Papa's Delicate Condition Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Papa's Delicate Condition Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 30, 2017

What a strange movie 1963’s “Papa’s Delicate Condition” is. It hopes to be a family feature, pitting star Jackie Gleason against a Disney-esque collection of children, animals, and stymied adults, but at the core of this dramedy is a study of alcoholism, with the title not referencing the lead character’s desire to please, but his heavy drinking. Going from light to dark with whiplash-inducing speed, “Papa’s Delicate Condition” doesn’t necessarily challenge Gleason, who spends most of the picture playing up his industry persona, periodically reaching within to depict a sick man stuck in a cycle of reckless behavior.

Turn-of-the-century activity plays a big part in “Papa’s Delicate Condition,” offering a sort of “Carousel of Progress” look at a burgeoning modern community, where railroad superintendent Jack (Gleason) spends his free time trying to please his family while nursing destructive drinking and spending habits. The bulk of “Papa’s Delicate Condition” embraces the comedy of Jack’s actions, which involves time rigging a raffle to inspire an elegant paint job on a neighbor’s gaudy house, and he wants to purchase a local drug store, viewing the business as his own personal bar. There are precocious kids for Gleason to bounce off of, and a left turn into the purchase of a failing circus permits the production a chance to show off some animal antics, adding wackiness to what’s actually a fairly dark story.

Papa's Delicate Condition Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation does show its age. Clarity is passable, offering a faint level of detail on costuming and often cartoonish facial reactions, while textures are adequate for circus scenes, surveying sideshow oddities and animals. Colors are tepid, and while they're helped along by the brightness of the palette, primaries wrestle with noticeable aging. Delineation is fine. Grain is chunkier. Source has bursts of heavy speckling and mild scratches.

Papa's Delicate Condition Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix supports the feature's periodically musical mood, contributing agreeable instrumentation and clear voices for songs, while scoring supports as expected. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, preserving comedic and melodramatic offerings, while group activity is preserved. Circus atmospherics are lively, along with community bustle for town visits.

Papa's Delicate Condition Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Papa's Delicate Condition Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gleason isn't challenged here, working with songs and cigars as he mentally checks off beloved mannerisms, but he's appealing. It should be a more sophisticated performance, but Gleason gets by on charms, and the story remains light enough for easy digestion. "Papa's Delicate Condition" is perhaps only for Gleason's most dedicated fans, playing directly to the faithful as the production takes special care not to be offensive, staying as marshmallow as possible until it absolutely has to deal with toxic behavioral issues.