Green for Danger [Criterion Collection]

"This clever and well-crafted British thriller, set during the height of World War II and featuring a marvelous turn by Alistair Sim as a eccentric police detective, has been given an overdue DVD release in the United States by the Criterion Collection. Green For Danger has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1; the film was shot by Wilkie Cooper (Oswald Morris was a camera assistant) and looks superb in this edition, with the deep shadows and broad range of grey tones demonstrating how pleasing a well-shot black and white film can be. The film's audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono and sounds excellent, better than one might expect for a film of the period. The dialogue is in English, with no multiple language options included, though the feature does include optional English subtitles for the hard of hearing. Film historian Bruce Eder contributes an optional commentary track, in which he discusses the style and approach of the movie, and the disc also includes a chat with writer Geoff Brown in which he talks about the making of Green For Danger and the collaborative career of director/screenwriter Sidney Gilliat and producer Frank Launder. And the handsome accompanying booklet includes essays from Geoffrey O'Brien and director Gilliat. Few American firms would bother releasing a lesser-known British detective film in the United States, let alone with this degree of care, but the material certainly merits the attention and Criterion are to be congratulated for going the extra mile with this top-shelf package."