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When you think of quality classic cinema, most will immediately picture films by Alfred Hitchcock, or Cecil B. DeMille.

Likely only cinephiles will think of Samuel Fuller, a passionate writer whose dark past shadowed his scripts and stories.

The writer/director, who died 12 years ago, wrote sharp, controversial movies with low budget and complex plots, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. He tackled racism in his writings and, later, as director of the 1981 film White Dog, about a black man who deprograms a dog trained to attack black men. (That film, based on a novel, was never released because studio executives were too afraid of boycotts.)

The dark underbelly always lurking behind the facade of Fuller films was attributed by many to the writer’s own bloody experiences in World War II, which eventually were told in the semi-autobiographical film, The Big Red One - the nickname of his platoon.

The man was unafraid of controversy, believed in stretching film beyond the comfort zone of reality and wrote sometimes deep, thoughtful prose that reflected his life experiences. He uses is wartime experiences, as well as those from his newspapers to tell stories of dark secrets and warped souls. (He went from a newspaper boy at 12 to a full-time cops reporter as a teen.)

Now, seven of Fuller’s most popular films are available in The Samuel Fuller Collection, a disc set that will find a permanent place on the DVD shelves of cinephiles as well as fans of classic Hollywood or those tired of the thinly-plotted, poorly-acted offerings from most of today’s studios.

Included in this collection:

It Happened in Hollywood (1937) The most lighthearted of the collection, this film focuses on two silent film stars who must face a new world of talkies. Starring two real silent film stars Richard Dix and Fay Wray, Dix’ cowboy character loses everything when he is pushed aside for stars who can speak the way coaches tell directors they must speak. The cowboy keeps his grin and good faith, but by the end of the film, he is nearly pushed to do something wrong just to save a little boy’s life. However, sticking to his own moral code, the man ends up coming out on top.

Adventure in Sahara (1938) My least favorite of the collection, this film follows the brother of a dead infantryman, who sets out to show the sadistic character of the captain. This may be a good film, but I am not into war films and was kind of bored with this one. Of course, I also had a book I was dying to read, so maybe that had something to do with my lackluster feelings for this film.

Power of the Press (1943) The first of two newspaper-based films, some good newsboys (and a girl) try to take down a corrupt publisher who is not above murder to get his way. Fake stories help the man promote his own agenda in politics. The really sad part of this film is that this continues to happen today - though I’m sure most editors don’t commit murder to get bestselling headlines.

Shockproof (1949) In this terrific, sometimes emotional noir film, a parole officer falls madly in love with a woman who served time for a murder she did not commit. She covered up for her boyfriend and is determined to stick with him, but eventually gives in to the warm fuzzies and safety she gets from her parole officer. When she shoots her old boyfriend, the two must escape a possible murder charge. The man - who was always such a good boy - gives up everything, including his reputation, to be with the woman he loves. I’d seen the middle of this movie before, so it was great to be able to see it in its entirety. It was very dramatic and a bit Shakespearean.

Scandal Sheet (1952) The second newspaper film, this one is based on a novel by Fuller called The Dark Page. In it, a newspaper man played by Broderick Crawford murders a woman who could expose his dark past. The film runs through one man’s attempt to hide his crime - which means he has to continue his killing spree to remain a free man. Also starring John Derek and Donna Reed, this was my favorite film of them all. It is dramatic, tense, suspenseful and a few of the shots reminded me so much of Hitchcock.

The Crimson Kimono (1959) Written, produced and directed by Fuller, this film delves into the racial tensions between Japanese Americans and others on the mainland. A young artist who is the target of a viscous killer causes a rift between two LAPD partners as they try to solve a murder. Today, a romance between a white woman and a Japanese American doesn’t seem that odd, but during this time, it was a seriously hot-button issue. For the time, this likely would have been an incredibly dramatic picture.

Underworld U.S.A. (1961) Also written, produced and directed by Fuller, Cliff Robertson plays a man intent on avenging his father’s beating death. As a young boy, he’d witnessed his father death. He spends his entire life cultivating a criminal mind - and record - just so he can go after the corrupt mobsters who killed him. This one is probably my second-favorite film. I just ... moved… with the characters, felt everything they were feeling, saw their chess moves and, ultimately, their demises. It was very dramatic.

What really disappointed me in this collection was the lack of extras. It includes four interview segments and only one of them was truly worth the viewer’s time. I’d really hoped there would be a pull out - some sort of booklet highlighting Fuller’s life. Instead, I had to run around the net trying to find just the right information for this review. Perhaps I am too spoiled by the Centennial Collection’s use of booklets for print and photographic background of films. However, I figure if a writer/director is worth his own collection, he also deserves his own booklet.

I was also disappointed with how the DVD set was packages. If you buy it, be extremely careful as you remove the discs. The bottom discs are pushing slightly beneath the round plastic holder for the upper discs. If you tug just right, they could scratch or break.

The best extra on this DVD set is on disc 5 and titled, “Samuel Fuller Storyteller.” What made this the best of the four extra featurettes were the words from Christa and Samantha Fuller - his wife and daughter. Hollywood heavyweights Martin Scorsese and Tim Robbins tried to spin Fuller’s accomplishments and talents in their own lights, but really didn’t do him justice. In a different interview on disc 3, “Samuel Fuller’s Search for Truth,” Robbins starts off OK, then turns into a babbling idiot. I could literally feel my eyes crossing as he talked.

The Samuel Fuller Collection is a great compilation of black and white films filled with drama, romance, intrigue and the guts of life. It is a terrific buy for classic cinema fans, as well as anyone who wants to learn about old Hollywood film style. The films are great, but the lack of significant extras is disappointing.

Above: Original movie poster art for Scandal Sheet, my favorite of the film collection.

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