Scarlet Street (1945) (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray & Blu-ray) (UK Import)

Edward G. Robinson stars in Fritz Lang's film noir classic about an ordinary man who strays off his normal path into a world of seduction and deceipt. Chris Cross (Robinson) is a mild-mannered accountant, middle-aged, middle-class, and married to a shrewish woman. Walking home from a work dinner held in his honour, Chris rescues a young woman who is being attacked by her lowlife boyfriend. The couple in question, Kitty Marsh (Joan Bennet) and Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), then see an opportunity to rip off the gallant but boring Chris, using the poor fool's desire for Kitty to draw him into their trap. Chris falls for the bait, and soon finds himself riding a fast track to destruction.

Perhaps the greatest American production by an undisputed master of cinema, Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street is the quintessential example of film noir and the perfect follow-up to his previous crime thriller The Woman in the Window. It also features the same stellar cast, as Edward G. Robinson (Double Indemnity), Joan Bennett (Man Hunt) and Dan Duryea (Criss Cross) reunite for a heart-wrenching, tragic story of a man driven to the edge by love.

In a loveless marriage and having spent 25 years as a retail cashier, Christopher “Chris” Cross (Robinson) is deeply dissatisfied with his lot in life. One night, he experiences excitement for the first time in years: he intervenes when he witnesses Johnny Prince (Duryea) attacking Katherine “Kitty” March (Bennett), becoming instantly enamoured with the woman he has rescued. When she comes to believe that he is a wealthy artist, he doesn’t correct her – and soon Johnny, Kitty’s boyfriend, comes up with a scheme to swindle a man who is as naive as he is lovestruck. But Johnny and Kitty’s con can’t possibly last forever.

Based on Georges de La Fouchardière’s novel La Chienne (previously adapted for the screen in its native France by Jean Renoir), Scarlet Street was a box-office hit – albeit a controversial one that was banned in three states for its dark subject matter and its complex exploration of criminal behaviour. The Masters of Cinema Series is honoured to present one of Fritz Lang’s greatest films on 4K UHD and Blu-ray for the first time in the UK in a dual-format edition.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Limited edition O-card slipcase and interior packaging designed by Nick Wrigley [2000 copies]
Limited edition booklet featuring a new essay on the relationship between Scarlet Street, its French source novel and Jean Renoir’s La Chienne by film scholar Barry Nevin, plus select archival material [2000 copies]
Scarlet Street presented from a 4K restoration of the 35mm nitrate composite fine grain
4K (2160p) presentation on the UHD disc and an HD (1080p) presentation on the Blu-ray
Original mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Audio commentary by noir expert Imogen Sara Smith, author of In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City
All Your Fears Are Foolish Fancy Maybe – new video essay on Fritz Lang and Scarlet Street by David Cairns, featuring the voice of director Alexander Payne as Darryl F. Zanuck
Hello, Lazy Legs – a new appreciation of Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street by film historian Sheldon Hall
Femme Fatale – new interview on the life and career of Joan Bennett with film historian and critic Pamela Hutchinson
Suspense – three episodes of the classic thriller radio anthology starring Edward G. Robinson, “My Wife Geraldine,” “The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson” and “You Can’t Die Twice”