The Naked City (region-B/2 blu-ray/DVD set)

Jules Dassin followed up his explosive prison picture Brute Force with another slice of hard-boiled crime fiction. Within a decade he’d make Thieves’ Highway, Night and the City and Rififi, thus confirming Dassin’s position as one of the all-time-great film noir directors. Inspired by the work of the infamous tabloid photographer Weegee, The Naked City was the first major Hollywood production to be shot entirely on the streets of New York, making use of more than a hundred authentic locations. Both its editing and its cinematographer would earn Academy Awards, while the film itself would be recognised by the Library of Congress as one of American cinema’s most significant motion pictures. This blu-ray/DVD combo pack is loaded with interesting bonus features about Dassin and the film.