Cannery Row Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Cannery Row Blu-ray Movie Review

Of Lice and Men.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 15, 2020

David S. Ward's Cannery Row is based on John Steinbeck's novel and its 1954 sequel Sweet Thursday, but just barely. It seems more interested in preserving character names and atmosphere than anything else, which kind of works to its advantage but will likely turn off anyone hoping for a faithful adaptation. The story concerns a bunch of down-and-outs in WWII-era Monterey, California who have banded together in a ramshackle community that seems completely cut off from the outside world. Chief among them are laid-back marine biologist "Doc" (Nick Nolte), motherly madame Fauna (Audra Lindley) and her girls, lead vagrant Mac (M. Emmet Walsh), a mysterious and eccentric old man known as "The Seer" (Sunshine Parker), and drifter Suzy (Debra Winger), who's looking for a waitressing job but ends up working for Fauna instead. As Suzy settles in to life on skid row, she takes a liking to Doc and the feeling's slightly mutual...but as much as the colorful locals root for them to get together, they end up causing more harm than good.

Clichéd as it sounds on paper, the "will they or won't they" aspect of Cannery Roy is the most immediately endearing thing about it; that, and its impressive production design (which was apparently constructed from two separate sound stages, according to Roger Ebert's 1982 review of the film). Nick Nolte is great fun to watch and his aloof demeanor makes him an ideal straight man, while Debra Winger -- though clearly not a visual match for the novel's description of her character -- has plenty of solid one-lingers and decent chemistry with Nolte to boot. Their shared scenes are mostly enjoyable, especially near the film's satisfying midpoint when Doc and Suzy finally get a night out together.

Everything after that moment, unfortunately, ends up going completely off the rails: something drives them apart for a while, there's a ridiculous subplot with more frogs than Magnolia, and even a silly third-act twist that wouldn't feel out of place in a sitcom. At least two of these things directly involve the group of vagrants led by Mac, who means well but, along with his "boys" (which include an obligatory man-child named Hazel [Frank McRae]), seems to exist solely as a way to gum up the works. It doesn't help that they're loud and obnoxious (or at least take part in loud and obnoxious activities) and every time they appeared on screen, things go further south. Unfortunately, they dominate the second half and never go away completely, which ends up overshadowing everything else that makes the film passable. As a whole, then, Cannery Row can't help but feel overcrowded; though not entirely a romantic comedy, it feels like one but lacks the good sense to be over and done with in 90 minutes, tops. The film's full two-hour runtime cuts it off at the knees, very much deflating what should have been a more lightweight and uncluttered affair.

Nonetheless, Cannery Row has its moments and, in the right mood, works more smoothly than the sum of its parts. Unsurprisingly, it was a flop back in 1982 but its fans will appreciate Warner Archive's terrific new Blu-ray, which as usual includes a top-tier A/V presentation that greatly supports the production design and original score.

Cannery Row Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cannery Row boasts a new 4K restoration from the original negative -- always a cause for celebration. The excellent production design and hazy cinematography by Sven Nyqvist greatly benefit from this new scan, which preserves plenty of grain and reveals more detail and texture than what would be possible on a standard-def release. The film emulates an old-timey vibe in keeping with the story and is not far removed from more well-known fare like A Christmas Story; fine detail and textures are still limited, but the new restoration imbues everything with a rich and consistent look that rarely falters from start to finish. Colors are accurate and mostly favor earth tones, with rich splashes of color arriving in neon lights, specific costumes, and stray background details. Black levels run nice and deep with no obvious signs of crush. As usual, the compression is also top-notch and displays no apparent banding, artifacts, or other defects while running at a consistently high bit rate. Overall, another fantastic effort that will delight die-hard fans.

Cannery Row Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While a bit limited by its scope and source material, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix carries a few sonic surprises that put it at or near the level of its new restoration. The soundtrack is somewhat unconventional, a mixture Jack Nitzsche's ragtime-laced original score and a few cues from Vivaldi and other classical composers, but this fusion works much more often than it distracts. Both are very clear with a surprisingly high dynamic range and strong presence, while the dialogue also sounds great and suffers from no apparent defects or sync issues. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film; these are formatted nicely and fit well within the 1.85:1 frame.

Cannery Row Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover art. Extras are minimal.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:05) - Like the movie itself, it's a little long and you can see exactly where everything goes off the rails. Watch it here, plus the opening scene and another HD clip while you're at it.

Cannery Row Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

David S. Ward's Cannery Row is kind of a hot mess, but it's still pretty enjoyable if you're in the right mood thanks to Nick Nolte's lead performance and a great atmosphere. However, anyone expecting a faithful adaptation of Steinbeck's original novel or its sequel Sweet Thursday will surely walk away disappointed, as nothing here approaches The Grapes of Wrath or even Of Mice and Men. As usual, Warner Archive's Blu-ray is fantastic and led by a strong A/V presentation that highlights the production design and original score. Still, it's only recommended to established fans.