An Act of Murder Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

An Act of Murder Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 3, 2023

Michael Gordon's "An Act of Murder" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by critics Max Evry and Bryan Reesman; new program with critic Jill Blake; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is most surprising to see how relevant Michael Gordon’s film An Act of Murder is. It asks several very difficult questions that recently have split people in multiple countries and will likely continue to do so for years to come. I think I have easy answers for all of them, but I must concede that I do not consider them to be one hundred percent correct.

In a small town somewhere in the Heartland, Judge Calvin Cook (Fredric March) has earned an impeccable reputation because he applies the law as it is written. But during a high-profile case, Cook’s consistent record is challenged by the young and ambitious attorney David Douglas (Edmond O’Brien), who believes that the law should be understood as more than a strict collection of words. Cook easily defeats Douglas’ arguments and delivers a predictable sentence for his client, but later the legal debate continues at his home after his daughter (Geraldine Brooks) unexpectedly reveals that she has a romantic interest in his vocal critic. Around the same time, Cook also discovers that his wife (Florence Eldridge) has brain cancer, and after secretly confirming with a close friend that she is running out of time, the two go on an impromptu romantic vacation. During the trip, Cook’s wife becomes so ill that he begins improvising to ease her pain, and on the way back to their home, during a moment of uncontrollable frustration, he crashes their car. Cook survives, but his wife dies on the spot. Several days later, after the hospital releases him, Cook declares before the D.A., one of his closest friends, that he is guilty of murder and demands that he arrests and tries him in his courtroom. After Cook’s wish is granted and the trial begins, Douglas volunteers to defend him.

As you can probably guess, there is quite a bit of melodrama in this film, but it is of the kind that does not hurt the credibility of its story. In fact, it is very nicely managed and supportive of the big questions that the film asks. In addition to the melodrama, there is a fair amount of harmless old-fashioned romantic fluff, but this is an unavoidable development.

So, what are the big questions the film asks that make it relevant today? One of them is whether Cook’s admission that he wanted to kill his wife to end her misery can be legally described as anything else but murder. In America, as of today, there are several states that authorize “medical aid in dying”. Another question is whether the law should be flexible enough to distinguish between “legally right” and “morally right”. It is a fascinating question, but what party gets to define morality? And why should this party’s definition of morality be the correct one?

In the final act, Cook undergoes a sizeable transformation that is used to introduce twice as many counter-questions. Then, for obvious reasons, concrete answers are conveniently avoided, and the finale arrives delivering a few mostly meaningless generalizations. A colossal disappointment? I do not think so. Considering the era from which the film emerged, it was probably the only logical finale.

Viewers expecting the film to reveal even partial noirish qualities will be gravely disappointed because such are not present in it. Gordon directs the film with the clear understanding that it needs to be a messenger with a social conscience that cannot not be easily ignored. The rest -- the melodrama, the romance, and light humor -- is just filler material.

March and O’Brien are very good together, though the latter has a couple of awkward scenes where his statements on morality sound very scripted. Eldridge gives a lovely performance, too.

An Act of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, An Act of Murder arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

Despite some rough spots, virtually all of which emerge in the final act, the film has a nice organic appearance. Some careful cosmetic work could have been done to remove surface imperfections like the ones seen in screencaptures #4 and 5, but considering the type of presentations we have seen for older films that emerge from Universal's vaults, I think that the overall quality of the presentation here is actually quite nice. Indeed, delineation, clarity, and depth can fluctuate a bit, but there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Also, the grayscale is very pleasing, though admittedly some ranges of grays and whites could have been managed better. Image stability is good. (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).

An Act of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

All exchanges throughout the film are clear and very easy to follow. I did notice annoying or disturbing age-related imperfections either. There is one segment -- the country fair -- where some extremely light background hiss makes its presence felt, but the rest is good. Dynamic intensity is, rather predictably, quite underwhelming.

An Act of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, critics Max Evry and Bryan Reesman spend a great deal of time discussing the careers of Michael Gordon and the principal actors that helped him make An Act of Murder, the production history of the film, and the legal and moral dilemmas that are at the center of its story. Also, there are some quite good general observations about the "issue films" Hollywood made after the end of WWII, as well as why and how some of them revealed noirish qualities.

• An Act of Marriage - in this new program, critic Jill Blake discusses Fredric March and Florence Eldridge's relationship on and off the screen, as well as their careers and cinematic legacies. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Image Gallery - a gallery of original promotional materials for An Act of Murder.

• Welcome Home (1945) - a wonderful documentary about the men and women that fought WWII and returned home as heroes that had to adapt to civilian life. Starring Fredric March and Myron McCormick. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (20 min).

• Book - an illustrated 120-page book with new essays by Ellen Wright, Paul Duane, Philip Kemp, Tara Judah, Iris Veysey, and Imogen Sara Smith, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and technical credits.

An Act of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Physician-assisted suicide is now legal in multiple states in America, but should it be? A lot of people have very strong opinions on the subject. There is an excellent chance that you do as well. An Act of Murder tells a story about an aging judge who kills his terminally ill wife to end her misery and then faces a few of his colleagues in court. Is the judge a murderer or a compassionate husband? This is not the only interesting question the film asks, but it is the big one. This release is sourced from a good organic master that was supplied by Universal, and one of its bonus features is a terrific archival short about the men and women that fought WWII and returned home as heroes. It is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Universal Noir #2, a six-disc box set. RECOMMENDED.