movie world

At the time of its release, legendary American critic Bosley Crowther described the 1962 film Walk on the Wild Side as a “lurid, tawdry, and sleazy melodrama”, which makes it a must-see, regardless of what meaning Mr Crowther may have inferred in his colourful portrait. And indeed, it’s a fine example of late noir.

The 1930s. Farmer Dove Linkhorn (Laurence Harvey) hitchhikes from Texas to New Orleans in search a girl he couldn't keep several years before, the beautiful Hallie Gerard (Capucine). Along the way he meets thieving tramp Kitty Twist (Jane Fonda) and widow Teresina Vidaverri, the earthy owner of a roadside cafe (Anne Baxter). Both fall for Dove, but he has his eyes set on Hallie alone. Dove eventually finds Hallie only to discover that she's the star boarder in a brothel called The Doll House run by the tyrannical Jo Courtney (Barbara Stanwyck). Jo has staked a claim of her own on Hallie and has plenty of henchmen to foil Dove's attempts to take her away.

Yet for some reason, this early Sixties slice of Southern Gothic has been relatively forgotten among film fans as the years have progressed. For fans of Southern Gothic and melodrama, is Walk on the Wild Side now destined to become a rediscovered classic, or is there a reason why the film has been all but forgotten over the past several decades?

Director: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Laurence Harvey, Capucine, Jane Fonda, Anne Baxter, Barbara Stanwyck, Joanna Moore, Richard Rust, Karl Swenson, Don 'Red' Barry, Juanita Moore, John Anderson, Ken Lynch
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Romance

BD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:54:03 | 26.7 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French

Extras:
-- Trailers

BD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:53:52 | 45.9 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:
-- Brand new commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
-- Brand new interview with historian and critic Richard Dyer
-- Brand new interview with Pat Kirkham, co-author of Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design
-- Archival interview with director Edward Dmytryk
-- Stills Gallery