As a film noir enthusiast, I’m definitely looking forward to Arrow Academy’s May 14th Blu-ray release of The Big Clock. Headliners Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) and Charles Laughton (director of The Night of the Hunter) are just two reasons to keep an eye out for this flick.
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Based on the novel by Kenneth Fearing and released in 1948, The Big Clock centers on George Stroud, an editor who is tasked with finding the killer of publishing tycoon Earl Janoth’s (Charles Laughton) mistress (Rita Johnson). In twisted fashion it is Earl who is the criminal, and he essentially sends Stroud on a mission to find the “missing man” who will be charged with the killing.
That missing man, however, is actually Stroud, and what ensues is a cat and mouse game where there literally seems to be “no way out” (pun intended). John Farrow (Night Has A Thousand Eyes and Mia Farrow’s father) is the director. Rounding out the cast is Maureen O’Sullivan (who was married to Farrow) and Elsa Lanchester.
The Big Clock’s storyline may feel similar to cinephiles who haven’t seen the flick, as the Kevin Costner feature No Way Out is also based on the Fearing book.
Special features include audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin, a new analysis of the film (“Turning Back the Clock”), an appreciation of Charles Laughton from director/writer Simon Callow (“A Difficult Actor”), a 1948 hour long radio dramatization with Ray Milland, the original theatrical trailer, original stills and promotional materials, and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring an essay on the film by Christina Newland.
Have you seen The Big Clock and do you have any favorite Ray Milland or Charles Laughton films? Feel free to comment below!
