Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray Movie Review

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Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 4, 2020

Movies about Hollywood's dark underbelly were nothing new by 1965, but Inside Daisy Clover explores the subject through a young woman who's quite literally pulled off the streets to be "the next big thing". Former child star Natalie Wood portrays Daisy Clover, who lives with her mom near the Santa Monica Pier and may just be the least convincing 15-year-old ever portrayed on film. She ekes out a living selling fake autographs but loves singing, and is surprised to learn that the head of a major studio, Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer), is interested in a demo record she sent. After a limo ride to Swan Studios, the young tomboy is caught off guard by his cold and uncaring demeanor: Raymond tears her down while promising to deliver Hollywood's new rising star to the unsuspecting masses. She's charmed by fellow studio actor Wade Lewis (Robert Redford) and they develop a whirlwind romance, which ends up doubling as a microcosm of her brief time in the spotlight: it's very exciting, a little scary, and doesn't end well.

It sounds compelling enough on paper, but Inside Daisy Clover is a clear case of a film whose ambitious don't quite measure up to its execution. Very little seems wrong at first glance: Wood acquits herself nicely (except for that age discrepancy -- though still youthful, she was close to thirty during production), there are a number of genuine twists and turns, and the supporting performances by Plummer and Redford are great. Other small parts, such as Raymond's wife Melora (Katharine Bard) and Daisy's soon-to-be-estranged mother Lucile (Ruth Gordon) are filled out nicely too. The biggest problems lie with Daisy Clover's structure and a lack of ability to sell its own material: Wood's character is never all that convincing as "the next big thing", nor is her rise to fame ever shown from a public perspective. The extremely insular nature of her journey ends up working against it, keeping outsiders at arm's length while never making a believable sales pitch. Even Daisy's trademark song, which is repeated ad nauseum, is forgettable...and to make matters worse, all of Wood's original vocals were re-recorded by singer Jackie "Robin" Ward.

Of course, that's not to say that Inside Daisy Clover is without merit...even aside from a few highlights mentioned above, most of which are related to the lead and supporting performances. Any and all scenes between Wood and Redford are easily among the film's best, as they seem to best capture that perfect balance of excitement mixed with a little bit of uneasiness. André Previn's original score and Charles Lang's cinematography are both excellent, often working double duty to capture the atmosphere of 1930s Santa Monica and the surrounding area. For these reasons, the film also serves as an invaluable time capsule: even though many parts are made up to reflect that earlier decade in which Inside Daisy Clover takes place, there's an undeniable charm to the signage, store fronts, and much quieter atmosphere that seem to evoke the 1960s as well. Those with Californian roots may enjoy the film for that reason alone. But aside from die-hard fans of the cast and setting, this one's tough to recommend sight unseen.

As usual, anyone with even a passing interest in the main feature will surely enjoy Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, which serves up another top-tier technical presentations and bonus features carried over from an earlier disc.

Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Inside Daisy Clover's new 1080p master was likely sourced from a new 2K scan of the interpositive, which is more than enough to showcase its earthy color palettes and restrained but pleasing visuals. Image detail and textures are good to great in close-ups and wide-shots alike, with the overall image showing good density and very few color fluctuations or other defects. As usual it's a very clean picture with no obvious dirt or debris, largely thanks to manual cleanup that's typically done after the initial scan, which results in a consistently strong and very stable picture from start to finish. Disc compression is also first-rate with no flagrant artifacts, banding, or excessive use of digital noise reduction, as evidenced by the natural film grain and high bit rate. It's a solid upgrade from Warner Archive's own 2018 DVD which is, to the best of my knowledge, the film's only other domestic digital home video release.

I did notice a somewhat jarring frame jump right before the 44-minute mark, but this same hiccup was present on Warner Archive's 2018 DVD and is likely a source material issue.

Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is equally impressive, offering a surprisingly heavy sonic presence that showcases André Previn's excellent score. Although it's obvious when ADR was used (which also goes for the Daisy's singing), the track is otherwise seamless in fidelity and dynamic range. Dialogue and background effects are very well mixed and intelligible without fighting for attention, while no obvious defects could be heard along the way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature; these are formatted perfectly and have no sync issues.

Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray arrives in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and extras carried over from the DVD.

• War and Pieces (6:39) - This 1964 Road Runner short was directed by Chuck Jones. If you squint at it from the Coyote's perspective, it's actually kind of like the main feature.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:31) - You can also watch this vintage promotional piece online here, as well the full four-minute opening scene and another clip, all lovingly restored in HD.

Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Inside Daisy Clover is a film whose reach exceeds its grasp. There is no shortage of talent involved and almost every step feels deliberate, but the story never clicks because the appeal of its titular character just isn't all that convincing. It's still worth a watch for fans of the cast -- especially Natalie Wood and Robert Redford, whose shared scenes are the film's most immediate highlight. Either way, Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray is up to their usual high standards, offering another great 1080p transfer and lossless audio that stands as a definitive presentation in this format.