Forbidden Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Forbidden Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 20, 2024

Making its high-definition debut in the Frank Capra at Columbia Collection, Forbidden stars Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Ralph Bellamy, Dorothy Peterson, Charlotte Henry and Thomas Jefferson. The Blu-ray features solid audio and video, along with a newly recorded audio commentary by author Jeanine Basinger.

Woo, spring fever in pre-Code Hollywood! Eek. Librarian Lulu Smith finds herself accused of suffering from the illness, dropping her life savings into a cruise to Cuba. There she meets politically ambitious lawyer Bob Grover, who returns one day (with terrifying Halloween masks that are meant to be cute) and continues their fling. But the fun is interrupted by a man currently pursuing her affections, reporter Al Holland, who proposes. Placing her hope in Bob's love instead, her heart is broken to discover he actually is a married man. No matter, declares Lulu, who finds the strength to look past his indiscretion and settle for an affair. Bob, though, refuses to continue their relationship, believing she deserves far better than the likes of his caddish living.

But surprise! Lulu has a secret. She's pregnant. Fast forward to well after the birth of their child, and Lulu is raising the little girl, aptly named Roberta, without a father. When Bob hires a detective to find Lulu, he's shocked to learn about the product of his galivanting. And wouldn't you know it, Al conveniently pops back up at the very same time, coming to believe (thanks to a lie from Lulu) the child is adopted. Gotta keep those options open, girl. Tangling things further, Bob indeed adopts Roberta, taking her home to his wife Helen, with Lulu in tow as the girl's caretaker. More misadventures unfold and soon Lulu is working for Al as an advice columnist, continues to bat away his advances, and tries to protect Bob from any scandalous stories that would tarnish his political aspirations. What's a girl to do with so much forbidden love all around?

Though exceedingly tame by today's standards, you can only imagine how jaw-dropping depictions of infidelity, premarital sex, bastard children and other sexualized exploits were to audiences in 1932. Films like Forbidden all but helped usher in the Code era (for better or worse). Still, Forbidden is pure Capra, despite its earlier place in his canon. It's easy to spot the famed filmmaker honing his craft, his eye for performances, even his framing and composition as he tells an arguably overcomplicated romantic tale without allowing it to slip into screwball comedy territory. There's a since of tragedy and sadness, in fact, that pulses beneath the entire production; the idea of star-crossed lovers and missed opportunities that lead to one lie after another, as well as one forlorn love after another. Al isn't all that likeable, Bob is regrettably amoral until he isn't, and Lulu is one helluva mess, but somehow they all rise above their stations and fate to fit snuggly and exactly where Capra requires.

The results are both unpredictable and, much as it might seem otherwise, meaningful, allowing the director to explore love and loss in a manner uncharacteristic of films of the time. It's still certainly early Capra, and perhaps even lesser Capra, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying the drama as it unfolded, wondering where in God's name it would land and what would become of little Roberta when all was said and done.

Forbidden Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Don't be waylaid by the film's inherent softness. Forbidden's Blu-ray debut features a soft but faithful 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that does well by the original photography, refusing artificiality in favor of natural, filmic cinematography, grain and detailing that preserve its era sensibilities and disposition. Edges are exactly crisp, nor are fine textures very refined or revealing. However, close-ups showcase just how strong the film's remaster is, highlighting every subtlety the original source has on tap. Grain is consistent too, as is contrast leveling, which allows foreground elements to pop and injects the picture with a welcome sense of depth and dimension. Black levels are deep and inky, midtones are attractive and near flawless, and brighter portions of the image bring with them plenty of increased clarity. The only hitch is some print wear, which manifests as infrequent but noticeable vertical white lines. Faint but obvious (to eagle eyed viewers at least), the lines represent the one drawback in the presentation; presumably one a more thorough restoration would be capable of addressing and eliminating.

Forbidden Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's not much to discuss when it comes to Forbidden's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix. Dialogue is clean and clear, prioritization is achieved to a degree of welcome precision, and other elements -- effects, music and such -- sound pretty good. Age leaves a mark, showing itself with some minor air hiss, boxiness and shallow soundscaping, but none of it amounts to anything upsetting or disappointing. Par for the era course, Forbidden's lossless track is a solid offering.

Forbidden Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only extra included with Forbidden is an Audio Commentary with author and winner of the 2024 Robert Osborne Award Jeanine Basinger, the Corwin-Fuller professor of film studies at Wesleyan University and the founder and curator of the university's cinematic archives.

Forbidden Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Forbidden has to be viewed in terms of how shocking it must have been at the time. A product of pre-Code Hollywood and Capra's developing knack for sharp storytelling, it twists, turns and surprises; not by moral standards, today, but certainly as a film that delivers juke after juke in the narrative. Sony's Blu-ray release may share a disc with another film, but you'd never know it looking at its video presentation. A more extensive restoration may produce even better results, but combined with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix, you could certainly do a lot worse. An engaging and newly recorded commentary is just icing on the cake.