Product Details

• Actors: Paul Henfried, Edward Franz, Joan Bennett
• Directors: Steve Sekely
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Timeless Multimedia
• VHS Release Date: December 1, 1998
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00001U0HL
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,643 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Director of Photography the real star of this film, March 20, 2005

By 

Iconophoric - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scar (DVD)

The great John Alton's cinematography is dimmed but not nearly destroyed by Alpha's contrasty and weathered-looking transfer. But as this isn't an easy film to get hold of in any shape, I can put my qualms about Alpha's typical technical quality aside in this case.

John Alton was born in Austria-Hungary in 1901, and after working his way through the ranks in allied studio positions (film labs, etc) he eventually photographed many of the films that define the noir style for us today. In most every case, these films are worth watching more for the atmosphere his brilliant eye hewed out of the dark for them than for their story content. As DP he had a major impact on the visual style of such noir essentials and cult favorites as T-Men, Raw Deal, He Walked By Night, The People Against O'Hara, I, The Jury, The Big Combo and others. He was better than most anyone at taking the location shooting that was often necessitated by budget on noir films (which were not the "prestige" productions of their time) and making it work, investing it with a poetry and capturing the gritty atmosphere.

You realize in its first couple of minutes, from a simple scene of a man walking down a hallway, that The Scar is going to be a film of visual distinction. Without Alton, The Scar would still be a neat film because of the plot, the nifty twist and the memorable finish. But Alton lifts it to another level of visual eloquence and feeling. It remains rivetingly watchable. I give this copy of The Scar 5 stars and recommend this DVD -- one of the few Alpha DVD's that I would recco-- without reservation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I hate everything I know! I hate everything in me! I hate you! I hate! I hate!", November 17, 2005

By 

Dymon Enlow "Dymon Enlow" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scar (DVD)

The highest ranked film noir in the massive "Film Noir Bible" is Steve Sekely's THE SCAR a.k.a. HOLLOW TRIUMPH.

Fresh out of prison John Muller is disgusted to find out that the members of his old crew have all gotten jobs. He pressures them into helping him rob a gambling hall that's run by the toughest boss in town. The heist is a bust and only John and one other guy get out alive, they split the dough and John goes into hiding in Los Angeles.

On the lam, John gets a normal 9 to 5 job then one day while out running errands a guy (John Qualen from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and THE SEARCHERS!) mistakes John for a local psychiatrist. This gives John an idea. He starts romancing the doctor's secretary and learns everything he can about the doctor. Finally he's trained himself to a perfect double except for the huge scar on the doctor's cheek. John better hurry and make the switch soon cause the goon squad is closing in. There's much more to the story but I can't say anymore without giving it all away.

For a low budget picture THE SCAR looks great (wish I could say the same for the fuzzy Alpha Video DVD) with dark, brooding shadows and imaginative camerawork. There's one shot towards the end that tripped me out. I rewound it four times because I liked it so much.

A definite must see for noir fans.

Hey Criterion how about a lesser known noir box set with THE SCAR, DETOUR, ARMORED CAR ROBBERY, THE HITCH-HIKER, PRIVATE HELL 36 and ACT OF VIOLENCE.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scar of Doom, May 14, 2001

By 

mackjay (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scar (aka Hollow Triumph) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Dark and suspensful,"The Scar" is a real sleeper. It seldom appears on anybody's list of essential films noirs. Part of the reason is surely confusion with the alternate title "Hollow Triumph". Nonetheless, this independently produced gem contains the very essence of noir. Paul Henreid memorably plays a convict who tries to change his own fate by taking advantage of a fantastic coincidence: recently released from prison and looking for a fresh start--he stumble upon a successful psychiatrist who is his exact double. The rest of the film spins a wonderful web of intrigue. And it doesn't hurt to have Joan Bennett along for the ride. Really a well-produced B movie, "The Scar" does utilize some plot cliches, but it proceeds with an unrelenting feeling of doom. Directed by Steve Szekely in a Fritz Lang-influenced style, this film should appeal to fans of "The Woman in the Window" or "Scarlet Street".