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Film Noir Double Feature, Vol. 2: The Chase/Bury Me Dead

Robert Cummings (Actor), Michle Morgan (Actor), Arthur Ripley (Director), Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
IMDb5.8/10.0
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August 31, 2004 		—
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Format Multiple Formats, NTSC, Black & White, Full Screen, Dolby
Contributor Philip Yordan, Shirley O'Hara, Steve Cochran, Lloyd Corrigan, James Westerfield, Alex Minotis, Michle Morgan, Jack Holt, Jimmy Ames, Arthur Ripley, Nina Koshetz, Bernard Vorhaus, Don Wilson, Cornell Woolrich, Robert Cummings, Yolanda Lacca, Dwight V. Babcock, Irene Winston, Karen DeWolf See more
Language English
Runtime 2 hours and 33 minutes
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Product Description

Volume two in our series of Film Noir double-bills features three stars better known for their TV personas - Robert Cummings (Love That Bob), June Lockhart (the mom on Lassie) and Hugh Beaumont (the 'Beave's' dad on Leave it to Beaver) - but whose hard-boiled performances here are nothing like those TV characters. The Chase (1946) has Robert Cummings playing an ex-GI who by chance is hired to be the chauffeur for a ruthless gangster. He is soon drawn into a twisted nightmarish plot involving the gangster's unfaithful wife and a charge for a murder he did not commit. The second feature, Bury Me Dead (1947), starts off with a bang when a woman (June Lockhart) shows up as a mourner at her own funeral! With the help of her family lawyer (Hugh Beaumont) the woman begins an investigation to uncover who's really buried in her place and who wanted her dead in the first place. Features cinematography by John Alton. Two film noir gems for the price of one! Bonus Features: Commentaries by Jay Fenton, Film Restoration Consultant| Scene Selection| Bios & Filmographies| Film Noir Movie Poster Gallery| Film Noir Trailers| Bonus: 'Noirish' Superman Cartoon "Showdown" (1942) - the man of steel takes on gangsters! Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 153 minutes; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1946, 1947; SRP - $9.99.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.88 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Arthur Ripley, Bernard Vorhaus
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Black & White, Full Screen, Dolby
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 33 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ August 31, 2004
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Robert Cummings, Michle Morgan, Steve Cochran, Lloyd Corrigan, Jack Holt
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ VCI
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0002F6BI8
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Cornell Woolrich, Dwight V. Babcock, Irene Winston, Karen DeWolf, Philip Yordan
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
28 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars 2 killer noirs, plus great bonus features!
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2005
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To begin with, the main reason I purchased the VCI Film Noir Double Feature Vol. 2 dvd was because I wanted a better-restored version of "The Chase". The Alpha dvd I owned of that movie was virtually unwatchable, and I was glad to see that VCI had vastly improved the picture quality. Although there's about a 60-second scene in the movie where the picture is terrible, other than that it's very clear. Unfortunately VCI could not fix the annoying audio problems with "The Chase" and that was a letdown, yet I doubt you'll ever find a better print of this movie anywhere. The same thing happened with "Bury Me Dead": impressive picture quality, terrible sound quality. Still, VCI did their best to restore these two underated noirs, and the bonus features make up for the poor audio quality of the films.

First, we have the bizarre, dreamlike "The Chase" from 1946, based loosely on Cornel Woolrich's novel _The Black Path of Fear_. Robert Cummings stars as Chuck Scott, a penniless WW2 veteran who happens to find a wallet filled with cash. But because he's a "sucker", he returns the wallet to it's owner, who happens to be Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), a wealthy gangster. Eddie's right-hand man Gino (Peter Lorre) doesn't like or trust Chuck, but Eddie does, and he hires Chuck as his new chauffer. Chuck likes his new job but soon falls for Eddie's beautiful wife Lorna (Michèle Morgan), who desperately wants to escape her mean and violent husband. The next thing you know Lorna and Chuck have fled to Havana, Cuba, with Gino (and other henchmen) hot on their trail.

