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Howard Hawks (Twentieth Century) made his first film for Columbia Pictures with this pre-Code prison movie. The great Walter Huston (Dragonwyck) stars as a district attorney-turned-prison warden who gets to witness first-hand the effects of his convictions, especially Phillip Holmes (An American Tragedy), imprisoned after killing a man in a drunken brawl. Co-starring Boris Karloff (Frankenstein), The Criminal Code is tough, no-nonsense, quintessential Hawks.

Extras

• High definition remaster
• Original mono soundtrack
• Audio commentary with film historian Nora Fiore (2021)
• The Howard Hawks Masterclass with John Carpenter (1997): archival audio recording of an event from the British Film Institute’s 1997 Howard Hawks retrospective at the National Film Theatre, London
• Kim Newman on Boris Karloff (2021): the author and critic discusses the non-horror roles of the iconic actor
• Codes and Convictions (2021): video essay comparing The Criminal Code with its 1950 film noir remake, Convicted
• Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Criminal Code’ (1937): radio adaptation starring Edward G Robinson
• Image gallery: publicity and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Philip Kemp, extracts from interviews with Howard Hawks, Henri Langlois on the early sound films of Howard Hawks, overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• World premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies
• All extras subject to change