Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Marjorie Morningstar Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 14, 2017

There’s a long tradition of Hollywood melodramas, and there’s always been an audience for them. However, 1958’s “Marjorie Morningstar” takes considerable patience to sit through, working the subgenre in full with its depictions of shattered dreams, poisoned romances, and troubled families. An adaptation of a Herman Wouk novel, the feature does a reasonable job packing plot into two hours of screentime, but casting is often too odd to ignore, finding Gene Kelly fighting visible awkwardness as the 46-year-old actor tries to make believable magic with 20-year-old Natalie Wood. While the stars have been wonderful before, they fail to summon a proper pitch of melancholy to keep “Marjorie Morningstar” alert and appealingly sudsy.

Dreams of stardom and the pressures of marriage take up most of the movie’s concerns, with Wood starring as the titular character, who tries to navigate her interests in the performing arts with social and familial pressures to settle down with a man at a young age. Romance comes in the form of Kelly’s Noel, an older man who struggles with his inability to find stage success. Their union is rocky, gifting the material chances to explore public meltdowns and private shame, and there’s an interesting religious aspect to Marjorie’s journey, with Judaism playing a large role in her life. The components are there for “Marjorie Morningstar” to connect as a tale of broken hearts and dreams, but the effort, directed by Irving Rapper, doesn’t squeeze tightly enough, remaining theatrical while sorting through some gut-rot emotions.

Marjorie Morningstar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Billed as "Newly mastered from a 4K scan," the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation preserves the bold "WarnerColor" look of the feature. Exaggerated hues are managed well, finding visual power from costuming and set decoration, and summer camp greenery is appealing. Skintones keep their amplification. Detail goes about as far as period cinematography permits, picking up textured fabrics and some facial particulars, and distances are preserved. Delineation is secure. Grain is fine and filmic. Source isn't troublesome, but speckling is a constant presence during the viewing experience.

Marjorie Morningstar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides a clear understanding of dialogue exchanges, handling dramatic interests with big voices. Musical interests are equally appealing, with stage performances supplying theatrical snap, and scoring needs are met throughout, delivering compelling instrumentation. Group activity is handled well, and atmospherics are blunt but effective.

Marjorie Morningstar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Marjorie Morningstar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kelly is a bit out of his element here, asked to execute submissive emotions he looks uncomfortable communicating, and the age difference is noticeable, but never predatory. He's more alive on stage, playing to his strengths, but Wood fares better, more in tune with her character's dilemmas. "Marjorie Morningstar" isn't particularly engrossing, struggling to find life underneath formula, but it contains sporadic moments of clarity, especially when Kelly isn't forced to woo Wood, allowing his natural vibrancy to command the screen.