STUDIOCANAL
has announced the upcoming release of the newly-restored classic British
film noir, THE SLEEPING TIGER, on Blu-Ray for the first time, as well as on DVD and Digital on November 7.
Directed by Joseph Losey (under the credit of Victor
Hanbury), the film was the first collaboration between Dirk Bogarde (The Servant, Accident) and Losey (The Go-Between, Mr. Klein) and marked the
beginning of one of British cinema’s most important actor/director
partnerships. Also starring Alexis Smith (The Age of Innocence) and Alexander Knox ( Wilson), THE SLEEPING TIGER, looking better than
ever and featuring brand-new bonus material, is a welcome addition to the
ever-expanding
Vintage Classics collection
.
On its initial theatrical release, Victor Hanbury, the film’s producer, was
credited as director rather than Joseph Losey. Blacklisted at the time
after refusing to testify before the 1951 House Committee on Un-American
Activities, and in desperate need of work, Losey convinced the producer to
take the credit.
A psychiatrist, Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) catches young gunman Frank
Clemens (Dirk Bogarde) breaking into his house. Rather than send him to
prison, Esmond invites the delinquent to stay at his home as a social
guinea pig, believing that he can curb the fugitive’s criminal tendencies.
Further tensions arise, however, when the youth begins an affair with
Esmond’s wife (Alexis Smith).
