She Done Him Wrong Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

She Done Him Wrong Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 16, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Mae West in Hollywood.

For a star who was perceived to be such a voluptuous female sex symbol, Mae West had, well, swagger. Just look at the way she gallivants, even marauds, physically through her scenes, walking almost like a prize fighter observing some prey she's just devastated. She frequently has a masculine mien in her gait, hands on hips almost threateningly, and with a kind of pugnacious attitude that nonetheless never completely masks a rather unexpectedly sweet and kind aspect to many of her characters, even if those characters are just as apt to be tough as nails. Specifically in terms of West's memorable saunter, if none of her other unforgettable aspects, one of the commentaries included with this set calls West's distinctive stride a "shimmy" that West supposedly overtly stated was culled from watching black women, though some may jokingly wonder if West was also watching black men for a few pointers. What is kind of fascinating about West's ineluctable allure in terms of behaviors and mannerisms, though, is how she manages to be slyly seductive and ridiculously overheated almost simultaneously, but it's instructive to note that this layering of attitudes and demeanors, as well as "mere" physical presence, was part and parcel of West's own writing and character building acumen, since it seems only obvious that West was more than aware that she was putting on a show on any number of levels. West's proclivities as "another" kind of auteur, one who crafted a series of films that frequently were based on West's own ideas and/or writing, are rather prominently on display in this handsome new(ish) set from Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint, which aggregates together ten features ranging from 1932 to 1943.

Venus may have emerged fully formed from the half shell, but she might have been able to still learn a lesson or two from Mae West, who, after appearing in a decidedly supporting role in Night After Night, started taking control of her career with this epochal film based on West's Broadway hit Diamond Lil. There's a lot of "backstage drama" (in more ways than one) that enterprising internet sleuths can dredge up regarding the film's rather tortured adaptive process, but the bottom line is the film, while heavily bowdlerized even though it's officially pre-Code, presents West in what would probably become her overwhelming image to the public at large: a blowsy entertainer in some kind of nightclub-ish establishment who is completely entrancing to men. Here instead of Diamond Lil she's adorned with the name Lady Lou, who works at a Bowery dive for her criminal boyfriend. A do-gooder named Captain Cummings (Cary Grant) is just one of Lou's prospective conquests, in a story that kind of veers uneasily between melodrama, music and bawdier comedy elements.

She Done Him Wrong Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

She Done Him Wrong is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. The back cover of this release states this is a "2017 restoration. . .from a 4K scan". That "4K" scan may be just slightly misleading for some ardent videophiles who might be expecting a sparkling looking presentation, since this transfer still shows signs of significant age related wear and tear, along with a rather heavy, even mottled looking, grain field which can at least occasionally tend to mask fine detail levels. Contrast is generally solid, and while this isn't the sharpest looking vintage film I've personally reviewed, detail levels are still at least adequate and often substantial in close-ups.

She Done Him Wrong Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

She Done Him Wrong features LPCM Mono audio which provides capable support for a track that is inherently limited by the film's production era and the recording technologies of the day. While there's some background hiss, there's an absence of any major outright damage, though the entire track has a narrow and boxy ambience, something that's probably more immediately apparent in some of the musical moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

She Done Him Wrong Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Powerhouse Films has packaged this release with both Night After Night and She Done Him Wrong sharing a disc. The following is a complete listing of supplements on the disc:

• She Done Him Wrong Commentary with Pamela Hutchinson


• Mae West at UCLA (25:31) is an archival audio supplement featuring West at a Q & A held in May 1971 at UCLA after a screening of I'm No Angel. This comes with a warning about audio quality.


• Night After Night Theatrical Trailer (HD: 2:36)


• Night After Night Image Gallery (HD)


• She Done Him Wrong Image Gallery (HD)


• She Done Him Right (HD; 7:54) is a 1933 cartoon in black and white featuring Pooch the Pup.


• The Merry Old Soul (HD; 8:02) is another 1933 cartoon in black and white, this time starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

She Done Him Wrong Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A lot of She Done Him Wrong will probably seem hopelessly quaint to younger sensibilities, but in terms of an "artifact" offering the debut of Mae West as Mae West (or at least as what the public perceived her to be), She Done Him Wrong has inestimable historical value. Technical merits are generally fine with an understanding that there are some "baked in" deficiencies. Supplements are engaging. Recommended.