Ace in the Hole (The Criterion Collection)

The Criterion Collection presents "ACE IN THE HOLE" (1951) (111 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Also released as "The Big Carnival", this disturbing noir tells of a frustrated former big-city journalist who is now stuck working for a small Albuquerque newspaper --- He sees his chance of returning to the big time when he exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.

Oscar nominated for Best Screenplay --- Powerful portrayal by Kirk Douglas joining "Detective Story" of the same year as two of the very best from Kirk.

Under the production staff of:
Billy Wilder [Director/Screenplay/Producer]
Lesser Samuels [Screenwriter]
Walter Newman [Screenwriter]
Victor Desny [Story]
William Schorr [Associate Producer]
Hugo Friedhofer [Original Film Score]
Charles Lang [Cinematographer]
Arthur P. Schmidt [Film Editor]

BIOS:
1. Billy Wilder [Director]
Date of Birth: 22 June 1906 - Sucha, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Sucha Beskidzka, Malopolskie, Poland]
Date of Death: 27 March 2002 - West Los Angeles, California

2. Kirk Douglas [aka: Issur Danielovitch Demsky]
Date of Birth: 9 December 1916 - Amsterdam, New York
Date of Death: Still Living

3. Jan Sterling [aka: Jane Sterling Adriance]
Date of Birth: 3 April 1921 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 26 March 2004, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

the cast includes:
Kirk Douglas - Chuck Tatum
Jan Sterling - Lorraine Minosa
Robert Arthur - Herbie Cook (as Bob Arthur)
Porter Hall - Jacob Q. Boot
Frank Cady - Mr. Federber
Richard Benedict - Leo Minosa
Ray Teal - Sheriff Gus Kretzer
Lewis Martin - McCardle
John Berkes - Papa Minosa
Frances Dominguez - Mama Minosa
Gene Evans - Deputy Sheriff

SPECIAL FEATURES [BONUS]:
1. New, restored high-definition digital transfer
2. Audio commentary by film scholar Neil Sinyard
3. Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Billy Wilder, a 1980 documentary featuring in-depth interviews with Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment
4. A 1984 interview with Kirk Douglas by filmmaker and film scholar Michael Thomas
5. Excerpts from a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute
6. Excerpts from an audio interview with coscreenwriter Walter Newman
7. New video afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee
8. Stills gallery
9. Theatrical trailer
10.PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by film critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 111 min on DVD ~ Criterion ~ (07/17/2007)

This 1951 film seems as relevant today as it ever did. Kirk Douglas is perfectly cast as an unethical newspaper reporter who, through his influence over the town's sheriff, keeps a dying man trapped in a mine for several days longer than necessary in order to milk the story for all it's worth - a strategy he hopes will help him claw his way back to the top of the journalistic world. Billy Wilder's incredibly vitriolic film tells many truths about how reality is manipulated by the media to serve personal and political ends without regard to the suffering caused by this agenda. His film spares nobody in its critique: those who perpetuate the lies, those who directly benefit from them, even those who uncritically consume the stories are all complicit in the wrongdoing. Wilder made many great films, most of which are far better known than this one, but "Ace in the Hole" is up there with the best of them.

Criterion's upcoming release of this great film is definitely cause for celebration.

I like to think of "Ace in the Hole" as a spiritual predecessor to one of my favourite films, "Network". Both films hammered the media for its sensationalism, callousness, and bottom line. Whereas "Network" took aim at television, "Ace in the Hole" ripped apart the newspaper.

Kirk Douglas stars as as the opportunistic Chuck Tatum. Smeared by his offensive behaviour at the big city dailies, he begs for a job at a low circulation paper so he can find a captivating story and climb back to the top. What he does would be considered despicable back in the 1950's. Don't be fooled by the film's release date or setting. It has both a definite satiric and noirish bent.

The Criterion 2-disc set is worth the money for the film alone but the extras should be of interest to Wilder fans.