s story, what follows afterwards is a clever addition to the tale that adds layer upon layer to its complex narrative. A true film of Hollywood’s golden age, ‘THE KILLERS’ is steeped in a complex flashback structure as we learn the mystery of Ole "Swede" Anderson’s life and why he was ultimately murdered. Burt Lancaster would go on to become a legendary figure in Hollywood after this debut, having an acting career that spanned decades. His understated performance plays in perfectly to the weak male protagonist trope common to “film noir.”
Their powerful, punchy and the filmic script gives a great underpinning for director Robert Siodmak’s gritty “film noir.” The feature is awash with the dark foreboding shadows of the genre and Robert Siodmak shows great technical skill in his handling of the picture. One scene shows a heist in operation. A gang enters a workplace among a crowd. They enter a paymaster’s office, hold up the men and steal a quarter of a million dollars. They leave, take part in a shoot-out, and drive off in waiting cars with guns blazing. The whole scenario is shown with no cuts, where the camera, on a crane, sweeps and cruises over the facade in an operatic bloody ballet. Riveting to watch, it shows a director in complete control of his picture. Director Robert Siodmak was a German immigrant to Hollywood and so we can understand the origins of his study of the use of noir lighting. This is very reminiscent of “German Expressionism.”
This film features a devastatingly beautiful femme fatale. Ava Gardner takes control of each of the scenes in which she appears and the male audience is entranced as if under the influence of opium. We all can understand how Ole "Swede" Anderson had felt every time that they’d shared a room and the audience can sometimes also feel it, due to her excellent performance. Ole “Swede” Anderson is Burt Lancaster’s first film appearance and he is absolutely terrific. Burt Lancaster plays his character like a real human being and not a theatrically trained actor, and every single other actor in the film plays it for keeps, as well.
But why is it that we’re so attached to constantly rediscovering the femme fatale, the good guy who’s wrongfully punished and/or accused, huge and labyrinthine dark cities, and dark shadows that swallow up pride and oppress innocent men and women? Why is it that after the Second World War, these types of films began to appear wholesale and influence many auteurs, who borrowed from even earlier pictures that depicted the darkness of the human soul?
It was a form of art that was ahead of its time and it’s an even stronger form of art now. I love a good drama or tragedy and what is a better way to display dread and dismay than by painting the town black and coating it with sweat and bullets? The stronger the contrast between black and white, darkness and brightness, the easier it is to explain dreadful situations. After all, film is a visual medium and we relate shadows to death as we relate a lighthouse to salvation. The darker the film, the darker the shadows and the stronger their hold is on the unsuspecting. In any case, the film is a classic example of a complex “film noir” crime drama, pitted with tension and suspense. All things considered, this Universal Pictures and Arrow Academy release, making an outstanding “film noir” available in Blu-ray quality for the first time ever.
THE KILLERS MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE MORE I KNOW OF LOVE (1946) (Music by Miklós Rózsa) (Lyrics Jack Brooks) [Performed by Ava Gardner] (uncredited)
WITH PLENTY OF MONEY (1936) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) [Played on piano in Lou Tingle's café]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – This 1946 version of ‘THE KILLERS’ is one of the greats, especially we get a gorgeous 1080p reference quality, artefact-free black-and-white image transfer that offers superb sharpness and a greyscale that presents the deep, inky blacks which are absolutely essential for proper “film noir” presentation of this calibre. Sometimes second unit work and stock footage is soft and doesn’t mix well with the rest of the original footage, but contrast is outstanding even with the black levels and despite this, definitely gest a five star rating from me. 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 – The film ‘THE KILLERS’ is presented in a brilliant 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio sound mix. It offers a rich widest-ranging fidelity and is more than adequate to support the sterling visuals. Dialogue, music, and sound effects have been mixed together with professional expertise with no compromises for any aspect of the presentation. There are also no age-related problems with hiss or crackle to mar the listening experience. Dynamic intensity is good, especially with Miklós Rózsa's dramatic film score is spot on and easily enhances this “film noir” film in all the right places. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report with this review and is total perfection.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Newly restored High Definition presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by Universal Pictures
Original uncompressed 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
Special Feature: Isolated Music and Effects: Hear the amazing music and effects soundtrack and especially to highlight Miklós Rózsa’s famous film score. Presented in 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio.
Special Feature: Frank Krutnik on Ernest Hemingway’s ‘THE KILLERS’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [54:20] This video piece by the author Frank Krutnik, who is the author of “In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity” [2006], introduces the film ‘THE KILLERS’ and provides a detailed commentary on four key scenes in the film ‘THE KILLERS.’ Frank Krutnik also discusses the original story from Ernest Hemingway's that inspired ‘THE KILLERS’ film and highlights some of the key differences between two versions of the ‘THE KILLERS’ films. This was such an informative special feature that it should be required viewing for all “film noir” fans.
