Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

I Never Sang for My Father Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 10, 2024

Gilbert Cates' "I Never Sang for My Father" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. There are no bonus features on the release. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If you see I Never Sang for my Father in your thirties, forties, and fifties, you will discover three completely different films. And if you see it not too long after you lose a parent, you will discover yet another film. It is not a multi-layered film that demands multiple viewings to understand. However, what it has to say about growing old, family, and life can touch you in several different ways.

Tenured professor Gene Harrison (Gene Hackman) has decided to marry a second time and permanently relocate to California, where the woman he loves resides. But he is nervous to break the news to his elderly parents because it has been only a year since the death of his wife. Plus, the relocation will send him thousands of miles away from them on the other side of the country. Nevertheless, while they visit, he reveals his plan to his mother (Dorothy Stickney), who urges him to follow his heart, and then, feeling encouraged by her positivity, prepares to talk to his father (Melvyn Douglas). But just hours later, his mother has a massive cardiac arrest and dies in the hospital.

During the preparation for the funeral, Gene and his father eliminate a lot of the static that has existed between them for decades, but when the last member of the family appears, the unexpected progress is promptly reversed. Gene’s sister (Estelle Parsons), who has married a Jewish man against her father’s wish and spent years living with him in a different state, then declares that even though she still cares about their father, it would be impossible for her to take care of him.

In the days ahead, Gene frequently struggles with anger and guilt which force him to reexamine his life and everything he has considered to be meaningful, and as he prepares to move on, he also begins pondering how he would have behaved if he had been in his father’s shoes.

Directed by Gilbert Cates, I Never Sang for my Father is a cinematic adaptation of Robert Anderson’s play of the same name, which had become a big hit on Broadway a few years earlier. However, while the original material is very good, I Never Sang for my Father is unquestionably a showoff piece for Hackman and Douglas, two terrific actors who are at their very best in it. The narrative is broken into three uneven sections, each revealing a different side of Hackman and Douglas’ impact on it, but the focus of attention is on the various dilemmas that emerge in them. For example, Hackman must choose between his fiancée and father, while never in doubt that either option will irreversibly reset his life. Also, Hackman’s anger is fueled by solid contrasting logic that makes it impossible for him to emerge as a good son, a good brother, or a strong man in control of his future. On top of this, a suffocating sense of guilt is transforming him into his worst critic.

Interestingly, I Never Sang for my Father does not demand to be viewed as a rich character study. The overlapping of the different what-if scenarios that are presented in it is at the center of something much, much bigger, which is an understanding of the nature of life and how one rationalizes it as one grows older. This is why I Never Sang for my Father can be a very different film when viewed at different stages of one’s maturation.

Hackman and Douglas earned well-deserved Oscar nominations, but it must be said that they are surrounded by very impressive supporting actors who make them look great, too. For example, while being a listener in various conversations, Hackman is able to reveal a lot through facial expressions that could not have been described or even suggested in the screenplay.

Cates worked with two cinematographers: Morris Hartzband and George Stoetzel. For both cinematographers, I Never Sang for my Father was a final project.

I Never Sang for My Father Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, I Never Sang for my Father arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

Even though the master that was used to prepare this release is not new, I liked it quite a lot. It comes from Sony Pictures' vaults and gives the entire film a very strong organic appearance, which is why all visuals look good or very good. Delineation and clarity, for instance, are always pleasing, and even during darker footage where grain could be tighter, everything looks good. Color balance is very convincing as well. In fact, I think that only saturation levels could be significantly improved. The rest, including the existing ranges of supporting nuances, is already very convincing. Image stability is excellent. Also, I did not see any distracting cuts, marks, debris, warped or torn frames to report in our review. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

I Never Sang for My Father Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Even though there is plenty of music throughout the film, dynamic contrasts are modest. The dialog is exceptionally clear, clean, and stable. There are no balance issues. I had the volume of my system turned up quite a bit and did not detect any age-related weaknesses in the upper register.

I Never Sang for My Father Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no special features on this release.

I Never Sang for My Father Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At some point in our lives, each of us will be presented with several of the same dilemmas Gene Hackman's character faces. It is inevitable because they are essential parts of the cycles we go through as we age. So, there is a lot of food for thought in I Never Sang for my Father, which I think makes it a timeless film. This release is sourced from an older but very strong organic master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It is included in Film Focus: Gene Hackman, a four-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.