The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Drama, Romance, Crime • 1h 50m
Director: Jerry Schatzberg
Cast: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint, Richard Bright, Kiel Martin, Michael McClanathan, Warren Finnerty, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Raúl Juliá, Angie Ortega, Larry Marshall, Paul Mace, Nancy MacKay, Gil Rogers, Joe Santos, Paul Sorvino, Arnold Williams, Vic Ramano, Bryant Fraser, Dora Weissman, Sully Boyar, Florence Tarlow, Rutanya Alda, Anthony Palmer, Anthony Caso, Jeffrey Walker
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 5 days ago
Overview
A stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her relationship with Bobby the stability she craves.
Director: George Cukor
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
US Twilight Time Blu-ray or UK Signal One Blu-ray are basically the same see cap
Directors: Henry Hathaway & Howard Hawks & Henry King & Henry Koster & Jean Negulesco
Director: Edmund Goulding
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: Preston Sturges
No information on French Elephant Films Blu-ray
Director: Ralph Bakshi
Director: Martin Scorsese
Other releases have horrendous DNR
Director: Roman Polanski
Kino Lorber disc has audio pitch errors
Director: Roman Polanski
Director: Terrence Malick
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Lovely underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion but encode is sadly low-pass filtered by Pixelogic, and even then, the encode is still less than ideal. Still easily obliterates any prior disc release, but certainly wouldn't hurt to have a UK or German label take a crack at this same master.
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Fine Grain. Even with its unfortunate and noticeable print damage, tears, and other issues, still easily beats any prior disc release, though the Imprint BD (same master as Kino, but inferior encode) included in their Essential Film Noir Collection Vol. 3 set does include more extras. https://youtu.be/-Wrsn6-XJCo
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Caveat: No IMAX expanded aspect ratio
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