Hollywood in the shadow of the studios - Box set: Woman in the Dark + Back Page + Midnight ( 1933 - 1934)
by Phil Rosen, Anton Lorenze, Chester Erskine
Lobster Movies - April 26, 2021
Original Title: Woman in the Dark + Back Page + Midnight
Audio: Dobly Audio 2.0 Mono: English
French subtitles
Country: USA
Year : 19 33 - 19 34
Duration : 198' ( )
Format: DVD set
Area: B
Genre: Crime, Drama
Synopsis
1934. The Hayes Code imposes unprecedented moral rigor on the entire film industry. Studio self-censorship is relentless. A cloak of lead falls on Hollywood. On the fringes of the industry, independent producers or authors continue to shoot despite limited means, often without stars. A formidable laboratory for a cinema in the midst of a crisis. Here are three daring, quirky films, where the inspiration of pioneers and the taste for innovation blow. We discover Humphrey bogart in his debut, Fay Wray (King Kong's fiancée) who pierces the screen... and Peggy Shanon, in the astonishing "Back Page" shot by a great Hollywood director hiding under the pseudonym of Anton Lorenze, fleeing unions and political pressure. Restored for the first time from the original 35mm negatives, these films are jewels of freedom and desire for cinema. Produced in the shadow of the studios, long forgotten, they are the hidden and unrecognized side of Hollywood that year.
Contains :
- Woman in the Dark (1934)
After three years in prison for a crime he did not commit, John Bradley settles in peace in an isolated house. But one stormy evening, a frightened woman knocks on the door, and with her the internal machine of doubt and false accusations engages again.
- Back Page (1933)
Jerry Hampton, a young free and independent journalist, becomes editor-in-chief of a small provincial newspaper. She discovers there that an unscrupulous businessman is preparing a scam against the backdrop of an oil well. On her own, will she manage to thwart the schemes of the billionaire and his incredible influence on the entire population?
- Midnight (1934)
Ethel Saxon, sentenced to death for the murder of her companion, will be executed at midnight. An endless evening for Edward Weldon, the president of the jury who condemned him, but also for his relatives who would have hoped for a last minute pardon. An unforeseen event suddenly disrupts the course of events
Content and Bonuses
Films restored from the original 35mm negatives
Contains :
Woman in the Dark
"Bedlam of Beards" by Ben Holmes (1934, 18')
"Masks and Memories" by Roy Mack (1934, 32')
Back Page
"In a Pig's Eye" by Ben Holmes (1934, 20')
"Betty Boop's Rise to Fame" by Dave Fleischer (1934, 9')
"A Little Bird Told Me" by Burt Gillett (1934, 9')
"Poor Cinderella" by Dave Fleischer (1934, 11')
midnight
"Everything's Ducky" by Ben Holmes (1934, 20')
"Sinister Stuff" by Steve Muffati (1934)
"Grandfather's Clock" by Burt Gillett (1934, 6')