A Rage to Live Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

A Rage to Live Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 12, 2023

Walter Grauman's "A Rage to Live" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with critic Neil Sinyard; exclusive new video essay created by critic Daniel Kremer; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Directed by Walter Grauman in 1965, A Rage to Live is the only film that treated Suzane Pleshette as a true star capable of leading. If you go through Pleshette’s body of work, you will find many other films in which Pleshette is very good, but she does not lead. She plays a smaller character that is placed in the orbit of a big star that leads with authority.

Pleshette was very beautiful and always looked incredibly elegant before the camera, so why didn’t she have a big career? The answer to this question is rather remarkably simple. Pleshette did have a big career, but not the kind of big career the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, and Janet Leigh pursued. Simply put, Pleshette’s definition of success was different, so she was very happy to mix smaller but rewarding theatrical and TV parts.

In A Rage to Live, Pleshette plays a character that is at least two decades ahead of its time. She is Grace Caldwell, the young and very wealthy heiress of an established newspaper company in Pennsylvania, who appears to be addicted to love. She lives with her widowed mother (Carmen Mathews), Emily, who has accidentally become aware of her addiction and suffered a minor nervous breakdown. Grace’s older brother, Brock (Linden Chiles), has openly confronted her about her lifestyle, but he is rarely around and his main concern is their mother’s weak heart. If Grace behaves, there is a good chance that their mother will make a full recovery, but if she does not, something bad, very bad, could happen. Soon after, despite assuring Brock that she has found a way to control her carnal desires, Grace disappoints her mother yet again and she drops dead.

Following months of grieving and blaming herself for the premature death of her mother, Grace meets and falls in love with Sidney Tate (Bradford Dillman). Even though Grace warns him that she has done a lot that she is not proud of, Sidney asks her to marry him. Grace accepts, fully aware of the risks and determined to be a good wife and mother, and after the wedding, they move to a beautiful ranch just outside of town. But a few years later, a former acquaintance (Ben Gazzara) reappears in the area, and while working on the ranch, rekindles her addiction.

Grauman worked with a screenplay that was handed to him by John Kelley, who had adapted John O’Hara’s 1949 bestseller. Kelley’s previous experience was with TV material only, which is probably why large areas of A Rage to Live have a somewhat soapy quality.

But this soapy quality is wonderfully balanced with some very, very serious acting of the kind that one would expect to see in Douglas Sirk and Delbert Mann’s most intense dramas. As a result, instead of trying to impress only with light fireworks and beautiful scenery that would have been perfect for a TV project, A Rage to Live produces a very intriguing multi-layered character study. Also, it must be underscored that this character study is quite bold for its time because it deconstructs Pleshette’s troubles with tremendous sincerity and understanding. (While some of Sirk’s most famous films deal with similar themes, this writer cannot recall another film from the same period featuring a female character that undergoes the same transformation and is not vilified).

Pleshette is outstanding, especially later when her character struggles to manage a wide range of contrasting emotions and her life begins to spin out of control. She is the undisputed star of A Rage to Live. However, the supporting cast is excellent, too. Dillman and Gazzara, in particular, produce powerful performances of the kind that should have been recognized with major awards. Cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. gives A Rage to Live a memorable rich appearance that would have been perfect for a classic film noir as well.

A Rage to Live Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Rage to Live arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

A believe that MGM remastered A Rage to Live a while ago and that this DVD release was produced after the work was completed. The remaster is beautiful. It is very healthy and gives the film a lovely organic appearance. Does this mean that the film cannot look better in high-definition? No. For example, there is still room for improvement in a few areas that reveal small density fluctuations. I think that the entire film could look a tad more vibrant as well. Also, I noticed a few tiny nicks that could be removed as well. However, the rest I like a lot. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent, so even on a large screen the visuals hold up wonderfully well. The grayscale is very good, too. Yes, a complete 4K restoration should produce some improvements, but the current presentation handles darker nuances and well-lit and daylight footage with various highlights beautifully. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Image stability is very good. All in all, I was quite surprised to see how nice A Rage to Live looks on Blu-ray and loved viewing on my system. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

A Rage to Live Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The audio was clear, shard, and easy to follow. Stability is excellent, too. I had the volume of my system turned up quite a bit and did not detect any age-related anomalies in the upper register. So, can the audio sound any better? Right now, my answer is no. If there is any room for improvement(s), I have to speculate that this would be purely cosmetic work that will not produce any meaningful enhancements. I could be wrong, but this is how I feel at the moment.

A Rage to Live Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for A Rage to Live. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Neil Sinyard on the Career of Suzanne Pleshette - in this exclusive new program, critic Neil Sinyard discusses the career of Suzanne Pleshette and some of the characters she played, including the one from A Rage to Live, the defined it. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• "Paralyzed Segments: Suzanne Pleshette Tangled Up in Codes" - this exclusiv new video essay was created by critic Daniel Kremer. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

A Rage to Live Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Suzanne Pleshette's finest performance in A Rage to Live? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. It is the only film in which she is a true star that leads. Pleshette was great in a lot of other films and TV shows but she usually had a smaller part. I think that A Rage to Live is a fantastic film that deserves a spot next to some of the greatest melodramas of the 1960s, so you should not miss it. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a very strong remaster that was supplied by MGM and is Region-Free. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.