Nelson Algren Live Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Nelson Algren Live Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 16, 2021

If writer Nelson Algren ever had any dreams of Hollywood fame or fortune, they were probably dashed pretty quickly by the controversies engendered by the only two pieces of his to be adapted for the big screen, 1955’s The Man with the Golden Arm and 1962’s Walk on the Wild Side (neither of which rather notably is available in Region A on Blu-ray — yet). Those interested can find a lot of interesting information online about the production of both of these films, but suffice it to say each encountered significant hurdles at various junctures, not the least of which was how to present Algren’s often provocative and frankly kind of smarmy characters and storylines in a format that would be acceptable to both censors and the ticket buying audience at large. In that regard, The Man with the Golden Arm probably weathered the storms better than Walk on the Wild Side, but both films are fascinating in their own ways, and both feature one undeniable asset: iconic scores from Elmer Bernstein.

Nelson Algren Live is a kind of odd beast as both a "project" and, frankly, as a Blu-ray release. It's basically a filmed stage play, though the "play" is more like a staged reading, with actors coming up to music stands where their scripts are to deliver their lines. There's a "meta" aspect, with Barry Gifford "playing" Algren, answering questions from a supposed interviewer, but also offering snippets of his writing. Algren was raised in and later wrote a lot about Chicago, and this production was done by The Second City's venerable Steppenwolf Theater in 2009 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Algren's birth. The piece also offered "world premieres" of snippets from previously unknown and/or unpublished Algren pieces. Willem Dafoe is the marquee presence here, enacting both Frankie Machine from The Man with the Golden Arm and another character (whom Dafoe gives a perhaps wobbly Irish brogue to) named Blackie Cavanaugh from a "new" Algren piece called The Lightless Room.

Nelson Algren Live Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nelson Algren Live is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The bulk of this presentation captures the live performance at Steppenwolf, and if it's never mind blowing, it's certainly competent, with good detail levels, and solid, consistent contrast, as well as a natural looking palette. There are frequent cutaways to montages of photographs, with occasional "arty" segues (see screenshot 8 for one example). The stills are generally quite sharp looking as well, and some have been nicely rotoscoped to give a quasi-3D appearance.

Nelson Algren Live Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kind of surprisingly, Nelson Algren Live features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which might strike some as not completely necessary, given the relatively low scale ambitions of the sound design. There are some immersive moments, mostly courtesy of some of the cutaways and attendant sound effects with source cue jazz, but the bulk of this piece is the staged reading, where the close proximity of the actors to each other means separation is minimal at best. All of that said, fidelity is fine throughout this track, and both voiceover and on stage dialogue are delivered without any problems whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.

Nelson Algren Live Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Teaser (1080p; 1:32)


• Trailer (1080p; 2:17)

Additionally, this is one of the rare Olive Films releases in my personal experience that also includes a rather nice insert booklet. This one states "Photo Essay by Art Shay" on the front cover, in what I'm assuming refers to pictures sprinkled throughout, but there are also two written essays inside wrapping around the photos, one by Barry Gifford and the other by Don Simon.

Nelson Algren Live Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I kind of wish Nelson Algren Live had offered two elements, a more straightforward documentary about Algren and then this interesting if kind of unmoored live presentation. This is a good starting point for those interested in Algren one way or the other. Technical merits are solid, and the relatively rare for Olive Films insert booklet has some cool photos and two nicely done essays. Recommended.