For the Love of Mary Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

For the Love of Mary Blu-ray Movie Review

For the Love of Mary is an essential classic. The feature-film is a romantic-comedy with superb musical performances. The 1948 production is significant for the history books as the final film to star actress Deanna Durbin. Durbin was one of the most charming and magical actresses of the era and indeed in Hollywood history. Produced by Robert Arthur (The Big Heat, Buccaneer’s Girl), For the Love of Mary is a must-see gem for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the majestic Deanna Durbin.

Mary Peppertree (Deanna Durbin) is a switchboard operator working for the White House. The busy job keeps Mary preoccupied yet it doesn’t take her mind away from romance. Mary ends up breaking off an engagement to the successful attorney Phillip Manning (Jeffrey Lynn). This new development causes a lot of commotion.

Now that Mary is a single woman, both Lt. Tom Farrington (Edmond O'Brien) and David Paxton (Don Taylor) decide to pursue her romantically. Mary’s love life becomes all the commotion with so many men pursuing her. Even the President of the United States tries to assist Mary’s love life by playing cupid. Can Mary find the love of her life?

Durbin delivers a radiant performance. The screen presence of Durbin is undeniable and there is not a scene with the actress that isn’t compelling. The actress has the rarest of screen presence and she is positively outstanding in the film. The performance feels genuine, heartfelt, and brave. Durbin has enormous fun with her musical numbers and she provides both dramatic depth and comedic fun throughout the film.

Durbin was only 27 years old when she retired from acting. Durbin decided to live a simple life away from Hollywood instead. Durbin’s first two marriages had failed. Attempting a new marriage to Charles David, Durbin decided she wanted to walk away from the business and instead live a quiet life in France.

Durbin was the biggest female movie-star of the time (and she had the highest salary). Despite getting regular offers from filmmakers, studios, and producers, Durbin rejected the offers. Durbin’s husband, Charles David, claimed she hated the working experience on her last three films and it impacted her leaving the industry. Though Durbin walked away from filmmaking after For the Love of Mary, her enduring legacy lives on.

The art direction by Robert F. Boyle (Bite the Bullet, The Crimson Kimono) and Bernard Herzbrun (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Battle of Broadway) is an essential part of the film – adding a remarkable visual style to the experience. The film does a great job of highlighting the place and time-period. The efforts add so much to the experience.

The costumes by Orry-Kelly (An American in Paris, Some Like It Hot) are beautiful and perfect for the cast. In particular, Durbin has impressive costumes. Orry-Kelly did great work on the film and these designs enhance the storytelling.

The cinematography by William H. Daniels (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Shop Around the Corner) is outstanding and hypnotic. The film showcases the kind of lush black-and-white cinematography that dreams are made of. The visuals add to the filmmaking and enhance the storytelling in spades. A great work by cinematographer Daniels.

Edited by Ted J. Kent (The Bride of Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon), For the Love of Mary is a well-paced gem. The editing is always essential to a good film. The pace of For the Love of Mary is outstanding. The flow of the film is enchanting from first to last frame.

The score composed by Frank Skinner (Arabian Nights, Saboteur) adds to the charms of the film. The music works well for the genre. The score feels breezy and light in the best of ways.

Written by Oscar Brodney (Harvey, The Glenn Miller Story), For the Love of Mary is great fun. The original script has great dialogue and excellent storytelling. The concept may be simple but it is undeniably effective and charming. A great story by Brodney.

Directed by Frederick De Cordova (Buccaneer’s Girl, Illegal Entry), For the Love of Mary is a must-see gem for fans of actress Deanna Durbin. The film has a compelling sense of style and the director did excellent work bringing the production to life. Even though Durbin walked away from acting after making the film, For the Love of Mary is entertaining in spades and any fan of the actress should consider it essential to her filmography.

For the Love of Mary Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Universal, For the Love of Mary is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.36:1 widescreen. The high-definition video looks outstanding on the release. The transfer quality is superb from beginning to end. The print has exceptional depth and detail. The black-and-white cinematography shines through and has an enchanting quality. Universal did a great job with the scan and encode of the film.

For the Love of Mary Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio quality on the release is excellent. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear during the presentation. The song selections are beautifully reproduced during the presentation. The score is well preserved by the lossless encoding. The release is free from any egregious issues with crackle, hiss, and other audio detriments. An excellent audio presentation by Universal.

English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided on the release.

For the Love of Mary Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes no bonus features. The film begins at startup and there is no main menu for the release.

For the Love of Mary Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For the Love of Mary is a must-see classic Hollywood gem. For the Love of Mary is significant as the final film of beloved actress Deanna Durbin. Durbin is one of the most enchanting actresses in Hollywood history. Fans of the actress won't want to miss seeing this essential performance.

The Blu-ray has an outstanding presentation with excellent high-definition video and lossless audio. Even though the release doesn't provide any supplements (and some might have been appreciated given the significance of the film showcasing Durbin's final performance), For the Love of Mary is a charming classic with a great presentation. Well worth owning. Highly recommended.