Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Miss Sadie Thompson 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 11, 2022

W. Somerset Maugham has 163 writing credits of one kind or another in films according to the typically relatively reliable IMDb, going all the way back to the silent era, when his novel The Explorer was adapted in 1915. Several of Maugham's works have been adapted more than once for films, including Of Human Bondage (Of Human Bondage and Of Human Bondage haven't made it to Blu-ray yet as of the writing of this review), The Razor's Edge (The Razor's Edge also hasn't made it to Blu-ray yet as of the writing of this review), and a duo where neither version has made it to (Region A) Blu- ray as of the writing of this review, The Painted Veil and The Painted Veil. But in some ways it may be most interesting to look at a trio of movies based on a novella by Maugham which was initially called Miss Thompson, but which was adapted first as Sadie Thompson (of course not yet on Blu-ray as of the writing of this review) as a silent in 1928, and then rather interestingly only four years later as an early talkie called Rain (another one not yet on Blu-ray as of the writing of this review). If there were only four years between the first two cinematic versions of Maugham's piece, it took over two decades for the next version to appear, one which updated the story considerably while also offering what was then the perceived "can't miss" attraction du jour of the film business, 3-D.

While Miss Sadie Thompson offered the blandishments of 3-D and Rita Hayworth, it was perhaps hobbled by its production era, which kind of curiously (at least given the assumed "evolution" that the march of time proffers) imposed restrictions that the pre-code Sadie Thompson and just about to be barely post-Code Rain didn't. The fact that this film obviously wanted to offer Hayworth a chance to sing, dance and seduce a la Gilda also gives this adaptation a kind of odd flavor at times. Still, the basics of the story are intact, if the timeframe has been updated to post World War II. Martinet evangelist Alfred Davidson (José Ferrer) and his wife Margaret (Peggy Converse) arrive at a tropical island, where Davidson has founded a hospital that he and his partner, Robert MacPhail (Russell Collins), plan to visit. A gaggle of United States Marines, including a sergeant named Phil O'Hara (Aldo Rey), have already been seen hanging out on the beach catching a few rays and goofing off in the ocean, and they later see the Davidsons and MacPhails disembark at just about the time another visitor arrives, one who is instantly more interesting than a bunch of old fuddy-duddies.

Now it's here where Miss Sadie Thompson may attempt to elide some of the seedier (not to pun too horribly on Thompson's name) elements of the story. While the first two versions of Maugham's tale didn't really go to any trouble to mask the fact that Sadie was a "working girl", the character here, while arguably a bit of a flirt and maybe even a floozy, is more of a bar singer, though one who doesn't mind throwing back a few herself. This particular aspect may make the whole religious zeal and obsessive fervor of both Maugham's original version and the subsequent play Rain by John Colton and Clemence Randolph slightly less forceful, though there is still a smarmy intensity to Ferrer's characterization that manages to enliven the subtext considerably.

The same quasi-ménage à trois situation between Sadie, Davidson and O'Hara is once again the emotional focus of the piece, as Davidson attempts to get Sadie to "reform", and O'Hara keeps urging her to just run off with him. This version being in color (and 3-D), with a glut of outdoor location work, may work against a consistent manifestation of the same kind of claustrophobic atmosphere that is part of Rain in particular. The attempt to more or less "musicalize" this version really never amounts to very much, though it did at least garner the film its one and only Academy Award nomination for Best Song, "Sadie Thompson's Song (Blue Pacific Blues)", by Ned Washington and Lester Lee. It lost to "Secret Love" from Calamity Jane.

Miss Sadie Thompson 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Miss Sadie Thompson is presented on Blu-ray with AVC (2D) and MVC (3D) encoded 1080p transfers in 1.85:1. Sony - Columbia tend to be among the better curators of catalog titles, but I was less than totally pleased with the look of this transfer. That said, there's at least some good news along with some arguably slightly less good news about this presentation in my estimation. The 3D effects are quite good throughout, with nice depth probably more recurrent than "in your face" showy effects. The tropical environment allows for very nice framings which preserve a great sense of spaciousness. Less convincing are this transfers general sharpness, detail levels and especially palette. The entire presentation looked considerably yellow to my eyes, kind of ironically given the fact that there's supposedly a cholera epidemic, when maybe jaundice would have been a better choice (of course I'm joking). Grain is also very heavy, kind of surprisingly so to me, and as a result of that and a prevalence of, well, rain and associated things like mist or smoky interior environments, certain selected moments can look very rough (see screenshots 18 and 19). My hunch is those with larger displays or projection systems may find these detriments even more noticeable. Things tend to look better as the film progresses, and there's a marked shift toward warmer color temperatures at around the 40 minute mark (see screenshot 1).

Miss Sadie Thompson 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Miss Sadie Thompson features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track which may show just the slightest hint of crackle in a couple of brief moments with louder scoring, but which otherwise offers capable support for the wealth of ambient environmental effects courtesy of the tropical and ultimately very rainy environment, as well as dialogue, and score. Optional English subtitles are available.

Miss Sadie Thompson 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Film Historians David Del Valle and Steven Peros provides a good supply of background information with regard to previous adaptations of Maugham's piece, along with production data. This can be accessed under the Setup Menu.


• Isolated Music & Effects Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and can be accessed under the Setup Menu.


• Introduction by Actress Patricia Clarkson (HD; 4:23)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:59)

Miss Sadie Thompson 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hayworth is quite good in this role, even if she doesn't have same feral intensity of Joan Crawford in Rain. But it's kind of odd for a 1953 production to feel more "chaste" (for want of a better term) than films that came decades before. Technical merits are variable, and my advice is for those interested to look through the screenshots to see how they feel about this presentation.