Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

It's a Gift Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 17, 2022

Norman McLeod's "It's a Gift" (1934) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an exclusive new audio commentary by film historian and author James L. Neibaur. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

California Dreamin'

If you asked me whether It’s a Gift is W.C. Fields’ funniest film right at this moment my answer would have been a very enthusiastic yes. I saw it twice during the last forty-eight hours, once alone and once with a friend, and both times I laughed so hard that I had tears in my eyes. Fields is terrific in it. He repeatedly gets stuck in a myriad of ridiculously funny situations, which isn’t exactly surprising, but at the same time fires off some absolutely incredible lines, too. While there are a couple of other Fields films that are technically superior, I think that this might be what moves It’s a Gift a notch or two above all of them -- the funny is brilliantly conceived, comes steadily from all kinds of different directions, and lasts until the very end.

There is something else that makes quite a difference as well. It is Kathleen Howard’s performance, which believe it or not is what powers up Fields’ performance. Howard plays Amelia Bissonette, the old-fashioned bossy wife of Harold Bisonnette (Fields), who each day endures an avalanche of criticism at home and at the general store he runs on behalf of his family. After years of marriage, Mrs. Bisonnette has made a groundbreaking discovery, which is that Mr. Bisonnette is “an old fool”, and because he hasn’t met her lofty expectations, she tries to make up for her disappointment by never missing an opportunity to blame him for all of the family’s small and big problems. Mr. Bisonnette occasionally has something to say to Mrs. Bisonnette too, but he has figured out that his best counterstrategy is to just let Mrs. Bisonnette run her mouth off until she eventually tires and finds herself something else to occupy her mind. So, as odd as it may sound it is usually Howard’s discriminating Mrs. Bisonnette that works hard to create the perfect situations in which Fields’ Mr. Bisonnette is presented with the right opportunities to impress.

Halfway though the film Mr. Bisonnette finally stages a revolt. Without consulting Mrs. Bisonnette, he sells the general store and invests the money in a supposedly beautiful orange farm in sunny Southern California. Soon after, the fuming Mrs. Bisonnette surrenders and the entire family heads West. But once they reach their destination it immediately begins to look like Mr. Bisonnette’s latest plan to make Mrs. Bisonnette happy could be yet another colossal disaster.

It feels like Norman McLeod’s direction is effortlessly confident, but it is very difficult to tell to what extent it impacts everything that happens before the camera. Obviously, there is plenty of material where the positioning of the camera is crucial, but was it McLeod of Fields that had the final say on how it is shot? I struggled to tell. It is well-known that Fields had plenty of creative freedom and when he went to work, he was usually able to get what he wanted, but even though a lot of the performances look very organic it is also easy to see that there is plenty of carefully choreographed material. As noted earlier, this is where the film truly excels -- a lot happens all the time, and it feels very natural, but anyone with even a modest understanding of how older films were done will quickly conclude that even though Fields shines the most, he is assisted by some really, really good actors as well. What they create together before the camera isn’t brilliant improvising either, so was it all envisioned by Fields, or was it McLeod that put it all together? Again, I found it very difficult to tell.

McLeod’s cinematographer was Henry Sharp, who a decade later would lense Fritz Lang’s Ministry of Fear and Roy Del Ruth’s It Happened on 5th Avenue.

The great character actor Chill Wills, who earned an Oscar nomination for his contribution to John Wayne’s iconic The Alamo, made his acting debut in It’s a Gift. However, most viewers will likely have a very difficult time recognizing him once he steps in front of the camera.

It's a Gift Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, It's a Gift arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. It is a mostly decent master, but if properly restored It's a Gift would clearly have a more appealing organic appearance. For example, while most close-ups tend to look fine, the panoramic footage usually struggles to convey decent delineation and depth. Also, even though the master isn't marred by serious digital adjustments, it is very easy to see that the surface of the visuals does not have naturally exposed grain. (Basically, in most areas you will see a telecine-esque type of surface). The grayscale is good. The blacks looks solid and there are fine ranges of grays and whites. However, an all-around healthier master master will reveal a better grayscale as well. Image stability is good. Minor scratches, specks, and blemishes can seen from time to time, but there are no serious age-related imperfections. 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).

It's a Gift Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The audio is clear is and stable. However, I had my volume turned up quite a bit and there were a few areas where I noticed minor pops. You don't have to worry. They are not distracting and you may even miss them, but I wanted to mention them because this audio track can benefit from some minor cosmetic work. Dynamic balance is good for a film from the early 1930s. There are no distortions or audio dropouts to report.

It's a Gift Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film historian and author James L. Neibaur (The W.C. Fields Films).

It's a Gift Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When you watch a Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd film, you immediately sense that the perfection that materializes before the camera is the result of great choreography and acting that were executed right. You realize that it took countless takes to get it right too, because Chaplin and Lloyd were notorious perfectionists. In the films W.C. Fields left us there is a different kind of mastery, and to be honest with you, I am unsure precisely how to deconstruct it. Plenty in these films is very clearly choreographed as well, but when Fields is in front of the camera it feels like he is completely unaware of its presence, which is why the perfection seems so casual. I find this incredibly attractive, but I can't quite tell if everything Fields does is entirely organic or rehearsed ad nauseam. In It's a Gift, which might be Fields' funniest film, there is an abundance of such brilliant material that also looks very, very casual. I absolutely loved this film and would enthusiastically place it next to some of Chaplin and Lloyd's greatest gems. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.