Scarlet Street LE (4K-UHD) ***Preorder*** 11/23

Perhaps the greatest American production by an undisputed master of cinema, Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street is the quintessential example of film noir and the perfect follow-up to his previous crime thriller The Woman in the Window. It also features the same stellar cast, as Edward G. Robinson (Double Indemnity), Joan Bennett (Man Hunt) and Dan Duryea (Criss Cross) reunite for a heart-wrenching, tragic story of a man driven to the edge by love.

In a loveless marriage and having spent 25 years as a retail cashier, Christopher “Chris” Cross (Robinson) is deeply dissatisfied with his lot in life. One night, he experiences excitement for the first time in years: he intervenes when he witnesses Johnny Prince (Duryea) attacking Katherine “Kitty” March (Bennett), becoming instantly enamoured with the woman he has rescued. When she comes to believe that he is a wealthy artist, he doesn’t correct her – and soon Johnny, Kitty’s boyfriend, comes up with a scheme to swindle a man who is as naive as he is lovestruck. But Johnny and Kitty’s con can’t possibly last forever.

Based on Georges de La Fouchardière’s novel La Chienne (previously adapted for the screen in its native France by Jean Renoir), Scarlet Street was a box-office hit – albeit a controversial one that was banned in three states for its dark subject matter and its complex exploration of criminal behaviour. The Masters of Cinema Series is honoured to present one of Fritz Lang’s greatest films on 4K UHD and Blu-ray for the first time in the UK in a dual-format edition.