Strange Bedfellows Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Strange Bedfellows Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 13, 2023

Melvin Frank's "Strange Bedfellows" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy if Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Eddy Von Mueller and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Hook, line, and sinker.

Strange Bedfellows utilizes a cinematic formula that has been tried so many times it had to have the right actors to make it attractive again. On paper, even now Gina Lollobrigida and Rock Hudson look like the perfect choices. She was stunningly beautiful and very, very funny. He was tall and handsome, a classic charmer that was impossible to dislike. So, all Strange Bedfellows needed was a good screenplay that gives Lollobrigida and Hudson’s characters drastically different personalities and makes them fall in love. The rest could have been filler material and no one would have cared.

Unfortunately, even though Lollobrigida and Hudson frequently look great before Melvin Frank’s camera, their chemistry is awful. Unsurprisingly, the romantic magic never materializes, and in a film like the one Frank was asked to script and direct, this is a crucial flaw. Indeed, the chemistry of the leads is much, much bigger than the story, so without it, the film cannot work.

Strange Bedfellows makes Lollobrigida and Hudson a couple after the former accidentally covers the latter in paint and then takes him back to her place to clean him up. While she wipes his face, they kiss, then make love, and a few days later marry. Then they discover that they have nothing in common, begin fighting, and proceed to break their marriage. The divorce is supposed to be finalized in London, where the two first met.

This is where the screenplay introduces a twist that is supposed to make Strange Bedfellows unique, but instead effectively collapses it. Hudson, who works for a big oil company, is offered a once-in-a-lifetime promotion, but to seal the deal he must portray himself as a classic family man before his boss (Howard St. John). Following the advice of his partner and best pal (Gig Young), Hudson then goes back to Lollobrigida, makes her want him again, and tricks her into participating in the greatest audition of his life. But Lollobrigida, who plays a most passionate bohemian artist, promises to participate in a massive public rally against artistic censorship while riding a horse with as little clothes as possible and pretending to be Lady Godiva.

The rally and all of the noise and drama that surround it, which amount to nearly two-thirds of the narrative, are classic filler material. The leads simply move from one situation to another so that enough time passes before they do one final assessment of their feelings and emotions and reunite. But this is not a flaw. Every other romantic film like Strange Bedfellows has leads that do the same, too. However, in these situations, Lollobrigida and Hudson must be electric together and the sparks they create are supposed to validate the silliness of their characters. If there is more that happens thanks to brilliant secondary characters, well, great, but it is not required. Sadly, despite acting with admirable energy, Lollobrigida and Hudson never connect as they must, so their quarrels, outbursts, reconciliations, and confessions quickly tire and then become annoying.

A short sequence offers a glimpse of what Strange Bedfellows could have been. While improvising, Hudson accidentally enters a funeral home, where the great Terry-Thomas does his best to assist him. The misunderstanding between them is wittier and produces better laughs than the rest of the film.

Frank used cinematographer Leo Tover, who passed away shortly after Strange Bedfellows was completed. Tover earned two Oscar nominations for his work on Hold Back the Dawn and The Heiress.

Strange Bedfellows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Strange Bedfellows arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I like the master that Universal supplied to Kino Lorber quite a lot. It is not brand new and reveals several rough spots, but it has solid organic qualities. To be honest, it is one of the better such older masters that I have seen emerge from Universal's vaults.

Delineation, clarity, and depth are always very pleasing. As I mentioned, there are a few scenes with noticeable density fluctuations, but they are exacerbated native fluctuations, not fluctuations that were produced by the master. Also, even during indoor and darker footage, there are plenty of healthy smaller nuances, so backgrounds tend to look very nice. Color balance is convincing. Some minor adjustments in the saturation levels can be made, but the primaries and the supporting nuances are set right. Unsurprisingly, large sections of the film have a very attractive organic appearance. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. I noticed a few small blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. 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).

Strange Bedfellows 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 lossless track is excellent. To be honest, I am not surprised because Universal's master for Strange Bedfellows is very nice, which leads me to believe that the audio must have been fully remastered when it was prepared as well. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are outstanding. There are plenty of very good dynamic contrasts, too.

Strange Bedfellows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Eddy Von Mueller.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Strange Bedfellows. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Strange Bedfellows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The math may be right, but the chemistry is not, which is very unfortunate. It is difficult to guess what the real reason, or reasons, for the problematic chemistry between Gina Lollobrigida and Rock Hudson might have been, but they just do not produce any sparks of the kind that these types of romantic comedies need to be attractive. To be honest, I find this more than a bit odd because on paper Lollobrigida and Hudson look like the perfect choices for the characters Melvin Frank had in mind. Kino Lorber's release of Strange Bedfellows is sourced from an older but very good organic master that was supplied by Universal.