Special Feature: Arrow Films presents ‘THE KILLERS’ Heroic Fatalism [Audio only] [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [31:52] Based on “Hemingway’s The Killers and Heroic Fatalism: From Page to Screen (Thrice)” by Philip Booth and published in Literature/Film Quarterly Winter 2007. This video essay has Philip Booth comparing and studying the multiple film versions of ‘THE KILLERS,’ especially by Ernest Hemingway Short Story [1927], Robert Siodmak Film [1946], Andrei Tarkovsky Film [1956] and Don Siegel TV Film [1964]. This is a very unusual supplement; I haven’t seen something constructed like this with so much care and attention on a Blu-ray release in a very long time. It does get a little too academic at times but does provide keen insight into the differences between each adaptation of ‘THE KILLERS’ films in an orderly, rigorous manner.
Special Feature: Radio Killers: Here we get presented with three radio broadcasts attested to ‘THE KILLERS’ and was influenced on American popular culture and they are The Jack Benny Program [1946] is a spoof of the film in the year of its release, the Screen Director’s Playhouse [1949] was an adapted story for radio with Byrt Lancaster, Shelley Winters and Robert Siodmak and Suspence! “Two for the Road” [1958] reunited the original killers William Conrad and Charles McGraw and this is what you get to hear:
The Jack Benny Program [1946] [1080p] [1.78:1] [10:10] This is a Jack Benny’s dramatized radio spoof of the film ‘THE KILLERS’ and The Lucky Strike Program that was broadcast on the 24th November, 1946 by the NBC Network and was Sponsored by Lucky Strike. It starred Jack Benn and the cast does its version of ‘THE KILLERS’ with guest Edward G. Robinson as a "Little Caesar" character and is very funny! The singing quartet you hear, and began on the radio program on the 29th September, 1946, and are identified as "The Sportsmen" for the first time. The Sportsmen do the Lucky Strike cigarette commercial to an aria from "Il Trvatore." The Jack Benny Program was first broadcast on the Blue Network on 2nd May, 1932 and then moved to the NBC Network. With his capable cast of supporting players for Jack Benny and made his show into one of great radio comedy shows in America. What was so special about this golden-age classic is Benny's ability to come across as a likeable guy despite being vain, argumentative, and a skinflint. People related to Jack Benny and his willingness to often give the best comedy lines in the show to his supporting cast made him popular with listeners, guests and colleagues. This is classic comedy that is still funny sixty years later.
Screen Director’s Playhouse [1949] [1080p] [1.78:1] [29:57] This was broadcast on the 5th June, 1949. After a $200,000 robbery, a gangster just out of jail double-crosses the gang and is double-crossed in turn. Starring Frank Barton (announcer), Burt Lancaster, Dan Riss, Frank Gerstle, Gwen Delano, Milton Geiger (adaptor), Robert Siodmak (guest screen director) and Shelley Winters.
CBS Radio Network Suspence! “Two for the Road” [1958] [1080p] [1.78:1] [29:10] This was broadcast on the 9th November, 1958. Here we are reunited with the two original killers William Conrad and Charles McGraw from the film ‘‘THE KILLERS’ and play two actors who are driving from New York to Hollywood, but are mistaken for murderous bank robbers and detained by an Arkansas sheriff played by Howard McNear.
Special Feature: Stills and Posters Gallery: Here we get to view a collection of 44 rare black-and-white and colour archival stills and original poster from around the world for the film ‘THE KILLERS.’
Theatrical Trailers: Here we get to view four Original Theatrical Trailers and they are as follows: ‘THE KILLERS’ [1946] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:47]; ‘Brute Force’ [19??] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:15]; ‘The Naked City’ [19??] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:52] and ‘Rififi’ [19??] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:45].
BONUS: Stunning Blu-ray reversible printed sleeve featuring one of the original posters and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw.
PLUS: A Stunning Collector’s 40 Page Booklet containing new writing by Sergio Angelini entitled “THE KILLERS” [2014]. Lots of 1946 critic’s reviews entitled “CONTEMPARY REVIEWS.” A 1946 “American Cinematography” reprinted article by Herb A. Lightman entitled “THE KILLERS: TEAMWORK ON FILM” where they interview producer Mark Hellinger and cinematographer Woody Bredell. A 1959 “Sight & Sound” reprinted article entitled “ENCOUNTER WITH SIODMAK” by Russell Taylor who interviews director Robert Siodmak. It also gives you information “ABOUT THE TRANSFER;” PRODUCTION CREDITS” and “SPECIAL THANKS.” But you also get stunning Black-and-White illustrated original production stills.
Finally, one of the quintessential films noir comes to Blu-ray with the Universal Pictures and Arrow Academy feature release of Ernest Hemingway’s ‘THE KILLERS.’ This versions has received sterling image and audio treatment making this a wonderful bargain loaded with interesting bonus material ported over from the original inferior 2002 DVD release and finally it is great that we finally have this film on Blu-ray. It is an indisputable classic “film noir.” Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