Several murders later, we find out that the whole thing's been a nightmare in the troubled mind of Chuck. By the end of the movie the viewer doesn't quite know what to believe, except that this is clearly the most bizarre film noir ever made! I'd already seen this movie twice, but I never understood it entirely until I watched it with the commentary by Jay Fenton. Of course, there were some oddities in the movie that even he couldn't explain! I can understand why many viewers might not enjoy this movie, but I love it more everytime I watch it. The acting was excellent, not just Robert Cummings and Michèle Morgan but also Steve Cochran and Peter Lorre, who always played villians to perfection.

"The Chase" is unusually violent, even by 1940's film noir standards. There's two scenes where women get slapped or punched, one where a man gets killed by a big dog, one with a woman getting stabbed, two scenes of people getting shot, and one with a car getting destroyed (with two people inside) by a speeding train!

Next, we have the odd noir comedy "Bury Me Dead" from 1947. June Lockhart stars as Barbara Carlin, who near the beginning of the movie attends her own funeral (how noir is that?!?). All she knows is that another woman is burried in her grave, and someone had tried to murder her. Now that her husband Rod (Mark Daniels), family lawyer Michael Dunn (Hugh Beaumont), and adopted sister Rusty (Cathy O'Donnell) know that she's alive, she carefully recounts the previous days (via flashbacks) to see which one had the best motive for trying to kill her. She trusts the family lawyer, but Rusty hates her and Michael had been having an affair with another woman, so she watches her back. It isn't long before another attempt on her life is made, and this time the killer won't mistake another woman for Barbara...

