Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Blonde Ice Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 18, 2023

The annals of film noir are littered with so-called femmes fatales, but the titular character in Blonde Ice may take the veritable cake in terms of a scheming woman more than a bit prone toward murder, especially of spouses and/or lovers. Blonde Ice has never risen to the instant recognition that more celebrated noir offerings have, and it's frankly not hard to understand why, as the film had an obviously miniscule budget and some of the performances are almost willfully devoid of nuance or subtlety. But the basic plot and especially the character of Claire (Leslie Brooks) are at least intermittently diverting, beginning with Claire's wedding to Carl (John Holland), which is almost immediately shown to be a disposable whim on the part of Claire. Claire goes on to "deal with" Carl and a number of other males who venture into her veritable crosshairs, and had the part been enacted by someone like, say, B-movie noir stalwart Lizabeth Scott, the film might have attained more visceral force.

That said, Brooks is kind of oddly fetching at times in this drama, which sees her cheat on not just Carl, but another lover, Les (Robert Paige), and, presumably, a third male who enters the fray, Stanley (Michael Whalen). Claire's propensity for (assumedly) bedding virtually any man whom she sets her eyes on gives the film a kind of lurid sensationalism, but there's no question that a kindly if probably too smart for his own good psychologist named Kippinger (David Leonard) may finally be able to bring Claire to justice. It's often mentioned that noir productions offer a femme fatale leading a poor, hapless male to his doom, but what's a bit bracing about Blonde Ice is just how many men are victims of Claire.

Blonde Ice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blonde Ice is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of ClassicFlix with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.38:1. The back cover of this release states the film is "beautifully restored. . .from 35mm elements preserved by the BFI National Archive," and indeed this presentation begins with the British Censor card. The element here is in generally rather good shape, or has been restored to appear so, but eagle eyed videophiles will still notice a number of minor passing blips like nicks, scratches and occasional other blemishes. There's a somewhat curious softness with less impressive densities that can run down the left side of the frame at times. Detail levels are generally very good to excellent, offering secure renderings of things like patterns on costumes or upholstery. Grain resolves tightly for the most part, and contrast is also secure.

Blonde Ice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blonde Ice features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that, like the video side of things, can show its age at times, but which encounters no serious issues. The sound of the track can be slightly boxy and hollow, especially with regard to a few passing sound effects, but dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Blonde Ice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The advertised Bonus Features on the Main Menu of this disc turn out to be trailers for other ClassicFlix releases. Longtime readers of my reviews know I don't consider that kind of promotional material to be a "scorable" supplement.

Blonde Ice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The basic screenplay of Blonde Ice, evidently culled from a novel by Whitman Chambers, is frequently quite tight and appropriately angsty. Perhaps with a bigger budget and some starrier marquee names attached, not to mention a more consistently stylized approach, Blonde Ice could have offered a femme fatale who is a dangerous (to purloin the title of a neo-noir) Black Widow. Noir completists may want to check this out for some of its twists and turns, and technical merits are generally solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.