Our second Columbia Noir box set takes a dive once more into the studio’s archives and the world of film noir – a world of undercover detectives (The Mob) and emotionless hitmen (Murder by Contract), a world where film is inspired by real-life criminal activities (Tight Spot, based loosely on Virginia Hill’s testimony against Bugsy Siegel) and real-life criminal activities are inspired by film (711 Ocean Drive, which attracted the unwanted attention of mobsters), and a world where Glenn Ford finds himself unwittingly embroiled in murder – twice (Framed, Affair in Trinidad).

All six films are presented for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, with The Mob, Tight Spot and Murder by Contract making their world Blu-ray premieres. This stunning collection includes newly recorded commentaries on each film, assorted bonus materials, including six short films starring the Three Stooges, lampooning the tropes and themes of the features, a 120-page book, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

FRAMED

• High Definition presentation
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with author and critic Imogen Sara Smith (2021)
• The Steps of Age (1951, 25 mins): dramatised documentary written and directed by Ben Maddow, screenwriter of Framed, demonstrating the challenges of growing old as seen through of the eyes of a retired widow
• Up in Daisy’s Penthouse (1958, 17 mins): the Three Stooges get mixed up with a murder plot, mistaken identity, a gold-digging blonde, and a great deal of money
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
  
  

711 OCEAN DRIVE

• High Definition presentation
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with author and film critic Glenn Kenny (2021)
• Diary of a Sergeant (1945, 24 mins): Joseph M Newman’s documentary portrait of Harold Russell, a soldier who lost his hands during World War II and would later win an Oscar® for his performance in The Best Years of Our Lives
• Three Sappy People (1939, 18 mins): the Three Stooges play a trio of telephone repairmen who make an unexpected career switch
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• UK premiere on Blu-ray

THE MOB

• High Definition presentation
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with filmmaker and writer Gina Telaroli (2021)
• The Guardian Interview with Ernest Borgnine (2001, 79 mins): archival audio recording of the much-loved character actor in conversation with Clyde Jeavons at the National Film Theatre, London
• Ernest Borgnine in Conversation (2009, 49 mins): archival video recording of the actor discussing his eventful career with Adrian Wootton at the BFI Southbank, London
• Hot Stuff (1956, 16 mins): a trio of law enforcers, played by the Three Stooges, go undercover and assume blue-collar jobs in order to thwart criminal activities
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• World premiere on Blu-ray

AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD

• High Definition presentation
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with film historian and author Lee Gambin (2021)
• The End of the Affair (2012, 24 mins): Peter Ford, son of Glenn Ford, discusses the life and career of his father with the Film Noir Foundation’s Eddie Muller
• Caribbean (1951, 25 mins): documentary by the Crown Film Unit, released the same year as Affair in Trinidad, depicting life and culture in the West Indies, British Guiana, and British Honduras
• Saved by the Belle (1939, 18 mins): island intrigue and Señorita Rita spell trouble for the Three Stooges
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
  
  

TIGHT SPOT

• High Definition presentation
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with writer and film historian Nora Fiore (2021)
• The Senate Crime Investigations (1951, 62 mins): extracts from unedited telerecordings of the US senate committee’s hearings into organised crime, originally compiled by the British Film Institute and presented in four parts, including footage of Virginia Hill, who partly inspired Tight Spot
• Idiots Deluxe (1945, 18 mins): courtroom comedy short starring the Three Stooges and featuring an isolated hideaway beset by a deadly intruder
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• World premiere on Blu-ray

MURDER BY CONTRACT

• High Definition presentation
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with film critic and writer Farran Smith Nehme (2021)
• Introduction by Martin Scorsese (2014, 5 mins)
• Swedes in America (1943, 18 mins): Irving Lerner’s Oscar®-nominated short film, presented by Ingrid Bergman, detailing the influence of Swedish immigrants on the United States
• Violence Is the Word for Curly (1938, 18 mins): comedy short starring the Three Stooges, which provided an early cinematography credit for Murder by Contract’s prolific director of photography, Lucien Ballard
• Original theatrical trailer
• Larry Karaszewski trailer commentary (2020, 3 mins): short critical appreciation
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• World premiere on Blu-ray