"Bury Me Dead" has a fine mixture of humor and suspense, but the thing that really makes it special is John Alton's incredible cinematography. This low-budget "B" film noir was one of many released by the short-lived Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) during the mid-1940's, and in spite of the awful audio quality the movie is very entertaining. I first saw Cathy O'Donnell in "The Best Years of our Lives" and she was just as impressive in this, and both June Lockhart and Hugh Beaumont give exceptional performances. The bonus features are awesome and include several noir trailers, a poster gallery (which strangely includes many of Rear Window, a movie I've never considered to be a film noir), optional commentary with both movies, and biographies/filmographies of the main stars of each movie. You probably won't find better-quality prints of these films anywhere else, so I highly recommend this well-priced dvd for fans of film noir.
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BABS
5.0 out of 5 stars ENJOYABLE!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2019
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CLASSIC CINEMA!!! GREAT PRICE!!!
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Dave
2.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality but all we’ve got for now…
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022
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The image quality on Bury Me Dead is somewhat poor (though better than the versions on YouTube), the print has frequent missing frames and the audio is fairly noisy and occasionally illegible. The DVD booklet has two pieces by Jay Fenton, and the one about Bury Me Dead actually cuts off mid-sentence. It doesn’t really matter though, because there’s basically no new trivia shared about the film itself — just Fenton discussing things like what a B picture is. Hopefully the film will get a proper restoration one of these days. It’s one of the most bizarre film noirs ever put to celluloid.
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Buster49
4.0 out of 5 stars One Great Film
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2008
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I have long supported the B category film noirs. Often they are as entertaining or more so than the A product. The stories are straight forward without having to stop for star turns. VCI and other companies releasing these films should be applauded for the efforts made. Having said that, I feel bad about having to give a downward thumb to "Bury Me Dead." It's the first title I've collected which I feel is a letdown. The acting is terrible as well as the pacing. I am a big fan of Hugh Beaumont, who was a very fine actor, with a highly likable aspect to his personality. He always turned in professional efforts as an actor. Here he is as flat as the rest of the film. I have to say that the film's final 10 minutes are really quite good as is the fade-out moment involving three of the characters. "The Chase," on the other hand, made the purchase worth while. It is a very well made film noir. Robert Cummings was a light comedienne who could do the job in turning in a solid sober performance. What worked against him was a softness in his delivery. But he was another very likable type and gives a good account of himself in "The Chase." Steve Cochran is always good especially in the number of films where he was teamed with Virginia Mayo. Who could forget the smoldering sexuality between the two in WB's "White Heat?"
I highly recommend this film noir set for "The Chase."
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sfoklnd
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014
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Very fast service; would order again!
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Patmill one
5.0 out of 5 stars film noir
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2014
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the best film in this double bill is the chase and I enjoyed this piece of film noir very much. The plot was typical film noir and was a great thriller. bury me dead was not the best of films and could hardly be called film noir but the dvd was worth the money for the chase.
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theSilentNoirFreak
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein B-Movie Double-Feature mit einem 1A-Film Noir!
Reviewed in Germany on January 23, 2010
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Diese Edition, wie alle Ausgaben der durch VCI herausgegebenen 'Classic Film Noir' Double-Features, enthält zwei Filme, die nicht so leicht zu finden sind, dabei schon gar nicht in halbwegs akzeptabler Qualität. Hollywood-Film Sammler kommen daher bei der Anschaffung voll auf ihre Kosten, Liebhaber des Film Noir erst recht, denn THE CHASE ist ein echtes Juwel, das in keiner Noir-Sammlung fehlen sollte. BURY ME DEAD als Film Noir zu bezeichnen, wäre reichlich hoch gegriffen, dieser B-Film stellt eher kurzweilige Krimi Unterhaltung im 'Whodunit'-Stil dar.
