7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
If when the cat’s away the mice will play... then henpecked husband Arthur Earthleigh is due for a real rave-up of a weekend when his domineering wife Mae (Carole Landis) goes out of town to visit her sister. After dropping off his wife at Grand Central Station, Arthur (George Brent) plans to dine alone at a local restaurant, but unexpectedly meets up with tipsy flibbertigibbet Olive Jensen (Ann Dvorak) and later invites her back to his place for a nightcap. It’s all perfectly innocent, of course, but Olive has a tendency to ignore any sign that she’s worn out her welcome. And although she seems to have an iron constitution, Olive soon confesses that she’s subject to fainting spells — a fact Arthur ignores as he later believes he’s killed her when she succumbs to one of her “episodes.” To avoid scandal, Arthur moves the unconscious Olive to the terrace of his neighbor David Galleo (Turhan Bey) and is doubly pleased in doing so because he’s been trying to evict the bohemian artist and his vexing dog Rabelais. But David and girlfriend Deborah (Virginia Mayo) are on to his scheme and think up their own plot to ensure that Arthur won’t be pushing for dispossession any time soon. A delightful comedy that echoes the classic screwball farces of the 1930s, Out of the Blue features Carole Landis in one of her final roles (also playing against type as the disapproving Mae) before her tragic passing in 1948, and both Turhan Bey and Virginia Mayo who make an attractive couple as they’re swept up in the insanity. But it’s Ann Dvorak who steals the show as the delightful Olive… the infuriatingly funny and unstoppable force who turns poor Arthur’s world upside down. Author Vera Caspary, whose works were adapted for such classic films as Laura and A Letter to Three Wives, wrote the story and co-scripted Out of the Blue which was directed by screwball comedy veteran Leigh Jason.
Starring: George Brent, Virginia Mayo, Turhan Bey, Ann Dvorak, Carole LandisComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Out of the Blue is a film that struggles mightily to attain a farcical ambience, with only fitful laughs resulting. That aspect actually brought to mind the recently reviewed Tel Aviv on Fire, a film which attempted to make comedic hay out of the epochal Arab-Israeli conflict, to similarly fitful results. There’s nothing quite as serious underpinning Out of the Blue, a film which boils down to a dispute between neighbors nonetheless, though everything is placed within the context of a serial murderer marauding through post-World War II Greenwich Village, which certainly would seem to be pretty far from the expected shores of traditional humor. If Out of the Blue never completely registers in the laugh department, it’s rather interesting for at least a couple of reasons, at least for those who like to read credits and/or delve into the biographies of stars. In the “below the line” department, Out of the Blue was co-written by Vera Caspary (helping to adapt her own story), and that in and of itself is a rather fascinating data point, since in 1947, when Out of the Blue was released, Caspary was probably still experiencing the veritable afterglow of what is arguably the best remembered film based on a Caspary opus, Laura. (With regard to that film, it's perhaps instructive to remember that while the basic plot dealt with a supposed murder mystery, there were at least hints of comedy courtesy of such characters as the inimitable Waldo Lydecker.) Two other names that pass by quickly in the opening credits roll may spark a little further investigation as well: Ern Westmore, who was one of the make-up artists, is one of the lesser remembered of the legendary Westmore clan, and was evidently Perc Westmore's twin; and Carmen Dragon, who contributed the music, was rather well known in his heyday, but attained a new notoriety later in life as the father of Daryl Dragon, the "Captain" of Captain and Tennille. But it's probably one of the film's actual stars who may provide the biggest dose of Hollywood intrigue.
Note: ClassicFlix provided a check disc for purposes of this review, and will be sending a completed version later. As always, if I notice any
differences between the two, I will post an update to this review at that time.
Out of the Blue is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of ClassicFlix with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. While certainly more than
watchable and generally supportive of good detail levels, this shows some more
consistent wear and tear than some of the other restorations we've seen from ClassicFlix, with a number of scratches and other blemishes still fairly
evident. Clarity is somewhat variable (including the Eagle Lion masthead at the very start of the film, which looks a bit cloudy), though generally detail
levels are quite good on things like some of the ornate patterns on costumes that are worn by Mayo, Dvorak and even the elderly spinsters upstairs.
There are some minor variances in contrast which can affect black levels, but on the whole this is another nice looking transfer that preserves an
organically resolving grain field, but which might have benefited from more clean up.
Out of the Blue features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which can't quite escape the inherent boxiness of its era but which still provides rather nice support for both Carmen Dragon's score and a lovely interlude by Hadda Brooks that takes place at the nightclub where Arthur and Olive meet. Dialogue is rendered cleanly throughout the presentation, and I noticed no problematic dropouts or other major damage.
The only bonus features on this disc are a collection of trailers for other ClassicFlix releases. As usual with my reviews, I don't consider trailers for other releases to be a "scoreable" supplement.
I kind of love how what I assume is some of the key marketing art for this film features Virginia Mayo "diving" out toward the audience like some kind of nascent Esther Williams, when there's nary a synchronized swimming sequence in this film. Maybe that would have helped, actually, since a lot of other equally odd material seems to have been thrown at the veritable wall to see what might stick. It's bittersweet to see Landis so late in her career, and perhaps especially odd to see her in a role like this. This does certainly feature a kind of outré cast, and as such may be of interest to some 1940s film fans. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.
Special Edition
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1969
1962
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