Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 22, 2016

Alexander Hall's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; Lux Radio Theatre version of the film; new filmed conversation with critic Michael Sragow and independent filmmaker and classic film distributor Michael Schlesinger; and archival audio conversation with actress Elizabeth Montgomery. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Farran Smith Nehme's essay "Here Comes the Angel of Death". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The new guy

Robert Montgomery plays not one but three different characters in this witty and very funny film directed by Alexander Hall. The first is the ambitious boxer Joe Pendleton, who crashes his plane and gets picked up by one of those special guys (Edward Everett Horton) that make sure that when the soul leaves the body it goes right back to its creator. But when Joe meets Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), who welcomes all newcomers and then places them on the proper plane for their next journey, he is told that according to The Big Register Book he still has more than fifty years left to live. The two immediately rush back to earth to fix the error, but discover that Joe’s old body has already been cremated. Mr. Jordan then places Joe in the body of the snotty businessman Bruce Farnsworth, and for a while it seems like a great idea because Joe suddenly becomes filthy rich and falls madly in love with the beautiful daughter (Evelyn Keyes) of one of the businessman’s former partners. He even convinces his boxing manager (James Gleason) to set up the title fight he was preparing for while he was still using his old body. But when Farnsworth is murdered by his cheating wife (Rita Johnson), Joe and Mr. Jordan are forced to look for yet another body. They pick a suitable replacement, but Joe becomes seriously concerned when he learns that he will have to start from scratch without the love of his life.

In 1942, Here Comes Mr. Jordan won two Oscar Awards, one for Best Original Story (Harry Segall) and one for Best Screenplay (Sidney Buchman, Seton I. Miller), and both are well deserved. The film oozes tremendous energy and tells a story that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Indeed, there is a side of it that will appeal to younger viewers who would appreciate its wonderful sense of humor and enjoy Montgomery’s quite brilliant character transformations. But the narrative also plays with possibilities that will resonate with older viewers in an entirely different way. For example, what if one is suddenly forced to abandon the life one has known and enjoyed for years and start all over again without the people that have made it special? A tragic accident could easily wipe out one’s memory and present one with many of the same dilemmas Joe faces in this film. (Something quite similar happens in Julian Schnabel’s excellent drama The Diving Bell And The Butterfly where Mathieu Amalric’s Jean-Do suffers a massive stroke while driving his brand new convertible and develops “locked-in” syndrome. He survives and gets a second chance in life, but now he is placed in an entirely new body that he can barely control). So the film does produce great laughs, but at the same time it also gives one plenty of opportunities to reexamine and ponder everything that makes one’s life worth living.

Montgomery is terrific, but the film is as effective as it is because the supporting cast is just as impressive. Gleason, for instance, is excellent as Joe’s old manager who at one point appears to be the only person that understands what is underway. Rains is appropriately calm and relaxed while trying to redirect Joe’s life and make him understand that there are certain realities that even he can’t alter. And Keyes is lovely as the young beauty that senses that there is someone out there that she was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan was lensed by cinematographer Joseph Walker, who collaborated with Frank Capra on many of his greatest films, including It Happened One Night, It's a Wonderful Life, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alexander Hall's Here Comes Mr. Jordan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

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

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm preservation fine-grain master positive. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm magnetic audio track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX4.

Transfer supervision: Grover Crisp, in cooperation with Bob Gitt and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Colorist: Scott Ostrowsky/Technicolor, Los Angeles.
Picture restoration: Technicolor.
Audio restoration: Audio Mechanics, Burbank, California."

The film has a stable and very pleasing organic appearance. There are a few segments where very small density fluctuations are noticeable, but the rest of the film actually impresses with lovely fluidity. Depth and clarity are very good. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. During the restoration various stabilization enhancements must have been performed because the bumps, jitter, and shaky transitions that typically appear on older films are completely eliminated here. (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).

Here Comes Mr. Jordan 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.

Rather predictable, the range of nuances dynamics is quite limited, but depth and clarity are very good. Friedrich Hollaender's energetic score also supports the film's energy very well. Balance is good -- there are no sudden spikes or drops that negatively affect the dynamic movement. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, clicks, background hiss, or annoying distortions to report in our review.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. theatrical trailer for Here Comes Mr. Jordan. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Lux Radio Theatre - presented here is a Lux Radio Theatre version of Here Comes Mr. Jordan starring Evelyn Keyes, James Gleason, Claude Rains, and Cary Grant (the role of Joe Pendleton was offered to him before it went to Robert Montgomery). Originally broadcast on January 26, 1942. In English, not subtitled. (53 min, 1080p).

• Comedy and the Afterlife - in this brand new filmed conversation, critic Michael Sragow and independent filmmaker and classic film distributor Michael Schlesinger discuss the history of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, its success, the main themes in the film and how they can appeal to different viewers, etc. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion in February 2016. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, 1080p).

• Ronald Haver and Elizabeth Montgomery - presented here is an archival audio recording with Elizabeth Montgomery who discusses her acting career, the work and legacy of her father, actor Robert Montgomery, and Here Comes Mr. Jordan with film historian Ronald Haver. The program was recorded in at Elizabeth Montgomery's home in Beverly Hills in 1991. In English, not subtitled. (80 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Family ties
  2. Career turns
  3. Underrated
  4. Bewitched

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Farran Smith Nehme's essay "Here Comes the Angel of Death".

Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Here Comes Mr. Jordan is the type of film that you can see multiple times without being disappointed. It is that witty and brilliantly acted, a true Hollywood classic that still has a lot of meaningful things to say about the ways people choose to live their lives. It has been carefully restored in 2K, under Grover Crisp's supervision, and looks lovely in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.