THE CHASE, das definitive Main-Feature dieser DVD, basiert auf der Story "The Black Path Of Fear" von Cornell Woolrich und wurde 1946 in einer Seymour Nebenzal Produktion (Nero Films) unter der Regie von Arthur Ripley realisiert. Der Film zeichnet sich aus durch gute Darsteller (Robert Cummings, Peter Lorre, Michele Morgan, Steve Cochran), interessante Kameraführung/Inszenierung sowie 'zeitweiligen Realitätsverlust' auf Seiten des Zuschauers durch das Einbauen einer Traumsequenz, die beim ersten Mal ansehen nicht obligatorisch sofortig als solche identifiziert wird. Der 'Noir'-Aspekt mag durch das Happy-End (wenigstens für einige der Protagonisten) etwas relativiert erscheinen, ist dabei durch den Gesamtverlauf des Films jedoch inhaltlich, wie optisch vollauf präsent.
Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings), finanziell abgebrannt, findet vor einem Restaurant in Miami eine Brieftasche und füllt sich erst einmal den Magen. Dann beschließt er, die Geldbörse seinem rechtmäßigen Besitzer zuzuführen, was sich als gar nicht so einfach erweist, wie er - und ebenfalls der Zuschauer - bei der 'Einlaß Kontrolle' an der Haustür feststellen muß - offenkundig ist der Hausherr kein 'Normalbürger'. Handlanger Gino (großartig: Peter Lorre) führt Scott dann aber endlich seinem Boss, Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), vor, der sich amüsiert durch Chuck's Ehrlichkeit zeigt ... nicht allein die Geldbörse zurück zu bringen, sondern darüber hinaus zuzugeben, daß etwas von seinem Inhalt für eine Mahlzeit verwendet wurde - das gefällt ihm. Roman bietet Chuck Scott einen Job als Chauffeur an und zu dritt (denn Gino ist immer dabei) wird eine Probefahrt unternommen, um Chuck's Qualitäten zu testen. Während dieser offenbahrt sich bereits ein Teil von Roman's Natur, der nämlich von der Rückbank aus dazu in der Lage ist, das Tempo des Autos willkürlich zu steigern, wovon er auch mit sichtbarem Vergnügen (und zu Gino's Verdruß) Gebrauch macht. Chuck erweist sich als souverän in dieser Situation, erhält den Job und fährt zukünftig nun auch häufiger Mrs. Lorna Roman (Michele Morgan), die ihm irgendwann enthüllt, wie sehnlich sie sich wünscht, der Ehe mit Eddie zu entfliehen, was dieser allerdings niemals zulassen würde ... und natürlich ist Chuck gerührt und fühlt sich zu ihr hingezogen. Lorna bittet ihn, mit ihr zusammen 'Reißaus' nach Kuba zu nehmen - wie könnte Chuck da wohl widerstehen ... ?! Und damit der Zuschauer Mrs. Roman's dringendes Anliegen noch ein wenig besser verstehen lernt, zeigt sich Eddie abermals von seiner 'besten' Seite: Bei einem gemeinsamen Essen im Hause Roman 'verkaspern' Eddie und Gino zunächst einen unliebsamen Geschäftspartner, der anschließend zu einer Besichtigung des hauseigenen Weinkellers genötigt und dort von Eddie's Hund zerfleischt wird. Derweil Chuck bereits zwei Tickets nach Kuba besorgt hat, bleiben die geheimen Reisepläne Eddie allerdings nicht verborgen, was sich im Grunde für einen 'Noir'-Krimi von selbst versteht. Die Flucht nach Kuba gelingt Chuck und Lorna dennoch, nur überschlagen sich dort in einer Havanna-Bar die Ereignisse: Es kommt zu einem Mord, es gibt eine redselige 'Zeugin', der die kubanische Polizei Glauben schenkt und somit steht Chuck unter dringendem Verdacht. Ihm gelingt allerdings eine Flucht in letzter Sekunde, doch auch Gino ist jetzt auf Kuba aufgetaucht und das Morden geht weiter ... dann erwacht Chuck aus seinem Traum in Miami, das er in Wahrheit bislang noch gar nicht verlassen hat. Wie geht's nun wirklich weiter und was ist schlimmer, der soeben beendete Traum oder die noch ausstehende Realität ... ???
Robert Cummings ist eine gute Besetzung für die Rolle des 'Losers' mit Qualitäten, der am Ende dennoch bekommt, was ihm wirklich wichtig erscheint und dasselbe gilt für Michele Morgan und ihre Verkörperung der verzweifelten Ehefrau eines Gangsters. Und eben dieser wird glaubhaft personifiziert durch Steve Cochran, gleichermaßen soverän und galant, wie auch bedrohlich und brutal. Peter Lorre brilliert als Gino und das weit mehr (!!!), als in seinen Darstellungen für Film Klassiker wie CASABLANCA oder THE MALTESE FALCON - was am Ende natürlich immer eine Sache des jeweilig geforderten Rollenprofils ist. THE CHASE besticht durch einige wirklich interessante Szenarios, dabei keinesfalls allein durch die bizarre Düsternis der Atmosphäre in Havanna, die definitiv 'real Noir' ist. Eine der Glanzleistungen des Films ist das Szenario, in dem Eddie Roman und Gino ('gutes Teamwork') den Geschäftsmann Emmerich Johnson (Lloyd Corrigan) verhöhnen und sichtlich verunsichern, bevor sie ihn quasi zur 'Schlachtbank' führen - in den Weinkeller. Und hier ereignet sich gleich die nächste erwähnenswerte Szene: Man hört den aggressiven Hund, die verzweifelten Schreie des sterbenden Mannes und das Zersplittern einer