Singapore Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Singapore Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 31, 2022

John Brahm's "Singapore" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics critics Kat Ellinger and Lee Gambin, as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You do not have to be a seasoned film noir aficionado to instantly recognize the relationship between John Brahm’s Singapore and Michel Curtiz’s iconic Casablanca. It is obvious. In fact, it is so obvious that it is absolutely unmissable. Indeed, there is a lot that happens in Singapore that is actually carefully emphasized to make you want to compare it to Casablanca. A risky strategy? Well, not if the intent was only to get you to spend your money on a ticket to see Singapore, rather than convince you that it could do everything Casablanca does but a lot better.

A few years after the end of WWII. Matt Gordon (Fred MacMurray), an American pearl smuggler, returns to Singapore to retrieve a fortune he was forced to hide when the Japanese unexpectedly launched a massive air attack. At the airport’s bar, he is overwhelmed by memories of his relationship with Linda Grahame (Ava Gardner), whom he was supposed to marry on the night of the invasion but lost amidst the collapsing buildings. Before he leaves the airport, Gordon is warned by Deputy Commissioner Hewitt (Richard Haydn) that his people will keep an eye on him because of his past activities in the country.

While waiting for the right moment to get his hands on the fortune -- a bag of large pearls worth hundreds of thousands of dollars -- which is hidden in a hotel room occupied by an elderly American couple, Gordon has a very unpleasant encounter with a pair of local goons (Thomas Gomez and George Lloyd) who are also interested in it and have been awaiting his return. When Gordon refuses their generous offer to purchase the pearls from him at a heavily discounted price, they proceed to seriously complicate his stay in Singapore and force him to reconsider. Around the same time, Gordon has a shocking encounter with Grahame, looking every bit as beautiful as she did on the night when he lost her, but when she does not recognize him, he discovers that a rare type of amnesia has wiped out her memories.

Brahm worked with a screenplay based on an original story by Oscar-winning writer Seton Miller (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Scarface), but as noted earlier Singapore is unquestionably modeled after Casablanca. The fact that the original story is about a different couple falling in love in a different moment in time is essentially irrelevant because the types of romance and drama that give Singapore its identity are one hundred percent identical to the ones that are present in Casablanca.

The most obvious discrepancy between Singapore and Casablanca emerges from their drastically different budgets. The former simply does not have the capability to match the lavish appearance of the latter, so even though MacMurray, Gardner, and the supporting cast give all-around solid performances, the end product isn’t of the same high quality. To be clear, Singapore does not look like a cheaply made film either, but it just does not possess that rich old-fashioned glamorous appearance that make viewing Casablanca a special treat.

Something else that needs to be made perfectly clear is that Singapore isn’t a conventional film noir. While some noirish overtones do emerge after MacMurray is confronted by the goons, Brahm does not allow a proper noirish atmosphere to flourish in it. It isn’t difficult to understand why. The film needs to maximize the star power of MacMurray and Gardner so that their romance can elevate the entire production and effectively hide its budget limitations.

Fortunately, MacMurray and Gardner have a lovely chemistry and look great in front of Brahm’s camera. The most important supporting actors seem to be feeding off of it as well, so the entire film, not only MacMurray and Gardner’s material, looks very nicely assembled.

Singapore Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Singapore arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 2K master that has a few rough spots where density levels fluctuate and tiny white specks and blemishes pop up, but this is its one and only weakness. Indeed, the visuals have very pleasing organic appearance and on my system the film looked as good as it could have without undergoing elaborate restoration work that would have addressed its minor cosmetic issues. The grayscale is just as convincing. The blacks are solid but do not appear boosted, while the different ranges of grays and whites are properly balanced. Darker areas with different darker nuances do not reveal any troubling crushing either. Yes, some nuances can be underexposed in areas that reveal minor wear and similar inconsistencies introduced by aging, but the overall balance is very good. There are no serious stability issues. All in all, this release offers a very pleasing organic presentation of Singapore that will most likely remain its definitive presentation on the home video market. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Singapore Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The audio is very clear, sharp, and stable. In a couple of areas I did notice some extremely light background hiss, but this isn't the type of hiss that causes unevenness and bigger issues. It is barely detectable. Dynamic intensity is very good for film from the early 1940s, though Daniele Amfitheatrof's score does not create any excitement.

Singapore Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Singapore. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kat Ellinger and Lee Gambin.

Singapore Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is painfully obvious that Singapore was modeled after Casablanca. However, instead of pretending that it isn't so, Singapore acknowledges the connection with humility and possibly even admiration for the iconic classic that make it very attractive. It also helps a lot that there is lovely chemistry between Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner, which John Brahm's camera rightfully transforms into the film's greatest strength. Both actors are all-time favorites of mine, so even though Singapore is a small film, I consider this release unmissable. It is included in Kino Lorber's Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema VI, a three-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.