Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Fire Down Below Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 13, 2021

Robert Parrish's "Fire Down Below" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. There are no supplemental features on the release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

There is a popular opinion that Robert Parrish’s Fire Down Below is a major misfire because its three notorious stars do not look particularly good together. This is only partially true, and I would like to explain why because it appears that a lot of the film’s detractors are misinterpreting its story and identity.

Veteran sailors Felix (Robert Mitchum) and Tony (Jack Lemmon) are operating a small ferry boat in the Caribbean. They do plenty of legal business there but usually make their money from dealings with black marketeers who hire them to smuggle all kinds of different goods. If they are caught, they will instantly lose their ferry boat and freedom.

While having a drink in a popular nightclub in San Juan, Felix and Tony are offered a large sum of money to transport a different type of cargo -- a European beauty named Irena (Rita Hayworth), who does not have a passport and needs to reach another island where she would make further arrangements to get to America. Initially, Felix and Tony refuse to become involved with Irena, but after her wealthy sponsor doubles the compensation, they welcome her on board. A few days later, Irena forces the two sailors to begin dreaming that they could be in a meaningful relationship with her, though only Tony reveals that he has fallen under her spell. Felix repeatedly scorns Irena and eventually declares that she is the type of dangerous woman that exists to destroy men that are foolish enough to assume that she can be loved. Convinced that his partner has gone too far, Tony then rushes to protect Irena and in the ensuing drama decides to walk away from him. After he promises to marry Irena, Tony decides to do a risky job that would earn him a lot of money, but on the night of the delivery Coast Guard agents corner his boat and he is forced to abandon it. Not too long after that, Tony gets a job on a large Greek ship, but during a freak accident gets trapped under a massive pile of iron bars. After a series of failed attempts to remove the iron bars, Tony is told that he can make it back out but only if his legs are cut off. With the ship dangerously close to the harbor filling up with gas that can make him explode, Tony must make a quick decision. Felix and Irena also rush to the ship to convince him that once he is out, they will always be next to him.

Fire Down Below does not live up to its potential for a couple of reasons. First, Lemmon isn’t right for the part of the dreamy sailor and as a result large segments of the film quite simply do not work. He tries and fails to be a man genuinely in love with a stunning but vulnerable woman who can’t respond to his feelings because she does not know how not to abuse her beauty. This is the reason why she connects with Mitchum's character as well, because at the right moment he sees and describes her exactly as she is, not as she is seen by every other man around her, including Lemmon's character. Second, the film isn’t scripted to be a transparent romantic melodrama in which the two sailors clash for the honor of spending the rest of their lives with the foreign beauty. If it was, the cynicism that is channeled through Mitchum's character would not have been allowed to flourish. Rather, it is about three strangers who wear masks to hide the scars of past failures and have settled down for existence of unfortunate compromises. In other words, the chemistry between them is supposed to be imperfect, as each senses that the other two cannot be fully trusted. Finally, the film pursues a happy ending that is incompatible with the drama that is at the center of its story.

But there is still plenty to like, particularly when Mitchum and Hayworth engage each other. Both look surprisingly unglamorous and this makes their characters appear authentic in several contrasting situations. Also, the overwhelming majority of the film was shot on location in Trinidad and Tobago, so a lot of the outdoor footage is quite spectacular.

Fire Down Below Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.55:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fire Down Below arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older but very, very nice organic master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. I could easily identify a few areas where minor improvements can be made, but the current master met pretty much all my expectations. For example, delineation and depth range from very good to excellent, with only a few of the darker indoor sequences revealing less than optimal shadow details. The fluidity of the visuals is impressive as well, so on a large screen the entire film has a very nice 'tight' appearance. The color scheme is convincing. Yes, some minor adjustments can be made to improve saturation and balance between the supporting nuances, but overall this film looks lovely in high-definition. Image stability is excellent. I did not notice any distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to access its content regardless of your geographical location).

Fire Down Below 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 not provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. I had the volume turned up quite a bit and did not detect any signs of age-related imperfections. Dynamic intensity is quite good for a film from the 1950s, so during the mass dances and the adventures on the ship, there are plenty of good dynamic contrasts. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or distortions to reports.

Fire Down Below Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cover - reversible cover.

Fire Down Below Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All of this film's troubles come from the mismanagement of its drama, which has a lot to do with Jack Lemmon's performance. He is just not the right actor to play the veteran sailor that falls madly in love with Rita Hayworth's foreign beauty. This film should have been a lot darker and more cynical, but Lemmon pushes it in a completely different direction where the relationships between the three leads very quickly become disappointingly cliched. I still enjoyed the film quite a bit, but only because of the great footage with Hayworth and Robert Mitchum. Umbrella Entertainment's release is sourced from an older but very solid organic master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.