For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 20, 2025

Michael Gordon's "For Love or Money" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell and two vintage trailers. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The matchmaker

Various films and TV shows have used the title For Love or Money. A few are over ninety years old. They do not offer variations of the same story, but it is fair to say that they all work with similar material. This material brings different people together who have experiences that help them reassess the significance of money in their lives and discover true love.

Of the ones I have seen, which are a few, Michael Gordon’s film is unquestionably the best. It comes from the early 1960s, but it feels like a project that Preston Sturges may have worked on until his premature death in the late 1950s. It is because it has the playfulness and wit of his screenplays and the unbridled sense of humor that many of his films are remembered for. At times, the stars of Gordon’s film behave a lot like the stars in Sturges’ films, too. For this reason, Gordon’s film begs to be compared to all those great screwball comedies from the 1930s and 1940s.

But any first-time viewer who does so and mentally prepares for an encounter with a screwball impostor shot in color will almost certainly be underwhelmed. Or, very pleasantly surprised. It is because Gordon’s film is unapologetically sexy. That’s right. It goes further than any of Sturges’ films and other screwball comedies do and expects that those who would choose to see it will appreciate its craft. And it is a special craft, alright. It very carefully does a range of things that keep it a safe film, but at the same time it makes it impossible to miss the fact that what its characters state and what they think are vastly different things. So, the sexy is of the very old-fashioned kind, but it is most effective.

The other big reason the sexy is most effective is the cast. In some older films, the stars can look very good before the camera and get everything right, but their chemistry feels managed. In Gordon’s film, this all-important chemistry between the stars is not managed. It is very real, and its presence is so prominent that it single-handedly elevates the comedy to a whole different level. As a result, Gordon’s film is very sexy and very funny, which means it is practically impossible to dislike.

So, what is it about?

The very wealthy widow Chloe Brasher (Thelma Ritter) asks the bachelor lawyer Deke Gentry (Kirk Douglas) to help her execute a complex plan. The widow does not want her three single daughters, Kate (Mitzi Gaynor), Bonnie (Julie Newmar), and Jan (Leslie Parish), to marry any of the “choice specimens they are running around”, but the very safe bachelors she has selected for them. However, the widow does not want to force her selections on her daughters either. She wants the girls to naturally fall in love, as she did many moons ago, which is where Gentry comes in. Gentry must set up each girl with the widow’s selection and convince Cupid to fire one of his precious arrows. If Gentry delivers, he would get a check for $100,000. After reluctantly agreeing to do the job, Gentry goes to work, but his enthusiasm to finish it quickly and get paid is misinterpreted, and it is not long before Kate begins to fall in love with him.

The young ladies look great throughout the entire film. However, in a couple of sequences, Gaynor looks simply sensational. In the best, Douglas rightfully declares: “That’s the kind of packaging that would impress anybody”.

The cast also includes Gig Young, William Bendix, Diack Sargent, Elizabeth MacRae, Willard Sage, and Jose Gonzales-Gonzales.

Gordon and director of photography Clifford Stine shot the film on Eastman Color stock. Predictably, it produces lush, gorgeous-looking visuals.

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, For Love or Money arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old and shaky master supplied by Universal Pictures. To be clear, this master is quite a bit better than the many terrible old masters that have emerged from the major's vaults in the past and produced various horrendous releases. On this release, the bulk of the visuals have a decent appearance that make it possible to enjoy the film. However, it is often very easy to tell that grain exposure is not as good as it can be because of light sharpening. On a large screen, during wider shots, but elsewhere where the camera rapidly moves too, the grain begins to pulsate and can appear too loose because it is mixed with electronic noise. Fortunately, there is very little of this electronic noise and in most indoor and darker footage its presence is very easy to ignore. As a result, delineation, clarity, and depth are mostly acceptable. Color balance is very good. However, if one day the film is fully restored in 4K and properly graded, it will look even better. Image stability is good. I noticed a couple of tiny blemishes, but the entire film looks surprisingly healthy. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

For Love or Money 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 SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

When the current master was created, which was probably a while ago, some remastering audio work must have been done because the lossless track is outstanding. To be honest, I was quite surprised. On the other hand, there isn't a lot of diverse material because the entire film was shot on the Universal lots. All exchanges are clear, sharp, and very easy to follow.

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell. The bulk of the information that is shared in it addresses the production history of For Love or Money, the cast that was assembled for it, the identity and style of the film, the careers of the principal actors and director Michael Gordon, and some general trends at Universal.

• Trailer One - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for For Love or Money. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a second remastered vintage trailer for For Love or Money. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Of all the different films and TV shows that have used the title For Love or Money, and there are plenty, the one Michael Gordon directed is the best. It is witty, hilarious, and very sexy. It has a couple of sequences, like the one where Kirk Douglas just keeps on dancing, that made me laugh so hard, I temporarily lost my breath. However, the best thing about this film is that all of its stars are in on the fun and share a tremendous chemistry. I wish Universal had fully restored it in 4K, but I am grateful to have it on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.