Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

711 Ocean Drive Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 29, 2021

Joseph Newman's "711 Ocean Drive" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage production and promotional materials; audio commentary by critic Glenn Kenny; and short films. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

A single play can change your life, Mal. Are you interested?

This film should look awfully dated now because the part of its story where Mal Granger (Edmond O’Brien) forces the bookies to work as a team after he uses his gadgets to streamline their operations and eventually take over the business is instantly preventable. Communication technologies have evolved so dramatically that an outsider like Granger simply isn’t needed. And yet, the film still looks entirely legit.

There are two reasons for this. First, there isn’t a single ‘good’ character in it that steps forward and explains to the audience why ‘bad’ characters eventually get what they deserve. Instead of judging -- and by default preaching to its audience -- the film accepts that its characters exist in a reality where different types of opportunities change them for different reasons. Well, guess what? This is precisely how the real world still functions today -- it presents opportunities to individuals that seek them and occasionally offers such to individuals that do not. How these opportunities are used after that is an entirely different matter, which is precisely what the film ends up highlighting. Second, the film does not question the price that its characters are willing to pay for success. After he begins moving up the ladder, Granger uses plenty of his cash to remain successful and then continues to claim what he believes belongs to him, but there are a lot of other people around him that pay for success without cash. They trade their feelings, emotions, morals, and dreams. Well, guess what? People still do it today. It is an awfully cynical statement, but it is true. Everyone, absolutely everyone, has a price. The only distinction that needs to be made is that sometimes the price has digits, and sometimes it is just a transformation that could ensure the desired success. This is why the film does not waste any time examining the ‘good’ and ‘bad’. It sees the reality in which Granger begins his transformation as a sea of opportunities that he and different characters use to get what they are after. Some do it a little better than the rest and are successful, some make mistakes and lose plenty, even their lives.

Granger’s journey to the top begins after a friendly bookie, Chippie (Sammy White), offers to introduce him to his boss, Vince Wallace (Barry Kelley), who runs the wire service company most bookies in LA use while collecting and paying off bets. Wallace has been dreaming of expanding his business in the entire state and asks Granger if he can figure out how to wire all bookies, from Sacramento to San Diego, so that they work with his information. Using his experience as a technician, Granger then creates a system that does precisely that, and when the company takes over the booking business in California and Wallace begins pocketing massive amounts of money, he makes a risky move that forces his new boss to accept him as a partner. Soon after, Wallace dies in an ‘accident’, and Granger becomes the top man in the business. But the big sharks on the East Coast that run the Syndicate take notice of Granger’s success and make him an offer he can’t refuse, which then quickly unleashes a series of tragic events.

Director Joseph Newman gives 711 Ocean Drive clarity and logic that cannot be disputed. When Granger outsmarts his opponents, his actions make perfect sense, and when he makes mistakes, it is crystal-clear what he could have done differently to avoid them. So, while rather simplistic at times, the ups and down in his life look entirely authentic.

Some of the drama could be slightly overcooked, particularly after Granger hooks up with the Italian assassin Gizzi (Robert Osterloch), who of course turns out to be a nasty character with grandiose ambitions of his own, but this does not affect the integrity of the film. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Once Granger’s world begins to unravel, the entirely preventable drama solidifies the film’s assertion that becoming and remaining a winner in life is perhaps a lot like becoming and remaining a winner in a long high-stakes poker game -- you just have to know when to stop making risky plays so that you can preserve your wins.

711 Ocean Drive Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, 711 Ocean Drive arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The master that was used to produce this release is very obviously not new, but I like it a lot and think that there is very little on it that could be improved. For example, there are a few density fluctuations here and there that introduce some sporadic soft spots, with the most obvious ones usually appearing before or after transitions, but even they have very strong organic qualities. Yes, delineation and depth could be better, but I assure you that everything still looks really, really good. Then there are the scattered white specks and a few tiny scratches, but the film still looks very healthy. I consider these to be cosmetic issues that do not really impact the overall quality of the technical presentation. The rest looked great on my system. For example, a lot of the darker footage boasts wonderful ranges of nuances background details, and while some could struggle with a bit of black crush, it is very easy to tell that the master was carefully graded. Depth is good too, especially during daylight footage where there are plenty of gray and white nuances. There are no stability issues. A newer restoration could introduce some enhancements, but I am not convinced that they would make a noticeable difference. I even liked the fluidity of the visuals. So, this is a very strong organic technical presentation that makes viewing the film even on a very large screen quite a treat. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

711 Ocean Drive Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is very clear and sharp. Stability is excellent as well. I did not notice any issues in the upper register either, though it is possible that there is some room for cosmetic cleanup there. The bottom line is this: there are no age-related anomalies, or any other anomalies for that matter, that may potentially affect your viewing experience. I think that when the current master was prepared the audio was optimized as best as possible.

711 Ocean Drive Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for 711 Ocean Drive. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Audio Commentary - critic Glenn Kenny discusses the nature of the events that provide 711 Ocean Drive its noirish qualities, the dilemmas Edmond O'Brien's character faces as well as the system that sends him to the top of the business, some trends in film noirs from the same era (Howard Hawk's name is mentioned for a good reason as well), Sol Kaplan's score, etc.

• Image Gallery - a collection of original production and promotional materials for 711 Ocean Drive.

• Diary of a Sergeant - a short film about an American soldier who has lost his hands in an accident. The film was directed by Joseph Newman in 1945. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (24 min).

• Three Sappy People - a short film about the three stooges directed by Jules White in 1939. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (18 min).

• Book - limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Melanie Williams, Ellen Cheshire, Simon Abrams, Kulraj Phullar, Tara Judah, and David Thompson; extracts from interviews with director Phil Karlson, screenwriter Ben Maddow, and others; an extract from Vincent Sherman's autobiography; archival news articles, interviews, and reviews; new writing on the short films; and full film credits.

711 Ocean Drive Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that 711 Ocean Drive works very well because it produces a couple of lessons whose clarity and logic are timeless. Why does Edmond O'Brien's character struggle to preserve his success? Because he fails to figure out when is the right time to stop making risky plays. In the business he is in, if you are smart, you remain a winner; if you are not, you could lose everything, sometimes even your life. This upcoming release is sourced from an older but very solid organic master. It is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Columbia Noir #2 six-disc box set, which will be out in February. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.