Moment to Moment Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Moment to Moment Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 22, 2023

Mervyn LeRoy's "Moment to Moment" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson and vintage promotional piece. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Their plan was different. Or at least Kay (Jean Seberg) thought that it was because they had discussed it in detail for years. They had agreed to spend a year in Nice and while there Neil (Arthur Hill) was supposed to do a little bit of work as the terms of his sabbatical required. A little bit of work. This was a crucial detail because the move to France was really supposed to be the wonderful long vacation they had been dreaming of for a long time. But Neil has been in Geneva for weeks, working hard with colleagues from across the world, and he has just been invited to present another lecture in London. These long engagements and international trips were not part of their original plan. Ever.

At the harbor in Nice, Kay encounters Marc (Sean Garrison), a very handsome American sailor who spends all of his free time painting. They have a casual conversation and Kay offers to give him a ride to the city. Then she invites him to the house and when he tells her that he has suddenly become very hungry offers him a sandwich. By the time he is done eating it, both can tell that they have started falling in love. He leaves but soon after they arrange to see each other again.

Initially, Kay does not want to pursue a relationship with Marc. She genuinely loves Neil and they have a cute little boy. They are not struggling to make ends meet either. She is just lonely and Marc has made her feel better -- a lot better. In a few days, Marc will head back to the States and everything will be as it was before they met. But this is not how Marc feels about their relationship. Oh, yes, it is a relationship already, he can tell, and he is ready to work hard to make sure that it lasts a long time. It does not matter that Kay is married. He has never felt the same way about another woman and it is why he wants her in his life. Permanently.

But after they make love Kay, now ashamed that she has betrayed Neil, asks Marc to leave and never seek her again. The request upsets Marc so much that he accuses Kay of setting him up and when she attempts to force him out of the house, fearing that he is going to turn violent, accidentally fires a gun and he drops dead. Shortly after, assisted by her neighbor and best friend, Daphnie (Honor Blackman), Kay is able to secretly transport Marc’s body to the nearby hills and hide it in the bushes. On the following morning, Kay phones the local authorities and, while speaking perfect French, points them to the area where they can locate Marc’s body.

When the newspapers do not report anything about an ongoing investigation, Kay decides to go back to the bushes, and shortly after is approached by a local detective. Then, out of the blue, Marc reappears, but he has lost massive chunks of his memory and cannot explain how he nearly died of a gunshot wound.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, Moment to Moment is one of the most straightforward and cliched yet rather remarkably enjoyable romantic thrillers you can see on Blu-ray. Even if you are not a classic film aficionado, you will instantly guess correctly how Moment to Moment will use romance to reset the suspense and drama that flourish in it so that in the end everything looks and feels right. Moment to Moment was conceived to make its audience feel good and it is precisely what it does very, very well.

Films that are this simple and transparent are either very good or very bad because they must charm to be liked. While Moment to Moment is not the ultimate charmer, this writer thinks that it is impossible to dislike. It is primarily because the chemistry between its stars is lovely and they genuinely enjoy playing their character too. All of this positivity comes through the visual and ensures a wonderful viewing experience. Yes, it is very, very old-fashioned but it is still enormously effective.

Moment to Moment was lensed by cinematographer Harry Stradling Sr., who a little over a decade earlier collaborated with Nicholas Ray on the critically acclaimed western Johnny Guitar.

Moment to Moment Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Moment to Moment arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a wonderful new 2K master. While there are a few aspects of the presentations that could be improved -- density levels are a bit uneven in a few areas and not because it is how the film was lensed; delineation could be even better; minor surface imperfections remain -- on my system, the film frequently looked gorgeous. I was particularly impressed with the grading job, which is outstanding. The primaries look very, very healthy and are wonderfully balanced, while the supporting nuances are as good as I think they could be in 1080p. Frankly, I do not see how this film can look any better unless the color gamut is expanded and the dynamic range of the visuals improved, which can happen only in native 4K. The minor cosmetic improvements that can still be introduced in 1080p will not make a notable difference. Image stability is great. (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).

Moment to Moment 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 sounded great on my system. The dialog is very clear, clean, and stable. It is easy to follow throughout the entire film. Considering that the soundtrack was created by the great Henry Mancini, I expected more than a few quality moments with great tunes, but the music is rather underwhelming. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Moment to Moment Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Moment to Moment with Mancini - presented here is an archival featurette that highlights Henry Mancini's contribution to Moment to Moment. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cimmentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson.

Moment to Moment Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Films that are this simple and transparent are either very good or very bad because they can only charm to be liked. Moment to Moment is an irresistible charmer. It oozes such incredible positive energy that all its flaws -- and there are quite a few -- instantly become irrelevant. I enjoyed every minute of it. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a solid new 2K master. If you decide to pick it up for your library, I suggest that you bundle it with Story of a Woman, which is another lovely old-fashioned charmer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.