Ace in the Hole [Criterion Collection] [2 Discs]

Director: Billy Wilder Billy Wilder

Overview

For years, Ace In The Hole was the phantom item in Billy Wilder's filmography; it was made when the director was at the height of his talents and was a favorite with critics, but after it landed with a thud at the box office in 1951 (when audiences were doubtless not ready for a movie quite this cynical), Paramount Pictures seemed to wash their hands of it, and it was rarely shown on television and never released on home video. Thankfully, the Criterion Collection have finally made Ace In The Hole available on DVD, and they've taken care to give this long-overdue release the quality presentation it deserves. Disc one of Criterion's Ace In The Hole set features the movie in a superb, pin-sharp digital transfer that captures all the nooks and crannies of Charles B. Lang Jr.'s black and white cinematography, and it's far superior to the versions that have occasionally appeared on cable TV over the years. The picture has been transferred in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, capturing the sound track with admirable clarity and detail. The dialogue is in English, with optional English subtitles but no multiple language options. An optional audio commentary accompanies the film, with Neil Sinyard discussing the making of the film and Wilder's style and technique. Disc Two is devoted to supplementary material, including a fine documentary on Billy Wilder, Portrait of a 60% Perfect Man, and highlights from a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute. Also featured is an appreciation of Ace In The Hole from filmmaker Spike Lee (who shows off his autographed lobby card from the movie), a interview with Kirk Douglas shot in 1984 in which he discusses working with Wilder, an audio-only interview with Walter Newman (who co-wrote the screenplay), and a gallery of stills from the picture (including some behind-the-scenes production shots). And the accompanying booklet, mocked-up to look like an edition of the Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin, includes fine original essays on Ace In The Hole from critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin. One could hardly ask for a better or more thorough video release of Ace In The Hole, and if Criterion's definitive edition was a long time in coming, the results amply reward the patience of film buffs everywhere.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/02/2018
UPC:	0715515024723
Original Release:	1951
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00
Sales rank:	17,015

Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer; Audio commentary by film scholar Neil Sinyard; Theatrical trailer; Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Bill Wilder, a 1980 documentary featuring in-depth interviews with Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment; A 1984 interview with Kirk Douglas; Excerpts from a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute; Excerpts from an audio interview with coscreenwriter Walter Newman; New video afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee; Stills gallery; New essays by film critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kirk Douglas	Charles Tatum
Jan Sterling	Lorraine Minosa
Porter Hall	Jacob Q. Boot,Mrs. Federber
Bob Arthur	Herbie Cook,Herbie Cook
Richard Benedict	Leo Minosa
Frank Cady	Mr. Federber
Ray Teal	Sheriff Gus Kretzer
Lewis Martin	McCardle
John Berks	Papa Minosa
Frances Dominguez	Mama Minosa
Gene Evans	Deputy Sheriff
Frank Jaquet	Smollett
Harry Harvey	Dr. Hilton
Bob Bumpas	Radio Announcer
Richard Gaines	Nagel
Paul D. Merrill	Federber Boy,Digger
Stewart Kirk Clawson	Federber Boy
John Stuart Fulton	Boy
Bob Kortman	Digger
Edith Evanson	Miss Deverich
Ralph Moody	Kusac, the Miner
Claire DuBrey	Spinster
William Fawcett	Sad-Faced Man
Bill Sheehan	Man
Bert Stevens	Reporter
Frank Keith	Fireman
Basil Chester	Indian
Bert Moorhouse	Morgan
Ken Christy	Jessop
Martha Maryman	Woman
Lester Dorr	Priest
Larry Hogan	Television Announcer
John 'Bub' Sweeney	Reporter
Stanley McKay	Reporter
Frank Andrew Parker	Reporter
Iron Eyes Cody	Indian Copy Boy
Charles Griffin	Mr. Wendel
Jack Roberts	Newspaperman
Oscar Belinda	Barker
Martin Bendleton	Barker
William N. Peters	Photographer
Chico Day	Photographer
John Berkes	Actor

Technical Credits

Billy Wilder

Lesser Samuels

Walter Newman

Billy Wilder	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Lesser Samuels	Screenwriter
Walter Newman	Screenwriter
Farciot Edouart	Special Effects

