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Blast of Silence - Criterion Collection | 
 enlarge | Director: Allen Baron
Actors: Allen Baron, Molly Mccarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter H. Clune, Danny Meehan
Studio: Criterion Collection
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $20.43
You Save: $9.52 (32%)
New (36) Used (12) from $16.92
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 20852
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 77 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: IMEDCC1745D
UPC: 715515028721
EAN: 0715515028721
ASIN: B0012Z363A
Theatrical Release Date: 1961
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand new; still in shrink wrap!!
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Product Description
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 04/15/2008 Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
Somewhere between film noir and The Sopranos lies Blast of Silence, a concise, compelling psychological portrait of a low-level hit-man, shot in 1961 on a shoestring budget with New York City grit. This is the sort of movie, unique but out of sync with its time, that Criterion practically exists to rescue. Accompanied by an avant-jazz soundtrack and hard-boiled Beat narration from the gloriously gravel-voiced Lionel Stander, the blue-collar assassin wanders through the city at Christmastime, revolted by human contact but sucker enough to think a girl he once knew might redeem him. Writer/director Allen Baron stepped into the lead role when he lost Peter Falk; while he's certainly not as expressive an actor, his face has an uncomfortable mixture of yearning and defensiveness that suits the character to a T. Stylishly framed images and sharp, staccato editing, combined with the almost documentary feel of the performances and settings, wrap the entire movie in an alienated tension. This being a Criterion release, it's got fantastic extras: A relaxed interview with the chatty, garrulous Baron, which is combined with a short documentary from 1990 in which Baron went back to all the locations used in Blast of Silence and reminisced; Polaroid photos from the set that look like lost Weegee photographs; a loving essay by critic Terrence Rafferty; and more. But the movie doesn't need any of this to make its mark--it's an American classic, as crucial to the launch of independent film as Cassavetes. Highly recommended. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
blackjack cinema September 14, 2008
Alan Fair
Criterion have dealt us the perfect blackjack hand with Alan Baron's 'Blast Of Silence', a jack of diamonds and an ace of spades, at once cold and dark, sharp and velvet edged. The film takes from Aldrich and Fuller and sifts its existential themes through a Godardian disdain for continuity. The beautifully modulated voice over, delivered by the (exiled) Lionel Stander allows the photography to dissolve the relationship between narrative and emotional resonance. We are encouraged to experience the protagonist's(Baron)isolation as a cry of anguish in the newly evolving mediocraty of consumerism. He prowls the night illuminated by the shrill lights of department stores, lurking in the false havens of bars and the kind of New York apartments that only exist in movies. In this sense Baron creates a world just as Jean-Pierre Melville does, a cinema of essentials, a cinema stripped bare of the illusory fullness of imaginary space. The world of 'Blast Of Silence' is the world of actions not motives. This hit man exists only when he is in the game, his search for solace, for love, for affection are always already doomed, just as he is, to take it in the back, him and Jean-Paul Belmondo, falling forever into the projectors smoke filtered light. Noir.
Raw. Minimalist. Existential. Noir. September 14, 2008
Jordan Krall (Noir Jersey, USA)
Blast of Silence is a low-budget crime drama that's closer
to a French noir than an American one. It was shot on
location in NYC and feels more like a black-and-white
documentary than a movie.
It's a character study with an uncomplicated plot: A hitman
comes to NYC from Chicago in order to make a hit. He
arranges to get a gun from his connection and has to kill
time (no pun intended) while waiting to do the job. It's
Christmas time and that depresses this professional killer
who grew up in an orphanage and has limited social skills.
He bumps into an old friend from that orphanage and
reluctantly goes to a Christmas party. He's an outsider
both figuratively and literally. He's like a more restrained
version of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver except there is no
doubt as to what side of the law he is on (I still think Bickle
is a good guy though my wife thinks he's crazy.)
By the end of BLAST OF SILENCE, you do feel sorry for
the hit-man, however. There's a bit of sadness in his
misanthropy and you will not soon forget this film.
My first walk on the wild side! June 13, 2008
Charles Wilder (Dover, NH United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I saw this movie when it was first released. I loved it! I had never seen anything like it and tried to get my buddies to see it. They felt the same way I had at first."This movie can't be any good, there's nobody famous in it". It taught me that there was a whole world of films out there that I hadn't been aware of. It was a great discovery that echoes down to this day. The film is probably about a 3 1/2 but I'll give it four for the life lesson it taught!
an forgotten low budget gem returns. June 12, 2008
Ted M. (Pennsylvania, USA)
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film
Blast of Silence is about a hitman on the brink of retirement named Frank Bono (Allen Baron) who is hired to kill a mobster. I don't want to say much else that would spoil the story.
This film was made on a very low budget but is well made and has good cinematography. The film's release onto DVD has gotten it many positive reviews in the media.
The DVD has good special features also including one I'd like to see more of. There is a making of documentary a theatrical trailer, behind the scenes photos, and my favorite, a comparison of the filming locations as they looked then and how they look today.
This is a movie that film enthusiasts will love.
 A Classic Film Noir Finally Restored June 9, 2008
Mark Williams
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Allen Baron's BLAST OF SILENCE is a one-of-a-kind noir masterpiece. For decades, it's been difficult to find. Luckily for us, Criterion has recently released it on DVD, and true to form, they've restored it to perfect condition. For lovers of independent New York films, cult movies, crime flicks, and anyone who loves good cinema, this is essential viewing. The special features are indeed special, and add to a deeper appreciation of an overlooked classic. Highly recommended.
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