Ida Lupino: Filmmaker Collection

If you've read anything about Ida Lupino, you're sure to learn that she was an actress, filmmaker, writer, producer, etc. that defied being shoehorned into the boxes that the big studios frequently tried to put her in. Even when she worked for Warner Bros. under contract, she was frequently suspended for refusing to do work that wasn't to her liking.

It was the time she spent behind the camera that really delivered Lupino's unfiltered ID, and those projects are up for reappraisal with an incredible new set of four films on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber titled "Ida Lupino: Filmmaker Collection." The collection includes a new digital restoration of each film and a booklet including tireless writing on Lupino as an auteurist by the late, great Ronnie Schieb. This isn't just a must-own, it should be owned by anyone interested in a female filmmaker who was able to not only get behind the camera but also hone her craft as a storyteller with every project.

Up first in the box set is 1949's "Not Wanted," a film that Lupino still remains uncredited on as director, although she picked up the duties after Elmer Clifton had a heart attack and couldn't finish the film. The film, produced by Lupino and husband Collier Young's company The Filmmakers, focused on the inner turmoil of a pretty young woman named Sally Kelton (played by Sally Forrest) forced to give up her out-of-wedlock baby. What may have been a low-budget, issue-oriented project worked because of Lupino's knack for showcasing psychological pain on screen. When a one-legged army vet named Steve Ryan (Leo Penn) pounds the ground in despair, it's taking place in a world where disabilities - be they psychological or physical - represented a life limited by a society that turned its back to those they deemed damaged goods. The woman's home that Sally lives in represents a temporary sanctuary that's so delicate it could crumble at any moment. The new 4K restoration of the film does look quite good, although some blemishes and drops in quality hinder it from being immaculate. (Those blemishes never distract, though.)

Lupino got even more personal about the state of things with her official first feature, 1950's "Never Fear," a film with ties to the filmmaker's own Polio diagnosis when she was young. Carol Williams (Sally Forrest) and her lover Guy Richards (Keefe Brasselle) are about to unveil their incredible new dance routine when Carol becomes incapacitated by her first flare-up of Polio. Sent immediately to a rehabilitation facility, Carol dives headfirst into self-pity but soon learns to cope with her diagnosis and let others help her. Once again, we're introduced to a facility that ends up being a sanctuary of sorts. What really shines through the familiar narrative is the guilt and resentment felt by Carol and Guy. They may love each other very much, but their self-blame and the anger born out of that threaten to rip them apart. Lupino studied the immaterial and how it affects the material world with "Never Fear." The new 2K restoration of the film looks mighty good and properly showcases the black and white contrast, with few hiccups or print marks.

1953's "The Hitch-Hiker" is heralded by many as Lupino's finest film as director, and I mostly agree with that sentiment. It's a lean, mean, and angry story about men sent to the brink of despair by their own gravest faults. Roy (Edmond O'Brien) and Frank (Gilbert Bowen) are two friends driving back from a fishing trip when they pick up a hitchhiker named Emmett Myers (William Talman). Myers is a murderous psychopath that forces the two men to help him get away from the cops. The film takes great pleasure in watching the power struggle between the three men almost literally eat them all alive. This isn't a story of big egos as much as it's a story of egos striving to be big but falling flat in the face of violence. Plus, the new 2K restoration may be the best in the set, with this downright dirty noir with its rough film grain being presented perfectly.

The last film in the set, 1953's "The Bigamist," really takes on another life when considering what was going on in Lupino's life when this project was filmed. At that point, Collier Young had left Lupino to date actress Joan Fontaine. The film, starring Edmond O'Brien as a traveling salesman living a double life, uprooted the 1950s idyllic American family and uncovered the ugliness that guilt and resentment can cause. The two women burdened with O'Brien's character named Harry Graham were played by Joan Fontaine and Lupino herself. The film is at its most interesting in its focus on Lupino's Phyllis Martin, a waitress, being given a ticket to a better life and seeing it crumble. The new 4K restoration, much like the others, shows some wear and tear but does a terrific job otherwise.

While Lupino's directing credits are mostly from her television work, her films still stand as reflections of her own unfiltered ID and tireless commitment to honing her craft. There aren't many special features in the set, but that's not a negative given how great the restorations look and how comprehensive the booklet is. Pick this up immediately, as it is sure to remain one of the most important home entertainment releases of the year. Special features include:

� "Not Wanted" - Audio Commentary by Barbara Scharrer, Director of Programming at Gene Siskel Film Center with Filmmaker/Historian Greg Ford
� "Never Fear" - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
� "The Hitch-Hiker" - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith
� "The Bigamist" - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger

"Ida Lupino: Filmmaker Collection"
Kino Lorber Blu-ray
$79.95
https://www.klstudioclassics.com/product/view/id/6326