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Ace in the Hole, Disc 1: The Film
1. Arrival in Albuquerque [4:07]
2. "Where's My Desk?" [3:29]
3. A Life Sentence [4:30]
4. "Good News Is No News" [4:08]
5. Human Interest [7:07]
6. Leo [7:11]
7. "Forget the Rattlesnakes" [4:36]
8. Lorraine Wants Out [4:14]
9. Mr. and Mrs. America [3:45]
10. "Everybody Likes a Break" [3:29]
11. An Ace in the Hole [5:57]
12. Twenty Minutes [2:17]
13. A New Community [5:01]
14. The Gentlemen of the Press [3:23]
15. From the Top [2:28]
16. Leo Suffers as the Carnival Arrives [4:28]
17. Accusations From Boot [4:26]
18. Rounding Third [2:23]
19. A Song for Leo [3:14]
20. A Turn for the Worse [5:18]
21. Out of Options [3:36]
22. The Present [5:22]
23. Last Rites [5:08]
24. The Circus Is Over [4:12]
25. A Tatum Special [4:43]
26. "For Nothing" [2:22]
1. A Memorable Entrance [4:07]
2. Kirk Douglas [3:29]
3. A Driving Force [4:30]
4. Purpose and Pacing [4:08]
5. Lorraine/The Writers [7:07]
6. A Wilder Production [7:11]
7. Locations/Priorities [4:36]
8. Wilder's Women/Jan Sterling [4:14]
9. Arrivals and Accomplices [3:45]
10. Friedhofer/Visual Style [3:29]
11. Fallible Heroes [5:57]
12. Film Noir [2:17]
13. Spectacle [5:01]
14. Media Circus/Daring [3:23]
15. Close-ups [2:28]
16. The Use of Friend [4:28]
17. Their Own Antagonists [4:26]
18. Screaming Headlines/Tatum Prevails [2:23]
19. Pulling Out All the Stops [3:14]
20. Aspirations and Aggression [5:18]
21. Delivering a Happy Ending [3:36]
22. A Darker Vision [5:22]
23. Tatum as Artist [5:08]
24. Dynamic Antiheroes [4:12]
25. A Shot of Vinegar [4:43]
26. An Offer He Can't Refuse [2:22]
Disc #2 -- Ace in the Hole, Disc 1: The Supplements
1. Austria and Early Years [11:41]
2. Berlin [3:33]
3. America and Collaborations [3:11]
4. Hold Back the Dawn/Directing [4:59]
5. Ace in the Hole/An Accumulator [5:05]
6. Some Like It Hot/The Seven Year Itch [6:14]
7. Script Ideas and Writing Process [5:31]
8. Bogart/Monroe/Dietrich [7:19]
9. Return to Berlin/Ahead of Its Time [7:03]
10. Just Trying to Make a Living [3:44]
1. Early Days in the U.S./Reputation [7:49]
2. A Born Collaborator/Three Acts [2:58]
3. No Fancy-Schmancy Shots [2:28]
4. The Studios [6:51]
5. A Painful Profession [3:28]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Ace in the Hole, Disc 1: The Film
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Color Bars
   Commentary
      Commentary: Off
      Commentary: On
      Index
      Color Bars
   Trailer
Disc #2 -- Ace in the Hole, Disc 2: The Supplements
   Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Bill Wilder
      Play
      Index
   Billy Wilder at the American Film Institute
      Play
      Index
   Kirk Douglas Interview
      Play
   Walter Newman Interview
      Play
   Spike Lee Afterword
   Stills Gallery

Editorial Reviews

A movie truly ahead of its time, Ace in the Hole (also known as The Big Carnival) turned out to be too bitter and cynical for moviegoers in 1951. An unrelenting portrait of media sensationalism and the human obsession with tragedy that propels it, the film is based on a true story that also spawned Robert Penn Warren's novel The Cave. Director, screenwriter, and producer Billy Wilder suffered perhaps the biggest commercial and critical failure of his career with Ace, losing much of his standing at Paramount, even though the movie was released between two of his most enduring and popular triumphs, Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Stalag 17 (1953). Ace was perhaps not up to the standard of those works, but it clearly stands as one of Wilder's many fine achievements. It's hardly surprising that this film failed to find a mainstream audience, despite the added attraction of emerging star Kirk Douglas in the lead. American culture wouldn't be ready for such a large dose of pessimism until the 1970s; even then, a film such as 1976's Network, which clearly paralleled the tone of Wilder's effort, was dismissed by many viewers as too hysterical.

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