Product: Brute Force [DVD] [1947] (1947)
Rating: 5.0
"Brute Force (1947) ... Jules Dassin ... Criterion Collection (2007)"
The Criterion Collection presents "BRUTE FORCE" (30 June 1947) (98 min/B&W;) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Burt Lancaster had one of his first starring roles in this hard-hitting prison drama --- Capt. Munsey (Hume Cronyn) is a cruel, corrupt prison guard who has his own less-than-ethical ways of dealing with inmates, enough so that Joe Collins (Lancaster) - the toughest inmate in the cell block - has decided to break out --- Collins tries to persuade Gallagher (Charles Bickford), the unofficial leader of the inmates and editor of the prison newspaper, to join him, but Gallagher thinks Collins' plan won't work --- However, Collins does have the support of his cellmates, most of whom, like himself, wandered into a life of crime thanks to love and good intentions --- Collins pulled a bank job to raise money to pay for an operation that could possibly get his girl out of a wheelchair --- Fabulous score by composer Miklós Rózsa.Top flight power performance from Burt --- and the rest is history!Under the production staff of:Jules Dassin [Director]Richard Brooks [Screenwriter]Robert Patterson [Story]Jules Buck [Associate Producer].Mark Hellinger [Producer]Miklós Rózsa [Original Film Score]William H. Daniels [Cinematographer]Edward Curtiss [Film Editor]BIOS:1. Jules Dassin [Director]Date of Birth: 18 December 1911 - Middletown, ConnecticutDate of Death: 31 March 2008 - Athens, Greece2. Burt Lancaster (aka: Burton Stephen Lancaster)Date of Birth: 2 November 1913 - New York City, New YorkDate of Death: 20 October 1994 - Century City, California3. Hume CronynDate of Birth: 18 July 1911 - London, Ontario, CanadaDate of Death: 15 June 2003 - Fairfield, Connecticut4. Charles BickfordDate of Birth: 1 January 1891 - Cambridge, MassachusettsDate of Death: 9 November 1967 - Los Angeles, Californiathe cast includes:Burt Lancaster ... [Joe Collins]Hume Cronyn ... [Capt. Munsey]Charles Bickford ... [Gallagher]Yvonne De Carlo ... [Gina Ferrara]Ann Blyth ... [Ruth]Ella Raines ... [Cora Lister]Anita Colby ... [Flossie]Sam Levene ... [Louie Miller]Jeff Corey ... '[Freshman' Stack]John Hoyt ... [Spencer]SPECIAL FEATURES [BONUS]:1. New, restored high-definition digital transfer2..Audio commentary by film noir specialists Alain Silver and James Ursini3. A new interview with Paul Mason, author of Capturing the Media: Prison Discourse in Popular Culture4. Theatrical trailer5. Stills gallery6. Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing7. PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Michael Atkinson, a 1947 profile of producer Mark Hellinger, and rare correspondence between Hellinger and Production Code administrator Joseph Breen over the film's contentMr. Jim's Ratings:Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 StarsPerformance: 5 StarsStory & Screenplay: 5 StarsOverall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]Total Time: 98 min on DVD ~ Criterion ~ (04/17/2007)