fallen gelassenen Flasche - sehen tut man, wie sich der dunkle Flascheninhalt über den Kellerboden verteilt (hat sich möglicherweise Alfred Hitchcock durch diese Szene inspirieren lassen, als er 14 Jahre später die berühmte Duschszene für PSYCHO inszenierte?). Ebenfalls für eine gelungene Optik sorgt die Szene, in der Eddie und Gino (der hier am Steuer sitzt) - dem Titel THE CHASE (= Die Jagd) gerecht werdend - versuchen, einen Zug zu überholen. Eddie drückt von der Rückbank aus wieder mächtig auf die Tube (wobei Gino sich als Driver keinesfalls als so souvrän erweist, wie Chuck), von der Kamera eingefangen wird das Auto dabei aus der Seitenperspektive, mit Blick auf die Fahrerseite. Im Hintergrund, also parallel zum Auto auf der Straße, sieht man den Zug über die Gleise jagen und während das Auto an Tempo gewinnt, entsteht hier effizient der Eindruck eines 'durchgeknallten' Highspeed-Wettrennens (einen prägognitiven Charakter birgt die Szene übrigens auch in sich und zwar bezüglich Peter Lorre's erster Regiearbeit für DER VERLORENE, fünf Jahre später in Deutschland. Bekanntlich spielen auch in diesem Film die Bahngleise, inkl. Zug, eine signifikante Rolle).
Ganz wichtig noch zu dieser Version von THE CHASE:
Nur diese ist die einzig Wahre! Im Vorspann wird man kurz über die Restaurationsversuche aufgeklärt, die sich offenbar als nicht einfach erwiesen. Die vorliegende Version mußte aus diversen Prints zusammen geflickt werden, so daß es zu leichten Abstufungen in der Bild- und etwas mehr noch in der Tonqualität kommt, wofür sich gewissermaßen entschuldigt wird. So gravierend sind die Abstufungen aber nicht (wenn auch nicht zu übersehen/zu überhören), man versteht alles wunderbar. Ich kenne nämlich auch die Version von 'Elstree Hill' und die ist eine Katastrophe im Vergleich, dort sind sämtliche Abstufungen reichlich potenziert wahrnehmbar. Und, wie es scheint, gibt es (weltweit) dann nur noch die Alternative von 'Alpha Video', deren allgemeines Image Kennern wohl bekannt ist. Diese VCI-Version ist gegenwärtig ganz sicher 'die einzig Wahre'!
Zum zweiten Film, BURY ME DEAD, will ich an dieser Stelle nicht mehr viele Worte verlieren, da das Highlight eindeutig durch THE CHASE repräsentiert wird. BURY ME DEAD ist ein B-Film mit Sonntag-Nachmittagsqualitäten, dem ich 3 Sterne verleihen würde, er bietet etwas mehr als eine Stunde Unterhaltung ohne sonderlichen Tiefgang - der Film ist dennoch ganz nett anzusehen, June Lockhart's Präsenz vor der Kamera ist auch sicher nicht die schlechteste. Sie, in der Rolle von Barbara Carlin, fährt - dem Anlaß angemessen, etwas vermummt - zu einer Beerdigung ... zu ihrer eigenen. Barbara Carlin soll beerdigt werden und sie will nun heraus bekommen, welche Faktoren überhaupt zu ihrem Tod geführt haben sollen. Zum Anlaß des Begräbnisses lernt der Zuschauer schon die Charaktere kennen, die im weiteren Verlauf des Films in Rückblenden immer wieder auftauchen werden und potentielle Mörder darstellen könnten, wobei für eine ganze Zeit ihr Ehemann als 'Usual Suspect' im Verdacht steht. Die Augenblicke, in denen er von der Polizei verhört wird, erinnern auch am ehesten an 'Noir'-Polizeifilme, darüber hinaus ist BURY ME DEAD eindeutig lediglich ein Krimi, der sich selbst nicht zu ernst zu nehmen scheint, da er zu oft ins Humoristische abgleitet (und dies zuweilen wohl eher unbeabsichtigt). Cathy O'Donnell, als kleine Schwester Rusty, könnte ebenfalls ein Mordmotiv gehabt haben, wer's am Ende war, soll an dieser Stelle natürlich nicht verraten werden, nur so viel: Es kommt, besonders zum Ende hin, doch noch zu einigen, nicht unbedingt vorher gesehenen Wendungen. Das Potential wäre auf jeden Fall gegeben, man hätte durchaus mehr draus machen können. Die Tonqualität dieses Films erfordert ein wenig mehr die erhöhte Konzentration des Zuschauers, als es (glücklicherweise!) bei THE CHASE der Fall ist.
Die gesamte DVD ist von Regionalcodes befreit, läuft also auf jedem Player. Als Sprachoption steht alleinig die Originalsprache Englisch zur Verfügung, ohne jegliche Untertitel. Das Bonus Material hält gedruckte Bio- und Filmographien der Protagonisten beider Filme bereit, darüber hinaus weitere Film Trailer aus dem VCI-Programm und ... einen kurzen SUPERMAN (!) Cartoon.
Ich empfehle die Anschaffung dieser DVD jedem, der Noir-Filme schätzt (und sammelt!), wer zwischen MALTESE FALCON und TOUCH OF EVIL schon weitgehend alles hat und sich über DETOUR, GUN CRAZY, D.O.A. oder KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL hinaus in Richtung unabhängigere Filmproduktionen noch etwas weiter vortasten will ... THE CHASE ist wirklich ein kleines Juwel, das einer bereits gut bestückten Noir-Sammlung unzweifelhaft noch weiteren Glanz verleihen kann.
-- theSilentNoirFreak
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Spike Owen
4.0 out of 5 stars The Chase and Bury Me Dead.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2011
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The Chase (1946)

