D.O.A

D.O.A, a tense, frantically paced film noir drama about a man, Frank Bigelow, who doesn't feel so good one day and goes to a doctor to get a check up. The doctor says the words no one wants to hear "You've been murdered!" Poor Frank has been poisoned and will be dead in a short period of time.

But why would anyone poison Frank? And who could it possibly have been?

Frank doesn't have much time left and has to decide how to spend the rest of his life. He is a doomed man but he can still choose how to live his last moments.

DOA trailer provided by Dylan Shabbit, check him out on Youtube.

DETAILS

Genre: Film Noir

Director: Rudolph Maté

Writers: Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene

Music: Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo

Release Date: December 22, 1949

Studio / Distributed By: United Artists

Running Time: 84 minutes


WHAT MAKES D.O.A SO GREAT

 

The opening scene. If the 1981 adventure milestone taught us anything, it is the power of the opening scene. Raiders has more thrills in it's opening minutes than most action movies have in their entire length and yet it still manages to give us one of the most powerful character introductions of all time. D.O.A upholds this tradition with an opening that ensnares you and glues you to your seat. You meet the protagonist, learn his deadly dilemma and then realize that you are in the quicksand, right there with him. Side by side with the doomed man you know that you must stick with him and that you cannot leave until the situation is resolved, for good or bad.
John_Reid, an IMDB reviewer says "It must be the dream of all directors to open a film with a scene or line which carries great impact and remains in the memory. The opening line in D.O.A must rank among the most dramatically effective and intriguing lines that has ever opened a movie. This is the quintessential film noir."

ADD D.O.A TO YOUR COLLECTION

 

106 customers are rating this DVD nearly five stars so you know it is of a quality worth adding to your own collection of movies. The anytime, anywhere convenience of having hard-format copies of films is undeniable. You can take a DVD camping, give it as a gift or lend it to a friend. You don't have to rely on having a stable and powerful internet connection when you want to watch a movie, you can just pop a DVD in the player. BUY D.O.A.

BUY the D.O.A DVD

INTERESTING TRIVIA

 

The Title: In case you didn't know, the acronym D.O.A. stands for "dead on arrival".

 

Debuts. This film marks the debuts of Beverly Garland (as Beverly Campbell) and Laurette Luez.

 

Surprise! The scene where Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) frantically runs through the streets in a panic after he learns that he has been fatally poisoned is a 'stolen' shot. The pedestrians on the street had no idea that a movie was being made.

 

COMING SOON (I hope!)

"Screen Director's Playhouse" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on June 21, 1951 with Edmond O'Brien reprising his film role. I am currently looking for a copy of this broadcast to share with you fans so, if you know where I can source it, let me know)

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