The asphalt jungle [DVD video]

In a smog-choked city somewhere in the American Midwest, an aging criminal mastermind, newly released from prison, hatches a plan for a million-dollar jewel heist and draws a wealthy lawyer and a cherry-picked trio of outlaws into his carefully devised but inevitably doomed scheme.

General Note:

Title from container.

Originally produced as a motion picture in 1950.

Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett.

Special features: audio commentary from 2004 by film historian Drew Casper, featuring recordings of actor James Whitmore; new interviews with film noir historian Eddie Muller and cinematographer John Bailey; archival footage of writer-director John Huston discussing the film; episode of the television program City lights from 1979 featuring John Huston; Pharos of chaos a 1983 documentary about actor Sterling Haydon; audio excerpts of archival interviews with Huston; trailer. Container insert includes essay "A left-handed form of human endeavor" by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien.

Performers:

Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Marc Lawrence, Barry Kelley, Marilyn Monroe.

Contents:

Disc 1. The asphalt jungle -- Supplements: John Huston ; Eddie Muller ; City lights ; trailer -- Disc 2. John Bailey -- Pharos of chaos -- The Huston method.

Technical Details:

DVD; NTSC, region 1; full frame (1.37:1 screen ratio); Dolby Digital monaural.

Subject Term:

Jewelry theft -- Drama.

Ex-convicts -- Drama.

Jewel thieves -- Drama.

Genre:

Film noir.

Crime films.

Detective and mystery films.

Film adaptations.

Feature films.