Have you ever been afraid? Really afraid?

The Chase is directed by Arthur Ripley and adapted to screenplay by Philip Yordan from the novel The Black Path of Fear written by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Robert Cummings, Steve Cochran, Michèle Morgan, Peter Lorre and Jack Holt. Music is by Michel Michelet and cinematography comes from Frank F. Planer. Plot finds Cummings as World War II veteran Chuck Scott, drifting and skint, he finds a wallet and returns it to the owner. The owner is one Eddie Roman (Cochran), an apparently wealthy and thriving business man who repays Chuck's honesty by giving him a job as a chauffeur. Nothing from here on in will ever be the same....

The Chase is one of those film's that fell in to the public domain, got a cult following in spite of the number of bad prints out there, and now arguably deserves a place on the must see list of film noir enthusiasts. Bad prints aside, The Chase deals in oppressive atmosphere and lives in the void caught between a dream and a nightmare. Ripley (Thunder Road (1958)) crafts his whole film in a dream state, keeping it mostly nocturnal, he and photographer Franz Planer thrive on Woolrich's premise and use slow pacing and shadow play to smoother the characters. It feels stifling, odd even, but with a couple of tricks up his sleeve, Ripley garners maximum impact by disorientating the viewer for the wonderfully absurd ending. Some may call out cheat, others are likely to enjoy its Wellesian feel, either way it's certainly a film that can't be called dull.

Cummings is fine as the good guy suddenly finding his world shifting sideways in a blur of pills, sleep and perfume, while Morgan registers nicely, even if ultimately she's underused and often her character is just there to make a romantic point. Cochran, in only his second year of acting, is a dominating and frightening force as the handsome and oily Roman. It's a menacing portrayal of a character who slaps his women around and literally will stop at nothing to get his way. But even Cochran is trumped by yet another weasel turn from Lorre, standing on the side of his boss spitting flem as well as sarcastic quips, Lorre alone is enough to seek the film out for a viewing. Good secondary support comes from Jack Holt in an important small role.

It doesn't push any boundaries or hold up as being hugely influential in the film noir cycle. But it's a relevant piece of work in that cycle, and certainly recommended to those interested in dream like oppression. 7/10

Bury Me Dead (1947)

Misconceptions of Psychoanalysis.

Bury Me Dead is directed by Bernard Vorhaus and adapted to screenplay by Dwight V. Babcock and Karen DeWolf from a radio drama by Irene Winston. It stars June Lockhart, Cathy O'Donnell, Hugh Beaumont, Mark Daniels, Greg McClure and Milton Parsons. Music is by Emil Cadkin and cinematography by John Alton.

Barbara Carlin (Lockhart) surprises everyone by turning up alive and well shortly after she had been buried at funeral! This poses two immediate questions: Who was buried in Barbara's coffin? And who was it who attempted to murder her?

