Flesh and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Flesh and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 2, 2023

1943’s “Flesh and Fantasy” is an anthology film, taking a closer look at the ways of obsession with three different tales of strange behaviors and future visions. Director Julien Duvivier has a tremendous cast to help bring these stories to life, and he puts in quite an effort as well, crafting a mostly suspenseful understanding of pained people, offering style and tension to help accentuate strange circumstances the characters find themselves in. “Flesh and Fantasy” is a decent ride for this type of undertaking, always most interesting at its weirdest points.

Doakes (Robert Benchley) is in need of comforting, offered a book on the ways of dreams and fortunetelling. Story 1 concerns the bitterness of Henrietta (Betty Field), a homely woman offered a chance to become beautiful via a mask on Mardi Gras for a few hours, meeting Michael (Robert Cummings), a like-minded man about to throw away his life. Story 2 connects Marshall (Edward G. Robinson) to palm reader Podgers (Thomas Mitchell), with the mystical man sharing news that murder is in the established gentleman’s future, putting Marshall into a battle with his conscience as he considers his options. Story 3 enters the mind of tightrope walker Gaspar (Charles Boyer), who has nightmares of circus mishaps and a vision of a special woman, eventually meeting Joan (Barbara Stanwyck), who is that same lady, inspiring Gaspar to pursue his secretive object of desire.

“Flesh and Fantasy” begins with the saga of Doakes and his friend’s effort to direct him to the lessons of a strange book examining the unexplainable. While eagerly performed, the bookend sequences are mercifully brief, with the production soon turning to the chapters of the book, exploring bizarre events in the average lives of these nervous characters.

Story 1 is perhaps the most fantasy-like, detailing the coldness of Henrietta, a woman who’s been dismissed by society and ignored by men due to her ugliness (cinematography works hard with lighting to transform Field into a ghoul), facing another Mardi Gras on her own. Help comes in form of a man who understands her aching heart, providing access to a mask to wear during the celebration, giving her a shield from the outside world. Story 1 goes along with the concept, sending Henrietta into the wild with a mask, where she makes contact with Michael, teasing a star-crossed aspect to the drama as the man is set to leave in a few hours, while the mask’s power disappears at the same time. There’s an unusual feel for suspense in this chapter, which delivers on passion and fear, leading to something of a Disney-fied resolution, but it works.

Story 2 is the best of the bench, following Marshall’s increasing desperation after he learns he’s fated to kill someone, with Podgers proving his accuracy at a party. There’s some devious activity in the segment, tracking Marshall’s battle of conscience (sold with reflections), with the character getting used to the idea of liberation through murder, adding sharp darkness to “Flesh and Fantasy,” which is most welcome. Less appealing is Story 3, which is more melodrama than strangeness, keeping up with Gaspar as he connects with his literal dream woman, desperate to hold her attention while she attempts to pull away. There’s little mystery to the tale, making it slightly different than the rest, and while it contains something of a lesson on the ways of infatuation, the other segments are more defined in their dramatic points, allowing “Flesh and Fantasy” to conclude without a tight climatic grip, missing a crucial sense of escalation found in most anthology offerings.

Flesh and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as a 2K scan of the 35mm dupe negative, with Vinegar Syndrome looking to revive the 80-year-old film for fans previously having to make due with a 2014 DVD release. Detail emerges with authority, finding fibrous costumes appealing, examining dresses and thicker menswear. Facial surfaces explore elements of age, and some unreality with mask work in the first story. Sets are open for inspection, with rooms dimensional, and exterior tours are equally deep. Delineation is strong, preserving frame information, balanced well with whites. Grain is satisfactorily resolved. Source has its moments of wear and tear, and some mild chemical damage is detected.

Flesh and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers strong dialogue exchanges, capturing the intensity of the performances without much interference from age and source quality. Scoring has its authoritative moments, with big orchestral sweeps, and dramatic moods are supported with a quieter musical presence.

Flesh and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman.

• "Fate News or The Dark World of Julien Duvivier" (54:59, HD) is an appreciation piece from director Christophe Gans.

• Image Gallery (2:14) collects films stills and publicity shots.

• And Trailers (SD) for "Flesh and Fantasy" (2:08) and "Destiny" (1:40) are included.

Flesh and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Flesh and Fantasy" was originally conceived as four segments, with Universal cutting out an opening chapter (which plays into the beginning of Story 1), electing to expand on the deleted tale, turning it into 1944's "Desire." Even without that information, the picture feels a little off in dramatic balance, with the saga of Doakes and his struggles to center himself shoehorned into the movie to provide some structure, instead of simply using a smooth flow of odd, connected fates to lead the way. The three segments that remain do fairly well, capturing specialized horrors and dark magic, sold with wonderful style from Duvivier, who tries to crank up a sense of danger to the best of his ability, offering distinct tones for each of the stories. "Flesh and Fantasy" remains entertaining and pleasingly bizarre at times, and performances are always reliable, with the cast selling the bigness of dark behavior and intensity of thought as lives are changed by seemingly random encounters.