Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Outrage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 27, 2022

Ida Lupino's "Outrage" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is dark and there is no one around that can hear the girl (Mala Powers) screaming for help, so the predator begins following her. She immediately senses his presence. Then very shortly after that, she realizes that the predator is determined to hurt her, perhaps even kill her if he does not get what he craves. She begins running and tries to lose the predator in a pitch-black alley, but he quickly figures out where she hides and forces her to reveal herself. Moments later, after she makes a silly mistake, the predator corners her. Then, while enjoying himself, the predator scars the girl for life.

Despite having various caring people around her, the girl’s recovery is a roller-coaster of pain and misery that very quickly push her on the verge of a massive nervous breakdown. She tries her best to remain strong, but her struggle further exacerbates her agony. When her fiancé attempts to console her and temporarily loses his temper, she pushes him away and then ends their engagement. Shortly after, she abandons her family and buys a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. At a roadside diner, many miles away from her final destination, the girl has another awful experience and like a wounded animal runs away. It is hours later that a young clergyman (Tod Andrews) accidentally discovers her unconscious on the side of the road, picks her up, and transports her to a nearby orange farm.

When the girl eventually wakes up, she gives the clergyman a fake name, which is the one he uses to introduce her to the owners of the farm. They all like her and sense that she has experienced something awful, so without asking her to talk about her past give her plenty of space to get back on her feet. When the girl regains some of her confidence back, they offer her a job packing oranges. Then, after the girl casually reveals that she used to make ends meet as a secretary, they move her to the owner’s office where she spends long hours putting his financial books in order. The seemingly never-ending work eases her mind and helps speed up her recovery.

As time passes by the girl and the clergyman become close and then begin to fall in love, but both quickly come to realize that they don’t have a future together.

Ida Lupino’s film Outrage ought to feel awfully dated now because our society should have dramatically evolved and learned how to effectively prevent hideous crimes like the one that is depicted in it. Unfortunately, it does not feel dated at all. Indeed, there are laws now that have made it a lot easier to have predators with long records like the one from Lupino’s film roaming our streets.

The melodrama that flourishes in the second half does become a tad preachy, but how can it not be? Listen to the clergyman’s plea before the judge at the end of the film and you will quickly realize that it is a perfect copy of the supposedly controversial reports that explain the massive explosion of violent crimes in contemporary America. How is this possible? The answer could not be any more obvious, but Lupino uses the clergyman to spell it out so that it cuts through political demagoguery like a hot knife through butter.

Some viewers will likely conclude that Powers' performance is frequently too emotional, but the film comes from a different era and deals with a subject that undoubtedly had to be presented in a very particular way so that the messaging is as effective as possible. So, realize that at the time Powers' performance shaped the messaging in the only way possible.

Outrage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Outrage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The master that was used to produce this release was supplied by Paramount Pictures. I don't know when it was prepared, but on my system this film looked really, really good. Yes, there are a few white specks and minor blemishes, but the master is very healthy. In fact, quite a few areas convey the type of quality I would have expected to witness after a proper remastering/restoration work, so on a larger screen the film looks quite nice. Delineation and depth, for instance, range from good to very good, occasionally even excellent, while clarity is always pleasing. I did not see big density fluctuations either. The grayscale is wonderful, so expect to see nice and healthy ranges of solid but not boosted blacks, and wonderfully balanced grays and whites. Image stability is good. All in all, while there is some room for minor cosmetic improvements, I think that the current technical presentation of Outrage is wonderful. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).

Outrage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very healthy. In fact, I was quite surprised to hear how effective Paul Sawtell's soundtrack became because the various dynamic contrasts that emerge throughout the film are some of the best that I have heard on a film from the early 1950s. The upper register is very solid, too. The dialog is clear, stable, and nicely balanced.

Outrage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas shares her thoughts on the film and its difficult subject matter as well as Ida Lupino's career and legacy.

Outrage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have to speculate that in the early 1950s Outrage had a similar, or perhaps even the same, type of impact Irreversible had in the early 2000s because Ida Lupino goes as far as she could have with its difficult subject matter. However, what I found truly extraordinary is how Lupino spells out the exact reason that keeps predators like the one from her film amongst the rest of us. It is true that it is a very simple reason, but due to the political demagoguery that is always attached to it a great deal of courage is usually required to identify it. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from a solid organic master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures and is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.