Mickey One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Mickey One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 20, 2017

Arthur Penn's "Mickey One" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with actress Alexandra Stewart; new video interview with Matthew Penn; archival Q&A session with Arthur Penn; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring journalist Nick Pinkerton's essay "Mickey One", an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

He was guilty because he wasn't innocent

Arthur Penn’s Mickey One is a classic example of a polarizing film from the past that has been passionately dismissed for a whole range of interesting reasons and just as passionately defended and praised for many of the very same reasons. I think that its critics and admirers have had many valid arguments for doing it and below I will highlight a few that I believe will provide you with the proper set of expectations before you sit down to view it. As it is usually the case with these types of films, however, by the time the final credits roll you are guaranteed to have your own reasons to side with one of the two camps.

The main character (Warren Beatty) is a handsome guy in his 30s who makes ends meet as a stand-up comic in Detroit. He gets a name, Mickey One, when he is forced to hide in Chicago after some goons from his neck of the woods realize that he has borrowed too much dough and lost all of it but isn’t even thinking of paying off his debts. Mickey One of course isn’t his real name, but the guy that gives him a temp job finds it much easier to pronounce than the long Polish name on his stolen social security card. After spending some time dumping garbage for pennies in Chicago’s slums, Mickey One goes back doing what he does best -- making folks laugh while they enjoy their drinks. A talent scout then convinces the owner of the fancy club Xanadu to give Mickey One a try but he decides to keep a low profile, fully realizing that if he accepts the offer to join the club it will be only a matter of days before someone figures out his real identity and the boys from the Motor City come down looking for him. It is right around this time that Mickey One also discovers a beautiful girl (Alexandra Stewart) in his room who has been welcomed by his immigrant landlady without his consent.

The film is structured like a fugue -- there is a core subject that produces multiple themes that expand it in different directions and after some interesting variations merge back into it. However, its rhythm is very fluid and the middle part, where all of the variations and experimentations occur, basically overwhelms the rest. So instead of trying to engage its audience the old-fashioned way and make it care about Mickey One and his fate, the film actually acts a lot like a rebel that is on a mission to openly confront and even redefine conventional narrative techniques. This is the main reason why it has been compared to some of the more radical films that the French New Wave directors created. Obviously, whether you like or dislike it will depend a lot on whether you can tolerate this type of rebellious attitude.

Then there is the stylization. Each of the contrasting themes also attempts to alter the film’s stylistic identity. For example, there is a fairly large portion of it in which Penn does some really odd things in order to bring in some of Fellini’s poetic exuberance to the narrative, but the spontaneity and the sense of euphoria that permeate the great maestro’s work are missing and as a result plenty of the material can look very artificial. (See the sequence where the mute joker pops up next to the giant burning 'music instrument'). So here you have another controversial aspect of the narrative that will have a significant impact on your opinion of the film.

The chemistry between the two leads is also unorthodox. Think of Pierrot and Marriane from Jean-Luc Godard’s famous film and then imagine how they would have handled themselves if they were left to survive in a rundown Polish neighborhood in Chicago. The chemistry is definitely unique, and perhaps unlike anything seen in an American film produced by a major studio after WW2.

The least controversial piece of this fascinating puzzle is Stan Getz’s brilliant jazzy soundtrack. It is filled with top quality sax solos that are as crucial for the film’s ambience as Miles Davis’ trumpet solos are in Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows.

Mickey One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Arthur Penn's Mickey One arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a dated source, almost certainly some sort of a remaster that was prepared by Sony Pictures some time ago. There are areas of the film that look rather good, but elsewhere it is quite obvious that delineation isn't optimal and depth not as convincing as it should be. A lot of the darker footage, for instance, struggles with light noise that further flattens the image (see screencapture #2). There is light black crush and trained eyes will also quickly notice that contrast levels could have been managed better. Grain isn't as refined and evenly distributed as it appears on properly done 4K masters, and the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to see the limitations that emerge in different areas of the film. Image stability is good. However, some minor specks and even a few light scratches can be seen popping up here and there. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Mickey One 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.

The audio must have been cleaned up quite well when the master was prepared because there no obvious age-related imperfections. It if it is remixed with current digital tools it is very possible that some noticeable balance improvements are introduced, but frankly I do not think that the difference will be substantial. I think that the quality of current lossless track is already very good.

Mickey One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Trailer - original trailer for Mickey One. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Joe Dante Trailer Commentary - in this segment from Trailers From Hell dierctor Joe Dante quickly recalls his first impressions of Mickey One and explains why her liked the film. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Alexandra Stewart on Mickey One - in this brand new video interview, actress Alexandra Stewart recalls how she was cast to play the character of Jenny Drayton in Mickey One, and discusses her interactions with Warren Beatty and Arthur Penn during the shooting process in Chicago, the film's unusual narrative structure and style, the decision to have French cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet lense the film, some of her other acting choices as well as her image in the film industry, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Matthew Penn Interview - in this brand new video interview, Matthew Penn, son of director Arthur Penn, discusses his father's career in the film industry and explains how his opinion of Mickey One evolved during the years. There are also some particularly interesting comments about the director's relationship with Warren Beatty and the conception of Bonnie and Clyde. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films. In English, not subtitled. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• The Guardian Interview with Arthur Penn - presented here is an archival interview with Arthur Penn which was conducted by Richard Combs at the National Film Theatre in London on August 30, 1981. The interview covers a wide variety of subjects, from the director's TV and theater work to the critical reception of his films in France by the future New Wave auteurs to the production of Mickey One. In English, not subtitled. (59 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for Mickey One.

• Booklet - 40-lage illustrated booklet featuring journalist Nick Pinkerton's essay "Mickey One", an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film.

Mickey One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a lot of different takes on Arthur Penn's Mickey One and there is probably a little bit of truth in every single one of them, including the most dismissive ones. To me the film makes the most sense as the American answer to Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le Fou, though it is hard to believe that it was actually conceived as such. Completed in 1965, both are essentially 'rebel' films that openly confront conventional narrative techniques. They obviously do it in different ways, but it is quite clear that their ultimate goals are pretty much the same. Mickey One is definitely worth seeing, but I personally do not agree that it is the misunderstood masterpiece that in recent years some critics have argued it is. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Blu-ray release is sourced from an older remaster with some obvious technical limitations. To be honest, I think that the folks at the label should have waited until Sony Pictures redid it in 4K and then bring it to Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.