Holiday Affair Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Holiday Affair Blu-ray Movie Review

All abhorred.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 8, 2020

Nothing like a love triangle to spice up Christmas, right? Don Hartman's Holiday Affair delivers that and...well, not much else, but it's still an enjoyable romantic comedy that's fallen well under the radar during the last 70 years. At the center or if all is young widow Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh); she lives with her precocious son Timmy (Gordon Gebert), works as a comparison shopper, and has been dating lawyer Carl Davis (Wendell Corey) for two years. After a mistake almost costs Connie her job, she's saved by clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum)... that is, until he's promptly fired for not calling her out. Nonetheless, their resulting afternoon is spent together and she takes a liking to the smooth- talking war veteran, who also leaves quite an impression on little Timmy. Carl, of course, is skeptical.

The fallout from their brief encounter leads to all sorts of polite but simmering comments from Carl. He proposes marriage to Connie and she finally accepts, with both actions clearly stemming from Steve's entrance: he's got to claim his territory, and she feels guilty for flirting with another man. Steve doesn't give up; instead, he delivers an expensive Christmas gift for Tommy -- a train set the young boy has wanted for months -- which seems innocent enough, but Carl takes it as another way to buy their affection. The difference is that unlike her well-to-do fiancée, Connie's mystery man barely has enough money to eat. She's now torn between the aloof kindness of Steve's gesture, the more stable but rigid prospect of domestic life with Carl, and her son, who needs her now more than ever.

It's a dependable recipe for soapy drama -- at least more than expected for a film categorized as a romantic comedy -- and on that front, Holiday Affair delivers the goods. This is largely due to strong and well-cast characters: everyone is perfectly suited to their role, and even young Gordon Gebert steals many a scene as young Timmy. Several stand-alone moments also leave quite an impression, none more so than the painfully awkward Christmas dinner where Steve lays his feelings bare in front of the entire Ennis family... even the parents of Connie's late husband. Yet the film's much more scattered second half spins its wheels an awful lot, with more than a few late encounters stemming from fragile coincidences and silly or mawkish fare that wouldn't feel out of place in a wooden Hallmark drama. Holiday Affair rallies in the home stretch for a decent send-off but, as a whole, it feels more like a loose collection of good-to-great scenes stitched together by a meager plot that struggles to maintain momentum even at just 87 minutes.

From one perspective, Holiday Affair is obviously an attempt to recapture the magic of then-recent Mitchum hits like Rachel and the Stranger (also featuring a love triangle) and, of course, 1947's smoldering Out of the Past. And while it doesn't quite have the impact or staying power of either of those films, Holiday Affair is still worth (re)discovering on Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, which serves up yet another top-level 1080p transfer, lossless audio, and a few light but appreciated extras. If nothing else, it's a solid second-team pick for your Christmas movie rotation.

Holiday Affair Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although Warner Archive's press release was vague about the source material(s) used for its new 1080p transfer, it appears to be a fresh 2K scan of the interpositive with extensive manual cleanup -- a process that has, with very few exceptions, produced some of the very best-looking catalogue releases on Blu-ray. It's obvious that the source was in extremely good shape and well-cared for, as it really does elicit the look of pure and unfiltered nitrate film with silvery greys, deep black levels, and a strong amount of fine detail that's loaded with natural grain. Defects, dirt, and debris are virtually nowhere to be found, and the same goes for any whiffs of artificial sharpening, heavy noise reduction, or compression artifacts. Depth and density are both extremely strong with an overall high level of stability that keeps everything running smoothly from start to finish. Again, this is a very high-quality and purist-friendly presentation that easily beats Warner Archive's earlier DVD and, of course, other previous home video presentations.

Holiday Affair Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As usual, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio plays it straight with a very stable and crisp mix that preserves the films modest but perfectly capable one- channel roots. Dialogue is very clean with no audible distortion or other defects, with much of it entirely centered in all but the most crowded areas (the department store, a city bus) as well as open-air locations like a handful of scenes shot in Central Park. The sparse music cues by prolific RKO composer Roy Webb are also balanced well with a relatively full dynamic range. Overall, it's a satisfying presentation with no surprises.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film; they're formatted nicely with no sync issues.

Holiday Affair Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with no inserts and poster-themed cover artwork that's more or less identical to Warner Archive's older DVD. Extras are minimal but appreciated.

• Lux Radio Theater (59:56) - This adaptation, starring Robert Mitchum (reprising his role) and Laraine Day, originally aired on Monday, December 18th, 1950 as episode #750 of the long-running radio series.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:56) - A deceptively light-hearted (and kinda saucy) promotional piece that nonetheless captures Holiday Affair's spirit pretty accurately. There's an odd jump partway through that cuts off some of the narration, but this is obvious a source- related issue. Watch it here.

Holiday Affair Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Don Hartman's Holiday Affair is a well-acted, entertaining, and... well, kinda silly romantic drama that nonetheless features a few extremely memorable scenes and moments along the way. It hasn't aged very well in some respects but still holds some value as a potential Christmas favorite for the right crowd, and Warner Archive's new Blu-ray offers plenty of support with another outstanding 1080p transfer, lossless, audio, and a few light but appreciated bonus features. It's firmly recommended to established fans, though newcomers may want to try before they buy.