Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Play Misty for Me Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 22, 2015

With 1971 already stocked with Don Siegel collaborations in “The Beguiled” and “Dirty Harry,” star Clint Eastwood decided to strike out on his own during this especially fertile year of creativity. Interested in creating his own dramatic path, away from cowboy hats and guns, Eastwood elected to make “Play Misty for Me” his directorial debut, utilizing years of acting experience to help give what’s essentially a simplistic stalker saga some much needed character and off-beat timing. “Play Misty for Me” isn’t opposed to absurdity, but it’s also an effective chiller that understands its audience, going big when necessary and silent when required. The effort also launches Eastwood’s helming career on an unusual note, showcasing an interest in the strange and unexpected the icon would manage for the rest of his career.

A small town DJ at a smooth jazz radio station in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Dave (Clint Eastwood) works diligently on his program, filling five hours with poetry, requests, and obscure songs. His number one fan is Evelyn (Jessica Walter), an enthusiastic woman who happily snuggles up to Dave when provided the opportunity, giving herself to her object of desire, who’s working out womanizing issues while trying to woo back his ex, Tobie (Donna Mills). Expecting a one-night stand, Dave is confronted with Evelyn’s obsessive ways, which grow from demanding to murderous, becoming a threat to the DJ and everyone he knows. Trying to downplay the crisis to preserve professional opportunities and his future with Tobie, Dave can’t manage to pacify Evelyn with kindness or condemnation, finding himself powerless to slow her escalating psychosis.

Eastwood being Eastwood, Dave isn’t your average suburban DJ. He’s a smooth operator with a taste for brief encounters, setting up shop in his favorite neighborhood bar (run by pal Murphy, played by Don Siegel), where he beds any single lady interested in his company. It’s the typical masculine routine for the actor, who always finds roles that permit access to love scenes with numerous female co-stars. However, much like “The Beguiled,” there’s a consequence for such careless womanizing, with Evelyn not an average gin-blasted floozy, but Dave’s champion -- an admirer who calls into his show every night to request Erroll Garner’s “Misty.” Their coupling is the first of many mistakes for Dave, who’s expecting a simple night of pleasure, only to receive a relationship with a deranged listener.

The screenplay by Jo Heims and Dean Riesner doesn’t bother to treat Evelyn as a damaged human in need of medical intervention. She’s basically a monster, prone to outbursts of rage and destructive jealousy, refusing to comply with Dave’s coded dismissal. Using sex to disarm her love, Evelyn spends the rest of “Play Misty for Me” in a fantasyland that grows increasingly destructive, extending to the foiling of Dave’s career ambition, the slashing of his housekeeper (Clarice Taylor, best known for her portrayal of Anna Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”), and the stalking of Tobie. Evelyn’s histrionics make for great cinema (Walter does the best with what she’s given), taking the viewer on a ride of emotions and urges that include a superficial suicide attempt and property destruction. As a logical examination of mental illness, the screenplay plays loose with Dave’s tolerance levels. It’s one thing to downplay Evelyn’s troublemaking to preserve his reputation, it’s another for Dave to witness psychotic behavior and remain passive. Complications arrives with the police, finding Sgt. McCallum (John Larch) more interested in spiked banter with Dave than assistance, but convenient lapses in observation are necessary for the story. Still, it’s difficult to believe Dave would keep such a low profile during Evelyn’s rampage, especially when violence erupts.

Additional oddity is found in a mid-movie field trip to the Monterey Jazz Festival, where Eastwood hands his film over to extended stage performances, providing only a small serving of exposition to justify the inclusion. Pausing the narrative for a moment to showcase musicianship, Eastwood makes an interesting creative decision, effectively parking the picture to attend a concert. It’s strange but not entirely abnormal, as large portions of the effort showcase gorgeous Carmel-by-the-Sea locations, watching Dave and Tobie walk on beaches, stroll through forests, and make love in a river. As a commercial for California real estate, “Play Misty for Me” is quite successful.

Play Misty for Me Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't supply an especially filmic appearance for "Play Misty for Me," with filtering dialing down screen texture and fine detail. Facial particulars remain to a certain degree, but softness controls the viewing experience. Colors are adequate, working with an era-specific look that favors bright orange, purple, and blue, while locations retain pleasant greenery. Skintones are natural. Delineation isn't troubling, but a few evening sequences are squeezed tightly, showing solidification that blocks frame detail. Print is in fine shape, with minimal speckling and scratches.

Play Misty for Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles the eerie mood of "Play Misty for Me" with a comfortable management of soft interactions and harder acts of violence, only blowing out extremes with Evelyn's screaming fits. Dialogue exchanges are easily understood, though the artificiality of extensive ADR use is difficult to miss. Music plays a key role in the effort, and instrumentation is comfortable and communicative, smoothly moving from soundtrack cuts to live performances. Atmospherics are heightened with ocean walks, finding crashing waves pronounced. Hysterical acts of revenge carry unnerving silence, adding to suspense.

Play Misty for Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Play it Again: A Look Back at 'Play Misty for Me'" (49:22, SD) is a 2001 featurette that recounts the creative history behind Eastwood's directorial debut. Talk of casting dominates, with Eastwood, Mills, and Walter sharing their introductions to the project and how scripted intensity didn't spill over once work was completed. Some thoughts on technique and Eastwood's reflection on the movie's success is also interesting.

• "'The Beguiled,' 'Misty,' Don and Clint" (6:13, SD) is a brief overview of the relationship between Eastwood and Don Siegel, his longtime collaborator. Film critic Richard Schickel shares his thoughts on their work.

• Photography Montage (3:54) shares pictures from the "Play Misty for Me" set, including publicity and BTS snaps.

• "Clint Eastwood Directs and Acts" (2:03) offers more pictures, this time focusing on the star as he commands the set.

• "Evolution of a Poster" (2:37) is a fascinating peek at the creative process behind marketing efforts, displaying manipulations of photography and design to come up with a proper one-sheet. Interestingly, the feature was titled "The Slasher" at one point during this development period.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:42, SD) is included.

Play Misty for Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Play Misty for Me" heads in the obvious direction for its finale, but Eastwood keeps the mayhem artful and surprising, with sound and editorial touches refreshing the madwoman-with-a-knife routine. For a first film, "Play Misty for Me" is accomplished work. Even with ragged edges and dips in believability, the feature clicks as a frightening exploration of obsession. The formula would be refined for 1987's "Fatal Attraction," but here, in its raw form, it finds all the necessary beats of madness, denial, and manipulation. And there's time for a concert too.