The Black Dahlia [Blu-ray]

(Truthfully, I feel this is more of a 3.5 star effort, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for reasons I'll elaborate upon.)I should start off by warning the reader that I can't adequately review this film - either on its own merits, or as an adaptation of the novel - without at least touching upon a small handful of major spoilers. Therefore, if one *really* doesn't want to have any of the large twists ruined, it might be best not to continue.After all of the terrible reviews I've read of this movie here and elsewhere, I came into this with extremely low expectations, but was very pleasantly surprised. I had almost literally *just* finished reading the book this movie was based on, however, and I have some thoughts on this point.First of all, it's important to note the fact that it's fairly obvious a large portion of the negative reviewers have never read the book: the overwhelming majority of the criticism heaped upon this movie that doesn't have to do with the acting has to do with factors inherent to the original story and the adaptation thereof. Read a synopsis and reviews of the book, first; Ellroy admits to taking quite a few liberties with the facts of the actual case for the sake of...well, for the sake of his own catharsis about his mother, if you read his essay on the matter (which comes as the new afterword to recent editions of the book). So, no, if you're looking for a 100% factual accounting of the Elizabeth Short murder case and investigation, you're not going to find it here. And people who read a lot of mystery/thriller novels of this length (as opposed to the older and much shorter 200-ish page novels by the likes of Hammett, Chandler, et al.) will know how dicey it can be to adapt a dense, story-driven 300+ page novel into a movie of under 3 hours. Depending on the precise source material, this task can range from difficult to impossible. With Ellroy's narrative focus bouncing around from topic to topic like an easily-distracted kitten (in some cases, he doesn't even stay on a single line of investigation within the *same page*), multiple distinct climaxes followed by points where the book could have ended logically, and a tremendous number of dead-ends that don't end up having any bearing on the case, this book clearly edged towards the "impossible" end of that spectrum: the original cut of this film was over 3 hours, and De Palma had to edit an hour of it out, which is a primary reason for many of the film's pacing and storyline issues. I suspect it still would have felt harried even with the extra hour, given how much of the novel they had to leave out. (I suppose I should add that I'm not necessarily a particular fan of Brian De Palma, so I'm not just some loyal apologist.)Second, for those who have actually read the book, I pose *the* important (and largely ignored in the other reviews) question: was this movie a good adaptation of the book? I would have to say yes, very much so. It's undeniable that, due to the immense scope and density of the book (which included multiple-chapter trips to Boston, New Jersey, Tijuana and Ensenada that were all dropped for the film), entire plot threads; subplots; and even major characters had to be dropped for time, and several major and important story elements (Bucky Bleichert's fall from grace, Lee Blanchard's death, the extent of Lee's corruption and Kay Lake's involvement therein, the Sprague/Linscott family's ultimate fates) had to be altered to accommodate these changes. But they were tweaked in ways that still work well in the overall context and story of the film. Ellroy spends an inordinate amount of time and ink on the Fire & Ice duo's infatuation/fixation on Elizabeth "Betty" Short/The Dahlia - though De Palma eschews the Bleichert narration from the book which literally states as much, it manages to come through quite nicely in a very subtle way with the sequences of Bucky viewing Betty's screen tests. One thing I often use as a barometer for how well a movie adapts a book is how much dialog from the book makes it through to the film unaltered, and many of the important scenes jumped out at me in this regard (it's tough to forget the phrase "tighter than a crab's ass" once you've heard it).The production design, one of the most important things for a period piece in our increasingly superficial film culture, was astonishingly immersive and well-done - I stop just short of saying *completely* "authentic," however, because the large part of me that's obsessed with 1930s/40s imagery (as a card-carrying member of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles) can pick apart a few anachronisms, inaccuracies, and (most commonly) improbabilities within the setting and design. Still, it's all quite beautifully-done, and - to the casual, non-pedant observer - quite period-accurate. Most importantly, it also met my expectations as to what the set pieces would have looked like as I was reading the book. The musical score is alarmingly similar to Goldsmith's for "LA Confidential" - a good thing insofar as it was appropriate to the story and aesthetics, even if lacking in originality.Ultimately, what hurts this film most are all the things that people have already pointed out: story flaws, mediocre acting, its pacing and ponderous length. I've already addressed the writing- and editing-related issues, insofar as they're largely inherent to and inherited from the source novel. I didn't find the acting to be any great "nails on a chalkboard"-type stumbling block, but I would agree none of the main players deserved particular recognition. I was rather impressed with Mia Kirshner's "screen test" performances as Betty Short, however. Through these, and her, we see the character Ellroy intended to portray: the inept actress and tragic figure. Some have said that this film can't decide whether to embrace or parody the film noir tropes and cliches, but I didn't notice this to any great extent. Indeed, the movie actually tones down several of the most egregious introspective examples of this from Ellroy's novel (the aforementioned example of Bucky viewing Betty's screen tests standing in for his outright obsession with her in so many words of narration, the omission of numerous examples of his lusting for Short after-the-fact).Still, as an adaptation of the novel, I don't find enough of these things here for me to consider this film anything besides what it is: a just "good" adaptation of an excellent, albeit flawed, novel. Overall, I don't really know what, if anything (or how much), could have been done to improve upon this, given the source material. It's the sort of thing that really would have stood best as a mini-series - each of the novel's four "sections" as an hour-long episode - allowing writer, director, and designer to really spread their wings without having to edit out or alter too much of the original novel.I recommend this movie to people who enjoyed the book, albeit with the caveat that it helps one's ability to follow it if the book is still quite fresh in one's mind. I would cautiously recommend it to people fond of noir fiction (particularly neo-noir films) and 1940s aestetics, but not strongly, for all of the aforementioned reasons.

