THE BIG KNIFE (1955)
Label: MGM
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 115 Minutes 53 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1).
Director: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Ilka Chase, Everett Sloan, Wesley Addy, Paul Langton, Nick Dennis, Bill Walker, Mike Winkelman, Shelley Winters
The Big Knife (1955) is a scathing indictment of the scandalous Hollywood studio machine, directed by Robert Aldrich (The Frisco Kid) and based on the same-titled 1949 play by Clifford Odets. The film opens with Hollywood mega-star Charlie Castle (Jack Palance, Alone in the Dark) working out at his home with his personal trainer Mickey (Nick Dennis, Spartacus) when gossip rag columnist Patty Benedict (Ilka Chase, Ocean's 11) arrives looking to scoop his rumored separation from his wife Marion (Ida Lupino, The Devil's Rain), but she leaves empty handed after being chased off by a newly arrived Marion, the gossip columnist threatening to re-hash some salacious wrinkle from the star's past that also involves a hit and tun conviction from some years ago involving his studio PR guy Buddy Bliss (Paul Langton, It! The Terror from Beyond Space). Adding to Nick's stress-factor, on top of his separation from his wife and the tabloids, are his tyrannical studio boss Stanley Shriner Hoff (Rod Steiger, The Illustrated Man) and his right-hand fixer, the delightfully named Smiley Coy (Wendell Corey, Sorry Wrong Number), who pay a visit to strong-arm Nick into signing a new exclusive seven-year contract. Poor Nick is just looking to get out of the movie business for good, and his estranged wife Marion has stipulated that if he wants her back he'd best stand-up to Hoff and not sign the new contract. While Nick certainly seems to want out of the contact, and is an idealist at heart, he's just not as strong as the characters he plays in the movies, and he cow-tails to the overbearing studio big-wig, who it turns out is holding something pretty big over Nick's head, also having to do with the aforementioned hit and run incident that the gossip columnist brought up earlier.
This feels very much like the stage play it originated from, most of the film taking place inside Nick's Hollywood home, even the final tragic moments transpire offscreen, but it's all so well-crafted it's easy to forget, and Adlrich's directing style has a noir vibe to it that keeps things taut and interesting. Seeing Palance in his physical prime up against a young(er) Rod Steiger is worth the price of admission alone, both chewing up the scenery in the best possible way. Palance is a twisted bundle of nerves, and Steiger in a blond wig is truly a manipulative monster, who will do seemingly anything (murder included) to uphold the image of himself and the studio he built from the ground up, his performance seemingly a conglomeration of studio heads like Harry Cohn, Louis B. Mayer, and Jack Warner, with a bit of Brando thrown in. Apparently it so close to home that the director found himself blacklisted in Hollywood!
This is a terrifically taught and tension filled watch, Palance is so damn good as the tortured-soul actor caught in not just the corrupt Hollywood studio system but in traps of his own making that include infidelity, betrayals and long thought buried crimes that have all come back to haunt him. Also be on the lookout for appearances from Jean Hagen (Singin' in the Rain) and Shelley Winters (Poor Pretty Eddie) as loose-lipped women who also contribute to the stars unhappiness.
Audio/Video: The Big Knife (1955) arrives on Blu-ray from MGM, having been previously issued on a long out-of-print Blu-ray from Arrow Academy, so it's nice to have it back in circulation. The B&W image showcases some well-managed organic looking grain, which is pretty course, but quite desirable looking. Grayscale and contrast are excellent throughout with solid black levels. Also noteworthy, this version restores about a minute of footage that was absent from the Arrow disc, a scene of Castle agent Nat Danziger (Everett Sloane, The Desert Fox) conversing with Castle and his wife on a couch after a meeting with Hoff. See screenshots and a comparison to the Arrow Video Blu-ray at the bottom of this review, to my eyes they are quite similar. Audio is delivered with an uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono track that is appropriately vintage but clean and well-defined, the score from Frank De Vol (What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?) is certainly a highlight.
There are no extras on this MGM disc, but the film was previously issued on Blu-ray via the aforementioned Arrow Video's now defunct Arrow Academy sub-label with a host of extras, those included an Audio Commentary by film critics Glenn Kenny and Nick Pinkerton; the 34-min Bass on Titles Saul Bass, who discussed some of his classic work; a 5-min Television promo; 2-min Theatrical Trailer; Reversible sleeve; and an Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Nathalie Morris. None of that is available on this disc, and it'll cost you a pretty penny on the secondary market, but having the scene omitted from the Arrow release is a big plus in my book. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- None
Screenshot Comparison:
Top: Arrow Video Blu-ray (2017)
Bottom: MGM Blu-ray (2023)
More Screenshots from the MGM Blu-ray:
Available from www.MovieZyng.com