As has been noted by the few writers on line who have written about this film, it's a grand premise that unfortunately isn't exploited to its maximum. It's material that makes us lament that the likes of Lang, Siodmak or Mann didn't have this written idea land on their desks. Compact at under 70 minutes, it's a film that, under Bernard Vorhaus' guidance, just doesn't know if to play it as straight or straight out murder mystery comedy. Something further enhanced by Cadkin's musical score, which, quite frankly, belongs in an Abbott and Costello movie. However, the film rises above average because the script is actually strong and John Alton weaves some magic with his photographic lenses.

Narratively it's a good who done it? The mystery is strong and the reveal is not easy to guess from the off, though in fairness the comedy moments in the flashbacks kind of distract you from any detective work you want to partake in! But coupled with some sharp lines given to Lockhart, who delivers them with a scorpion like sting, it's well written stuff. Yet without doubt it's Alton's work that makes this well worth viewing, whenever the film gets indoors the film takes on another dimension. Alton creates stark images at every turn, angled shadows everywhere, the whites ghostly and the darks deathly black. The last 15 minutes of the film are played out on this atmospheric stage and it's everything that a Alton fan could want. Even if it ultimately it is work that deserves a far, far better film. 6/10

VCI DVD print is about as good as we are going to get, scratchy and showing join lines at times, it is however pretty watchable fare. The audio, though, is often poor, especially for the mid-section of Bury Me Dead.
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H. Dumpty
1.0 out of 5 stars Bury Me Dead: my feelings entirely.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2009
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I've not yet seen The Chase, the other half of this film noir double bill, but I sure hope it'll be good (it has Peter Lorre in it, so I'm optimistic), as Bury Me Dead is a real shocker. The * rating is for Bury Me Dead alone.

Where do I start? The cinematography by the excellent John Alton was probably once effective, but the transfer quality here is poor, and black and white are now shades of grey. The sound quality is worse - most of the movie sounds as though recorded in a tropical downpour. The initial idea of a woman popping up at her own funeral sounds promising, but the search for the true identity of the body is soon forgotten in a farrago of domestic complications and affairs. I lost interest long before the end and the brief 77 mins seemed like a lifetime.

Someone must have had little confidence in the picture as a thriller since it soon develops an unfortunate trend towards comedy - feeble puns and would-be quips crop up among the debris of the screenplay. But the very worst thing is the acting. When I say that Cathy O'Donnell is poor yet the best actor on show, I say everything. The simpering June Carlin as the "dead woman", bewildered Hugh Beaumont as the weak lawyer, grinning Mark Daniels as the husband and dumb Greg McClure as a ludicrous boxer are all appalling.

The main extra is a commentary on both films by a film restoration consultant. I turned to it hoping to be able to revise my opinion in the light of new insights. But no, it turns out to be lethargic, disjointed and banal!

Carry me home to die, folks........
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edmonds
4.0 out of 5 stars Good value - good films
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2016
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This is a good double bill, containing B-Noirs not often seen elsewhere. Boith were enjoyable, but in different ways.

"The Chase" is the more serious of the two - a rather nasty plot, with Steve Cochran playing a psychotic hood very well, with sidekick Peter Lorre. Michele Morgan and Robert Cummings are the hero and heroine. The plot is weak in that it does not explain the reason for the psychotic hood's obssession with his wife (Morgan), why she married him in the first place, why she is not happy, and why she is carrying on with the chauffeur (Cummings) are not explained. The result is a haunting, rather moody film. Shot very darkly, it is - as the commentary says - more like a European film than a Hollywood product.

"Bury Me Dead" - a glorious title if ever there was one - is a more lighthearted Noir, but well staged, well acted and well photographed - a notch above the usual poverty-row B Noir of its time, and could almost pass for the product of a major studio. This is clearly an American film, motives are explained red herrings laid out and the suspense is good. I enjoyed this film a lot, but it would be good to see what Warners could have made of it!

The commentaries on both films are well worth listening to. Picture quality on "Bury Me Dead" is good, on "The Chase" it is less so.
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