Gilda Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Gilda Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 21, 2015

Charles Vidor's "Gilda" (1946) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary by film critic Richard Schickel; new video interview with film noir historian Eddie Muller; short video piece with comments from directors Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann; and an episode of the 1964 television series Hollywood and the Stars. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Sheila O'Malley. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Gilda

Glenn Ford is Johnny Farrell, a petty gambler who makes ends meet by separating fools from their money on the dark and dirty streets of Buenos Aires. It is there that someone tries to kill Johnny, but the wealthy loner Ballin Mundsen (George Macready, Paths of Glory, Vera Cruz) saves his life and then hires him to manage his casino.

Soon after Johnny gets comfortable working in the casino, Ballin shows him his latest acquisition – the stunningly beautiful Gilda (Rita Hayworth, The Lady from Shanghai), who knows how to seduce men with deep pockets. What Ballin does not know is that Johnny and Gilda have a long history together.

Eventually Ballin realizes that Gilda might have had a plan when she agreed to marry him, but he has little time to question her because two German businessmen arrive in the casino and create a lot of tension after they demand that he signs some important documents. A local government agent (Joseph Calleia, Touch of Evil, Captain Carey, U.S.A.) further complicates things when he approaches Johnny and reveals to him that his boss’ interests extend far beyond his gambling business. All hell breaks loose when Ballin kills one of the Germans and then his private plane crashes in the ocean.

Charles Vidor’s classic noir film, Gilda, works because of three simple reasons. The first is the presence of the stunningly beautiful Hayworth. The camera loves her so much that it frequently feels like it has difficulty spending time with the rest of the actors. Hayworth is fully aware of her sex appeal and loves the attention. The confidence she exudes makes even casual close-ups look breathtakingly beautiful.

The second reason is the terrific script. It is one of the best done for a Hollywood film after WWII. The exchanges between the main protagonists are frequently exceptionally bold yet vague enough not to upset the watchdogs. (Years later, a similar style of writing was mastered by various screenwriters living behind the Iron Curtain, where powerful red apparatchiks would carefully scrutinize their work to make sure that it does not undermine the Party’s legitimacy).

The third reason is Jack Cole’s music numbers. There is no groundbreaking material here, but everything works to perfection. Looking indescribably sexy, Hayworth sings, dances, and flirts with her audience, and then suddenly takes off the beautiful mask she wears for everyone to see that she is a real woman who wants to be loved, cared for and protected. Indeed, the numbers and the transitions after them are wonderfully choreographed.

Ford also leaves a lasting impression as the petty gambler who gets a second chance in life. His final character transformation, however, feels a bit premature. Macready looks appropriately cold and unpredictable. Though his time in front of the camera is limited, Steven Geray is simply outstanding as the casino's washroom attendant, Uncle Pio.

Gilda was lensed by legendary Polish-born cinematographer Rudolph Mate (Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr, The Passion of Joan of Arc). The many music pieces heard throughout the film were orchestrated by Hugo Friedhofer (Fritz Lang’s Cloak and Dagger, Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca).

In 2013, Gilda was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Gilda Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charles Vidor's Gilda arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine film scanner from a 35mm fine-grain master made from the original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm soundtrack negative. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX4.

Transfer supervisor: James Owsley.
Colorist: Tess Walsh/Deluxe, Hollywood."

The release uses as a foundation the UCLA Film and Television Archive 2K restoration of Gilda, which was produced in cooperation with Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Library of Congress, and The National Film and Television Archive U.K. (The same restoration was initially introduced in various European territories in 2014. You can see our review of the Italian Blu-ray release here).

The entire film has a very pleasing organic appearance. Generally speaking, close-ups boast very good depth; even during the darker footage depth never suffers (see screencapture #14). Clarity and sharpness are also pleasing. There are a few areas where it is easy to see that time has left its mark and as a result some minor density fluctuations exist, but they do not create any balance issues. Typically, only the grain exposure varies a bit. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, a few tiny flecks and blemishes and even a couple of small vertical lines can be seen, but there aren't any large damage marks, cuts, stains, or torn frames to report in our review. (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).

Gilda Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track does open up the music numbers a bit better. (The Italian release we reviewed last year has only a lossy track). During Gilda's final performance in the third act depth is clearly better. However, clarity is identical. The dialog is stable and clean. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Gilda Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Gilda. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann - acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) discuss the unique qualities of Gilda and Rita Hayworth's legendary performance. The featurette was produced in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Hollywood and the Stars: "The Odyssey of Rita Hayworth" - this episode of the 1964 television series Hollywood and the Stars takes a closer look at the life and legacy of one of Hollywood's greatest stars, Rita Hayworth. The featurette is narrated by Joseph Cotten (The Third Man, Citizen Kane). In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080p).

• Eddie Muller - in this brand new video interview, film noir historian Eddie Muller discusses the subversive nature of Gilda, the unusual relationship between Johnny Farrell and his employer as well as the elusive gay subtexts in the film, the creative environment in Hollywood at the time when the film was made, the different motivations driving the main characters, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, film critic Richard Schickel discusses the plot of Gilda, the relationships between the main characters and some of the obvious and not so obvious sexual overtones, interesting details from Rita Hayworth's career, etc. The commentary was recorded for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Sheila O'Malley.

Gilda Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everything that was great about Hollywood is on display in Gilda. It is an ultra stylish film noir with real stars who knew what it takes to create something truly special. Criterion's upcoming release of Gilda is sourced from the UCLA Film and Television Archive 2K restoration of the film, which was initially introduced in Europe. It should have a reserved spot in every serious film collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.