Blast of Silence: The Criterion Collection (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

The film takes great advantage of its New York locations as well as the contrast between Frankie´s isolation and the communal nature of the Christmas season. The film could just as easily have been titled with a different oxymoron: "Alone in a Crowd." Another highlight of the film is the performance by Larry Tucker as the sleazy, obese gun dealer Big Ralph. Tucker´s massive enough to have his own gravity well, yet so mousy and insubstantial he could sneak up on you without warning. Tucker later focused on a writing career (he was nominated for an Oscar as the co-writer of "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice") but he turned in one more memorable, as Pagliacci in Sam Fuller´s madhouse masterpiece "Shock Corridor."

"Blast of Silence" is a treat for film noir fans, a (mostly) undiscovered gem that has recently enjoyed new life on the festival circuit, and is now available to a worldwide audience on DVD. No matter how many noir films you´ve watched, I guarantee you´ve never seen anything quite like this film.

Video

The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. The image is not picture-boxed. The black-and-white photography looks sharp and beautiful I this restored transfer; some evidence of wear and tear from the source is still visible, but it´s not even the slightest bit of a distraction.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the English audio.

Extras

"Requiem for a Killer" is a 60-minute documentary featuring Baron as he revisits the filming locations of "Blast of Silence." This feature is a 2006 assemblage by film historian Robert Fischer who uses footage from a 1990 West German TV documentary about Baron combined with new interview material.

"Locations Revisited" is a series of still photos that, well, revisit NYC locations. It´s a bit of a repeat of the material in "Requiem."

The disc also includes a fairly extensive collection of on-set Polaroids (about 40 in all) with captions from Baron´s own descriptions written on the back of the photos.

The slim eight page insert booklet features an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty. Criterion has also included an additional insert, a 4-page mini comic book by artist Sean Phillips (artist of the recent smash-hit Marvel mini-series "Marvel Zombies.")

Film Value

After a promising film debut, Allen Baron went on to a career in television, directed episodes of a host of well-known 60s and 70s shows, including and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and "The Dukes of Hazzard" and even "Charlie´s Angels." And that only makes "Blast of Silence" even more of an anomaly, a bizarre one-off that is both quintessentially noir while not particularly resembling any other film I´ve seen. It´s not a masterpiece, but it´s certainly worth your time.

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---