Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

A Lovely Way to Die Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 5, 2021

David Lowell Rich's "A Lovey Way to Die" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film and exclusive new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You get the message now?

A Lovely Way to Die is what you get when you mix up equal doses of Harper and Deadlier Than the Male. Alright, A Lovely Way to Die isn’t an exotic cocktail, but I assure you that once its final credits roll on your screen you will wholeheartedly agree with me.

But why would David Lowell Rich shoot such a strange film? There are a couple of very good reasons, and once you identify them, its existence suddenly begins to make perfect sense.

First, A Lovely Way to Die offers very loose entertainment of the kind that you could not get on TV in the late ‘60s. This of course was intentional because during this particular period the prevailing notion in Hollywood was that TV had emerged as a serious competitor. So, in order to lure back a segment of customers whose viewing habits might have been altered by TV programming, Hollywood had to offer ‘more’ that they could not get at home. Universal, the studio that produced A Lovely Way to Die, for instance, invested in a number of such films, so they were neither rarities nor odd experimental projects. They were part of a strategy and were supposed to perform in a very particular way. (Ironically, many of these films ended up on TV as well, but in much softer versions. For example, John Guillermin’s terrific thriller P.J., which came out at the same time A Lovely Way to Die did, had a ‘harder’ theatrical version and ‘softer’ TV version. Universal recently restored the ‘harder’ theatrical version, which was made available on Blu-ray via Kino Lorber).

Films like A Lovely Way to Die were also expected to launch the careers of certain European actors and actresses on this side of the Atlantic. It is precisely the reason Sylva Koscina not only has a major part in A Lovely Way to Die, but is filmed as a star. (The other big film she appeared in around the same time that also tried to expand her popularity amongst American filmgoers was The Secret War of Harry Frigg. In it she was paired with Paul Newman). What does this mean exactly? Well, despite having a much more impressive resume, Kirk Douglas does not shine brighter, and often times actually allows Koscina to lead. So again, while this may seem awkward it is done entirely by design as well.

A Lovely Way to Die is based on an original screenplay by A.J. Russell, who worked with Bernard L. Kowalski on the even stranger thriller Stiletto. Douglas plays a brutish cop, Jameson Schuyler, who loses his job after he beats up some shady character with important connections. However, prominent lawyer Tennessee Fredericks (Eli Wllach) immediately offers him a new gig as a bodyguard for Rena Westabrook (Koscina), who has been accused of murdering her much older, cheating and very wealthy husband. Schuyler quickly accepts and moves into Westabrook’s lavish estate, but while performing his duties becomes a target as well.

The entire film has a very distinct ‘swinging’ vibe that makes it seriously unpredictable. To be clear, it is not because you would have a hard time guessing how the mystery that is at the center of its story would be solved; rather, it is because it produces plenty of situations with content that seems quite racy for a major studio film. On top of this, it is very easy to tell that Douglas, Koscina and virtually all of the actors around them are genuinely uninhibited and having a ball. It is terrific to watch.

*Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell are correct to point out in their commentary that A Lovely Way to Die is a terrific time capsule as well. It was shot entirely on location in New York City and features some tremendous vistas from areas that have dramatically changed over the years.

A Lovely Way to Die Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Lovely Way to Die arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This film has been remastered. I don't know when the folks at Universal might have done the work -- it could be around the time they produced this DVD release -- but the film looks very healthy and vibrant. Can it look better? Yes. If the OCN is scanned in 4K the new master would boast better density levels and in some areas superior delineation as well. I think that some colors can look more convincing, too. But I still like the current presentation a lot. While there are some mildly uneven spots here and there that make some visual look 'thicker' than they should, I think that overall the film has a very solid and attractive organic appearance. Image stability is very good. I did spot a few blemishes, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

A Lovely Way to Die Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The opening with Jackie Wilson singing "A Lovely Way to Die" will let you know exactly what to expect from the lossless track -- solid clarity and good balance. Dynamic activity is good as well, especially during the action footage, but as usual the limitations of the production are quite obvious. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

A Lovely Way to Die Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Trailer - vintage U.S. trailer for A Lovely Way to Die In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• International Trailer - vintage international trailer for A Lovely Way to Die In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - as usual, critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell share a lot of interesting information about the production of A Lovely Way to Die, some interesting trends in Europe and America at the time when the film was made, the New York scene and how difficult it was to enter the local film industry, Universal's output, etc. It is a terrific commentary, so if possible, plan to listen to it in its entirety.

A Lovely Way to Die Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you don't get impressed while Jackie Wilson sings "A Lovely Way to Die", David Lowell Rich's film probably isn't for you. Indeed, the opening credits are like a short trailer with some of the best highlights from his film, so what you see there is exactly the type of entertainment you will get later on. I loved it. Kirk Douglas and Sylva Koscina are thrown in some pretty odd situations that produce the type of 'swinging' fun that now looks borderline offensive. The vintage footage from New York City is excellent as well. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very solid remaster that was provided by Universal Pictures. It features a terrific exclusive new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you enjoy A Lovely Way to Die, I urge you to pick up a copy of John Guillermin's P.J., which is another very loose film from the same period that has been fully restored by Universal Pictures).