Kino Lorber Releases Ida Lupino’s classic film noir The Hitch-Hiker, and Orson Welles’ thriller The Stranger, on Blu-ray and DVD

This release is the latest in a longtime collaboration between Kino Lorber and the Library of Congress, which has resulted in critically acclaimed editions of Stanley Kubrick’s Fear and Desire, King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis, and Of Human Bondage, starring Bette Davis, all mastered in HD from 35mm archival elements.

Listed on the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board, The Hitch-Hiker is notable for its cultural significance as the only classic film noir directed by a woman (Ida Lupino), and beyond that, stands as a masterpiece of the suspense genre in its tale of two men on a road trip who find themselves held hostage by a psychotic gun-wielding drifter. This Blu-ray and DVD edition streets on October 15th with an SRP of $29.95 for the Blu-ray and $24.95 for the DVD. It includes an image gallery as a bonus feature.

The Stranger is a suspense classic from master filmmaker Orson Welles, who also stars in this story of an escaped Nazi war criminal who hides out in a quaint New England town, and the government agent who seeks to bring him to justice. This Blu-ray and DVD edition streets on October 15th with a SRP of $34.95 for the Blu-ray and $29.95 for the DVD. Special features include audio commentary by film historian Bret Wood; the original theatrical trailer; an image gallery; “Death Mills” (1945, 21 min.), an informational film on the Nazi death camps (produced by Billy Wilder), footage of which appears in The Stranger; and Orson Welles’ Wartime Radio Broadcasts – four complete programs that exemplify Welles’ blending of propaganda and entertainment: “Alameda” (Nazi Eyes on Canada, 1942), “War Workers” (Ceiling Unlimited, 1942), “Brazil” (Hello Americans, 1942), and “Bikini Atomic Test” (Orson Welles Commentaries, 1946).

The Hitch-Hiker
Inspired by the real-life murder spree of Billy Cook, The Hitch-Hiker is a gripping suspense drama and film noir starring Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy. While on a road trip, the two men are carjacked by a homicidal killer (William Talman) who forces them at gunpoint to embark on a nightmarish joyride across the deserts of Mexico.

Independently produced, The Hitch-Hiker represents renegade filmmaking at its finest. Working independently allowed Lupino and ex-husband/producer Collier Young to work from a treatment by blacklisted writer Daniel Mainwaring, and tackle an incident that was too brutal for the major studios to even consider.

The Stranger
Following his direction of two undisputed masterpieces – Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons -  Orson Welles returned to the screen with this suspense film, a baroque postwar thriller that drew upon the style of his previous films while also laying the groundwork for his later film noir classics, The Lady from Shanghai and Touch of Evil.

Edward G. Robinson stars as Wilson, a government agent who tracks down a high-ranking Nazi officer (Welles) who has managed to craft a new identity for himself in a quaint Connecticut town, marrying the daughter (Loretta Young) of a local judge.

Circulated in poor versions for decades, this edition of The Stranger was mastered in HD from an original 35mm print preserved by the Library of Congress and is accompanied by a wealth of supplemental material.