Product Details

• Actors: Hume Cronyn, Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway
• Directors: Tay Garnett
• Format: Black & White, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: January 6, 2004
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000EYUCU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,213 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Postman Always Rings Twice" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Even under the heavy censorship of 1946 Hollywood, Lana Turner and John Garfield's libidinous desires burn up the screen in Tay Garnett's adaptation of James M. Cain's torrid crime melodrama. Platinum blond Turner is Cora, a restless sexpot stuck in a roadside diner married to mundane middle-aged fry cook Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway) when handsome drifter Frank (Garfield) blows her way. It's lust at first sight, a rapacious desire that neither can break off, and before long they're plotting his demise--but in the wicked world of Cain nothing is that easy. Garnett's visual approach is subdued compared to the more expressionistic film noir of the period, but he's at no loss when he films the luminous Turner in her milky-white wardrobe. She radiates repressed sexuality and uncontrollable passion while Garfield's smart-talking loner Frank mixes street-smart swagger and scrappy toughness with vulnerability and sincere intensity. Costar Hume Cronyn cuts a cold, calculating figure as their conniving lawyer, a chilly character that only increases our feelings for the murderous couple, victims of an all consuming amour fou that drives their passions to extremes. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description

Adapted from James M. Cain's story, the film relolves around the destructive relationship of two lovers whose troubles mount after they do away with her husband.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of the TCM collections July 4, 2009

By calvinnme HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

This is not really a boxed set. Instead it is a two disc collection of four really good murder mystery films under the control of Warner Home Video. The purpose of these sets is to introduce people to the various genres of classic film at a low price. Unlike the Warner Archive collection, these discs are pressed DVDs, but there are no extras.

First, there are two classic Humphrey Bogart films, "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Big Sleep". "The Maltese Falcon" is available in deluxe form as
The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition (1941 & 1931 versions / Satan Met a Lady). This film not only has Bogart in his prime, it has the great team of Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Here they are not so much a team as on the screen simultaneously, but they are still fun to watch. Here Bogart plays a detective that is so tough he does things like pistol whip someone with their own gun and then give the gun back to him. Nobody but Bogart could pull off this kind of toughness.

"The Big Sleep" has Bogart teamed with Lauren Bacall, with Bogart playing Philip Marlowe in a well-acted film noir that is a bit confusing the first time you watch it. Things make more sense the second time around though. There were actually two versions of this film and they can be found on The Big Sleep, along with commentary comparing the two versions, if you want the extras.

Dial M for Murder was a Hitchcock film from 1954 starring Grace Kelly as the cheating wife of a tennis player (Ray Milland). Milland's character learns about her affair and, rather than feeling terribly hurt about it, he is worried about losing access to his wife's money should she divorce him. He makes plans to insure that never happens. I've always loved this one and the unexpected turn it makes in the middle - Ray Milland turns out to be quite the quick thinker under pressure. This is already available as Dial M for Murder. This more deluxe versions contains two featurettes.

Finally there is 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice. John Garfield plays Frank, a drifter, who gets a job at a restaurant run by Nick and his young wife, Cora (Lana Turner). Frank and Cora fall for each other, but Cora doesn't want to give up Nick's money. The two make one bungled attempt at murder that raises the suspicion of the D.A. Their second one is also bungled. It manages to kill Nick, but it also gets them accused of murder. This is available in a more deluxe edition as The Postman Always Rings Twice, which contains a documentary on John Garfield.

If you only pick up two of these TCM greatest collections make sure it is this one and TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: American Musicals (The Band Wagon / Meet Me in St. Louis / Singin' in the Rain / Easter Parade). They are the two best of the bunch.

62 of 66 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for the Films, 3 for the Packaging July 13, 2010

By Angela Wilson VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this set because I LOVE the films in it - and it was very inexpensive. I bought it despite the fact that these were on double-sided discs - which never last as long and tend to have a lot of problems with skipping and locking up.

While the films themselves were great (I prefer them on full screen), the packaging was not. The first disc is in a hard plastic sleeve that slams against the second disc, which is attached to the back of the plastic jacket. The second disc had scratches on it when it arrived NEW. I had to clean it twice before it would play without skipping. This would not be an issue if they did not used double-sided discs. I won't buy any more of these sets because of that. They are priced great, but I'd rather get collections that don't get scratched right out of the factory.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the Twin Oaks May 19, 2004

By dantes

Format:DVD

Postman's plot centers around drifter Frank, and his relationship with the beautiful Cora. Cora and husband, Nick, run the Twin Oaks -- a roadside service station/diner -- and Nick has hired Frank to help around the place. Cora and Nick are May/December, but there is no romance whatsover between them. The reason for their marriage is cryptically revealed during one scene, but, in the end, one never can quite figure out why they are together. Frank and Cora quickly fall for each other and desire a life together -- a desire that requires removing Nick from the picture. The urgency reaches fever pitch when Nick announces his intention to sell the diner and move Cora to nothern Canada where she will care for Nick's recently paralyzed sister, who, in Nick's words, is going to live for a long time. As other reviewers have mentioned, the DA and defense attorney stand out in this film as well-conceived characters, the defense attorney played to perfection by Hume Cronyn.

Over the years, Postman has been lauded as perhaps the quintessential piece of film noir -- an intentionally bleak genre that experienced its heyday in the forties and fifties. Although Postman is undoubtedly a precise work of film noir, it's reputation may be based as much on it's mold-shattering relationship with MGM as on its artistic merit. Released by MGM, Postman was so far out of character for the studio that MGM had to borrow John Garfield to cast the leading role. That said, one is hard pressed to envision Frank as having been played by anyone other than Garfield. The same can't be said for Lana Turner's Cora, though. Yet, while other actresses may admirably have filled Cora's sultry shoes, Turner does indeed sizzle in this role. Both Garfield and Turner play their parts to perfection -- their acting is simply terrific. Somehow, though, the chemistry between the two leaves a little something wanting. For me, this was underscored by the instant chemistry that exists between Frank/Garfield and the "other woman" he picks up at the train station during Lana/Cora's absence. That said, the little something that is wanting between Turner and Gerfield contributes, in its own way, to the bleakness of the plot.

Technically, the dvd presentation of Postman is quite good. The transfer here is not as pristine as other Warner releases and there are digital artifacts and noise noticeable in many scenes. However, they are not severe enough in effect or number to detract from the film. Although the audio on this dvd is fine, the score for Postman is really just mediocre. Heavy on suspense motifs, one is left feeling as though they've heard much of this music before. The highlight of the dvd is the Garfield documentary that Warner has included as an extra. For fans of the noir genre, and for fans of Garfield in particular, this extra transforms a good dvd into a must-own dvd.

All things considered, this is a title for confirmed noir fans, and, for them, it is highly recommended. Even if you're not a noir fan, though, Postman is a work of broader cultural significance and is well worth owning even if its the only noir on your shelf.