The Naked Kiss [WS] [Criterion Collection]

"There are other DVD editions of Sam Fuller's visually striking The Naked Kiss on the market, but as of yet this Criterion Collection DVD is the one to get. The DVD has been transferred from a clean, completely remastered print and the widescreen transfer (preserving the original 1.66:1 theatrical aspect ratio) shows off Stanley Cortez's magnificent cinematography. Cortez lensed such baroque visual marvels as The Night of the Hunter and The Magnificent Ambersons and his work on the powerful, still shocking opening sequence alone makes this fantastically overwrought noir melodrama worth owning on DVD. The audio transfer is free of hiss and well-balanced when fed through a stereo system. While the Criterion Collection scores on bringing the actual film to DVD, there aren't any meaningful DVD extras such as audio commentaries or interviews found on this high-priced package. These would be interesting to have, especially since some modern viewers may believe Fuller's nearly operatic attack on American hypocrisy is comically out of date when in fact his views sit comfortably with such recent movies as American Beauty."