French Noir Collection III (Blu-ray) ***Preorder*** 12/29

This collection features four film noir classics from France, restored in 2K by Gaumont. The Last One of the Six (1941) a.k.a. Le dernier des six – When six friends, who have agreed to split a financial windfall, begin dying one by one, a police commissioner (Pierre Fresnay) reluctantly leads the case. Directed by Georges Lacombe and scripted by Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear), based on a whodunit by Stanislas-André Steeman (Quai des Orfèvres). The Moment of Truth (1952) a.k.a. La minute de vérité – Michèle Morgan and Jean Gabin, the iconic romantic duo of Port of Shadows, rejoin for a dark and emotional tale about a bourgeois doctor who learns of his wife’s infidelity. Directed by Jean Delannoy (Maigret Sets a Trap). Paris Pick-Up (1962) a.k.a. Le monte-charge – On a cold Christmas night, an ex-convict (Robert Hossein, Angélique) enters a maze of deceit with a beautiful woman (Lea Dassari) whose apartment contains a dead man on a sofa. Directed by Marcel Bluwal, and based on a novel by Frédéric Dard (The Wicked Go to Hell). The Strange Mr. Steve (1957) a.k.a. L’étrange Monsieur Steve – A bored bank clerk (Philippe Lemaire) is lured into the world of crime by a wealthy stranger (Armand Mestral) and his sultry wife (Jeanne Moreau, Diary of a Chambermaid). Co-starring Lino Ventura (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi), directed by Raymond Bailly and co-scripted by Frédéric Dard (Back to the Wall).