Love Affair Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Love Affair Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 18, 2022

Leo McCarey's "Love Affair" (1939) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include restoration program with producer Serge Bromberg; new program with critic Farran Smith Nehme; two short films; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Right there. You see it? Six months from now, we'll meet at the top of the Empire State Building. You can't miss that. It is the nearest thing to Heaven we have in New York.

Even Leo McCarey’s own remake, which is a very, very fine film, can’t quite match the brilliance of the original film that inspired it. The remake of course is An Affair to Remember, which earned four Oscar nominations, while the original film is Love Affair, which earned six Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. In 1940, the Oscar for Best Picture went to Gone with the Wind, which was as worthy of a winner as there ever was one, but Love Affair just as easily could have picked up the once precious statuette. In fact, without Gone With the Wind in the race, it probably would have accomplished precisely that.

The brilliance of Love Affair truly cannot be overstated, but it is possible that it can be mischaracterized in a couple of different ways. Why? Because it is one of those very rare films that can resonate differently with viewers from a number of different age groups. No, it is not that these viewers would somehow misinterpret its story, which could not be any simpler. Rather, it is possible that some viewers may not immediately realize that Love Affair is actually a lot like a great novel that can trick the mind to begin recovering seemingly lost memories. And, do you know what happens once it does? Viewers find it impossible not to head down memory lane where they secretly begin pondering old ‘what if’ scenarios that years ago were discarded as silly. Very few films can do this.

Here's something else that needs to be clarified whenever Love Affair is discussed as well. It actually tells a story about two kinds of love. The first emerges after the wealthy Frenchman Michel Marnay (Charles Boyer) and the perky American Terry McKay (Irene Dunne) meet on a giant cruise ship bound for New York. It is the kind of pure love that usually brings two younger people together and they instantly realize that fate has always had a plan for them. However, there is still a process they need to go through before both reveal how they feel about each other. For Michel and Terry, this process is a tricky one as well because both already have serious partners that play important parts in their lives.

The second love has a subtle but unmissable presence. It emerges when the cruise ship stops for a few hours at Porto Santo, Madeira, where Michel’s grandmother (Maria Ouspenskaya) lives alone. On the way to his grandmother’s beautiful home, Michel bumps into Terry and they decide to make the trip together. The reunion between the ailing grandmother and Michel, with Terry present, is so bittersweet that it can melt even a heart of stone. It is clear that for years there has been a special bond between grandmother and Michel and that this would be the last time they meet. Her words are so simple and so full of pure love for him that it hurts knowing that she would never be able to utter them again. Has Michel come to see her one last time because he has finally found the right girl to settle down with? Michel does not have to say anything because grandmother already knows the answer. Terry is the perfect girl for him, and grandmother is grateful that she lived long enough to meet her. Soon after, the crise ship’s horn reminds the visitors that it is time for them to head back to the port.

Before their journey ends, Michel and Terry agree to meet in six months, on the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. In the meantime, both will have to reveal to their current partners that they are walking away from them. It has to be done right, and it won’t be easy, but six months should be enough to sort everything out.

The film ends with two timeless reminders. One of them is that true love and happiness can remain elusive even when they seem awfully close and easy to attain. The other is that one should never give up on them -- ever.

Love Affair Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Love Affair arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

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

"This 4K restoration was undertaken by The Museum of Modern Art and Lobster Films at Lobster Films' laboratories in Paris, from a 35mm original nitrate print and a safety 35mm duplicate negative, both from the MOMA collection. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered primarily from the duplicate negative, with the nitrate print used for a a few sections.

4K scanning: Blackhawk Films, Burbank, CA.
Sound restoration: L.E. Diapason, Paris."

This Blu-ray release of Love Affair is the exact same much-needed revelation that the recent Blu-ray release of Detour turned out to be. I actually have in my library one of the semi-legit DVD releases Serge Bromberg references in the restoration program from the bonus features section, and the 4K makeover really is as exciting and definitive as he describes it. What Bromberg shows in the program are not carefully selected poor clips that make the 4K makeover look a lot better; these clips reflect the actual quality of the presentations of the film that were made available on DVD, and this quality was awful even by VHS standards. Yes, after the 4K makeover there are still some obvious traces of aging, plus some density fluctuations and other minor inconsistencies, but you have to place the work that was done in a proper context. What does this mean exactly? It means that you have to take into consideration where the folks at Lobster Film started and the quality of the surviving elements they were able to access to understand and hopefully appreciate what they were able to accomplish after their work was completed. Simply put, Love Affair looks like film now. It has a slightly dated appearance, but it is a very pleasing organic appearance, which was never available on DVD. Also, the 4K master that was prepared is very nicely graded, so the grayscale actually mirrors the type of quality you would get if you were in the theater and were viewing a 35mm original nitrate print of Love Affair. This is basically the type of quality the Blu-ray replicates, without the higher native resolution of the nitrate print. The entire film is very carefully cleaned up as well, so it looks rather remarkably healthy. Great presentation. (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).

Love Affair 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.

Even though it is very easy to tell that it has aged, the audio is clear and stable. I would describe it as very healthy as well because the distortions from the DVD release I have are gone and the upper register is stable. There are still a few spots where minor hiss remains, but my guess is that the folks at L.E. Diapason could not remove it without introducing other types of anomalies. All in all, I have to say that the audio restoration is predictably solid. I have quite a few French discs with audio tracks that were restored by the L.E. Diapason crew and what was done for Love Affair continues a familiar practice of excellence. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Love Affair Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• About the Restoration - in this new program, Serge Bromberg from Lobster Films discusses the recent 4K restoration and reconstruction of Love Affair and highlights some of the specific obstacles that had to be overcome. The program was produced in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Short Films - presented here are two shorts directed by Leo McCarey and starring Charley Chase, which were made for Hal Roach Studios, where the director began his career in the film industry.
  
  1. Looking for Sally (1925). Restored by Lobster Films. With English intertitles and music. (25 min).
  2. Mighty Like a Moose (1926). Restored by Lobster Films. With English intertitles and music. (23 min).

• Radio Adaptations - presented here are two vintage radio adaptations of Love Affair which aired on the popular Lux Radio Theatre program, produced by Cecil B. DeMille. The first radio version, starring Irene Dunne and William Powell, aired on April 1, 1940. The second version has Dunne and Charles Boyer reprising their screen roles and aired on July 6., 1942.
  
  1. Radio Adaptation One (1940). In English, not subtitled. (50 min).
  2. Radio Adaptation Two (1942). In English, not subtitled. (54 min).

• Farran Smith Nehme - in this new program, critic Farran Smith Nehme discusses the production history and lasting appeal of Love Affair. The program was produced in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Leaflet - in illustrated leaflet featuring critic Megan McGurk's essay "The Nearest Thing to Heaven" as well as technical credits.

Love Affair Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everything that I admire about old Hollywood is on full display in Leo McCarey's Love Affair, which is one of the greatest romantic films ever made. It tells a simple yet indescribably beautiful and moving story, and this of course is the very reason why it was remade multiple times over the years. I could not have been happier when Criterion's Blu-ray release was officially announced, and now that I have spent some time with it, I have to say that it offers a presentation of Love Affair that met all expectations I had. So, even though 2022 has just started, I already have a reserved spot for Love Affair on my next Top Ten list. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.