"The Man Who Laughed" is the film that The Joker character was based off of. Unfortunately, The Black Dahlia Murder was never directly connected in the public's mind to The Joker character but that is exactly the point. The smile carved into her face is the symbol of The Joker and "Ed Jokisch" from the LAPD is the inspiration for The Joker character. Within the 1969 Zodiac Killer Cryptogram, the Black Dahlia killers are named --Jokisch, Tully and Tully's abortion Dr. assistant. The victim was arranged in the shape of a HEIROGLYPH which means 'bearded man' as part of a cult Egyptian dark magic ritual which centered around abortion and slave baby rings which go at least as far back as the Jack The Ripper case, which is also directly connected to the ZK and the Dahlia murder. The reason for the name of the notorious British killer is that Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony was famously 'ripped in half' when he found that Napoleon had made himself Emperor and the Zodiac Killer's symbol is a musical Coda, mentioning the famous symphony in its coded messages. The Ripper was connected to an abortion/prostitution ring wherein a royal bastard was prevented from being born. The connection to the Pinkerton's seals the deal that the same cult which won the Civil War for the imaginary Lincoln (a character created by the Masonic elitists under Pinkerton, but if you compare all Lincoln pictures you will find that he could not have been a real human being) since we've had the same frauds put on us one after the other since the formation of the new government under Lincoln. The Pinkerton's are the security outfit which became the corporate masters of the US Police Forces, and that power is still in place-- since most don't know.The medical personnel who drained the blood and removed the organs from Smart's body were highly skilled from practicing abortion illegally with Jokisch of the LAPD apparently overseeing the racket. US Government sponsors sex slaves under National Security so breeding human beings in order to serve as sex slaves for blackmail, gangstalking and other political objectives. This is on record as a National Security issue and is secured by law enforcement. In other words, this is government sanctioned human breeding for sexual slavery which makes use of their slaves for dirty tricking in political contexts. Thus the condition of Ms. Short without organs, being separated in two halves and displayed as a heiroglyph was a clear indication of the medical team indicating Ms. Short had been the victim of retribution by a human trafficking ring with an Egyptian based cult theology practicing black magic rituals to defend their criminal enterprise.In the first "Batman" comic-- look on the hat of The Joker character when he is in a police uniform. Where the number of the badge for the officer is or "LAPD" would be, in tiny lettering you can see 'j o k i s c h' indicating the partnership with Warner Brothers, Ed Jokisch, the LAPD and the creation of a criminal network which produces actual crimes then announces them in code to the public.Thanks Brian! It's not bad but could have use a bit of script doctoring just for entertainment's sake, or you could use a better editor. Something because it's a bit sticky but you're still great.

I won't get into plot details. I think the cast is great, the topic is great, they style and city are great. Just prepare yourself mentally: This is one of those movies based on a book. When I saw it, it felt clunky at times. Then I heard it was based on a book, and thought, "That's it!" It doesn't have the same plot arc as a movie, with a villain, peril, and an action climax. It's more episodic in how it moves along. I rewatched it and liked it more, knowing the plot structure I was more able to just enjoy it.

Originally had this film on DVD. Imported the Blu ray (as the UK hasn't release this) to get better sound and picture. The sound can be a little muffled at times (my hearing ain't what it used to be), but the subtitles are fairly discrete, so it is now hardship watching the film with those on. -They also aid the 40's speak, as it can take a little to get used to. But you can do without them easily. However, the story is complicated, so prick up your ears and go for a exciting ride in the capable hands of Brian Di Palma (Untouchables). The film looks lush and rich, and it easily bears several "watchings," over a short space of time; -which will also help you to keep up with the complex storyline in the start of the movie.The cast is excellent, and the details in "their" looks, and the set design, make this film a sumptuous feast. -Although a little brutal at times.The 3 extras: "Reality & Fiction: The Story Of The Black Dahlia"; "The Case File"; and "The Di Palma Touch" are fine extra. -A commentary would have been welcome, as Di Palma is a interesting to listen too. If you already liked this film the imported disc is worth the cost. It looks and sounds good. -I just need some new ears.

Excelente producto, caja y disco en perfecto estado; llegó antes de lo esperado. Y sobre la película, qué decir, De Palma hasta siendo "malo" es bueno.

Tenía el dvd. La versión blu ray realza mucho la fotografía de Vilmods Sigmond. La fotografía de época con ocres y neones brillantes realza mucho el contraste y la nitidez. Ideal para coleccionista

No Issue with Amazon or the Re-Seller. 5 stars to them. The movie turned up in perfect new condition. However the movie itself is One of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. Terrible. Even though I was aware that this movie was a fictional portrayal of the Black Dahlia murder, the movie barely touches on the crime or police investigation of the crime in its 2 hour length. Theres zero storyline or plot. The script writers should be ashamed of themselves with this rubbish. Its only redeeming feature is how pretty Scarlett Johansson is !.

muy bien el envio, rapido y muy cuidado todoen cuanto a la pelicula: si quieres conocer acerca de aquel suceso lee libros, hay unos cuantos, pero ni te molestes en ver esta peli que es malisima

Je ne peux commenter un film dont les sous-titres sont exclusivement en anglais!! Donc grosse déception car une fois de plus la fiche de l'article est insuffisamment renseignée!J'adore ce genre de film avec cette atmosphère bien particulière des années 40, mais...quel dommage de se faire ainsi piéger !!