The Accused Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Accused Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 19, 2022

William Dieterle's "The Accused" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an 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".

In a matter of minutes, it becomes crystal-clear that the terrified woman was trapped in an awful predicament. Had she not pushed the young man over the rugged cliff, she almost certainly would have been raped. If she had resisted him, she might have been killed. She was lucky to escape, but now she is a killer on the loose.

After the murder, the film temporarily goes back in time, reveals the woman’s identity, and reconstructs the events that would force her to become a killer.

Her name is Dr. Wilma Tuttle (Loreta Young) and she is a psychology professor at a prestigious university where everyone likes her. However, one of her best students, Bill Perry (Douglas Dick), likes her a lot more than everyone else does. In fact, he is obsessed with her. He is seen flirting with Dr. Tuttle during an important exam and later on, while she exits the building, trying to persuade her to let him give her a ride home. She does, the ride home becomes an improvised date, and the two are seen grabbing a bite to eat at a roadside diner somewhere in Malibu. A few hours later, after the sun goes down and while still insisting that he intends to give her a ride home, the young man takes Dr. Tuttle to a secluded location on the rugged cliff. Just moments before he dies, a notably distraught Dr. Tuttle is seen warding off his intense advances.

Back in the present, detective Ted Dorgan (Wendell Corey) and criminal attorney Warren Ford (Robert Cummings) begin studying what everyone seems to agree was a tragic accident on a desolate beach. A local medical expert puts his signature on a document that describes the tragic death of the young man and shortly after a legal panel confirms its validity. But when Dorgan asks a veteran coroner to reexamine the young man’s body and the conclusions of his colleague, some rather odd medical discrepancies give him the confidence to begin speculating that the tragic accident is in fact a murder case that needs to be solved. Initially a skeptic but now convinced that Dorgan has enough evidence to look for a killer, Ford concurs as well.

Like the rest of her colleagues at the university, Dr. Tuttle is asked to describe the behavior of her late student and whether he might have been involved with any troublemakers. Her simple yet clear answers do not help Dorgan and Ford at all, but the latter finds her irresistibly attractive and quickly falls madly in love with her. Ford then invents various pretexts to continue questioning Dr. Tuttle while effectively going out on dates with her, not realizing that his pursuit of the truth may permanently take her away from him.

A cinematic adaptation of June Truesdell’s novel “Be Still, My Love”, William Dieterle’s The Accused is an old-fashioned film examining a timeless dilemma – is someone that kills in self-defense a killer? While filled with plenty of melodrama, the film’s take on the dilemma and the resolution of the drama it produces are quite fascinating to behold.

But the investigation and Dr. Tuttle’s role in it do not transform the film into one of those very dry legal cinematic masterclasses where the American justice system is put under a microscope. As Dr. Tuttle struggles to come to terms with her secret, the film presents several situations where seemingly very simple rights and wrongs begin to overlap for some pretty interesting reasons. Here’s one of those situations: do you let a closeted predator roam free until life takes him somewhere else, or do you engage the predator, make it impossible to reveal himself and, in the process, risk your entire career? The film does have a pretty strong noirish atmosphere, but it is of the type that materializes organically because of the nature of the drama. Indeed, at no point during the investigation, it feels like Dieterle and cinematographer Milton Krasner are seeking proper locations to emphasize visual qualities the classic film noirs of the same era are known for.

The Accused Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

I thought that the technical presentation of The Accused was very similar to the one that Alias Nick Beal received. Obviously, there are unique discrepancies, or issues, on the masters that were used to source these releases, but they both provide what I would describe as rougher organic presentations. So, here's the good news: there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, which means that The Accused very much looks like aged film should. Also, the current master is graded quite nicely. But there are plenty of areas where meaningful improvements can be made. For example, there are quite a few dirt marks, blemishes, and stains, and while I would always choose them over improper digital corrections, they can be easily removed with modern digital tools. There are some obvious density fluctuations and signs of ageing that could be minimized and removed as well. When the film retains an organic appearance I am fine with them too, but it is clear that these are the type of imperfections that can be addressed in a restoration lab. Despite a few shaky transitions, image stability is good. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

The Accused 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.

Excluding some sporadic minor thinning and unevenness, none of which is actually distracting, the audio is quite nice. The dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Victor Young's score does a lot to enhance the drama and sounds great as well. There are no audio dropouts, distortions, or other similar encoding anomalies to report.

The Accused Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for The Accused. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

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

The Accused Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I would have been extremely disappointed if at some point The Accused attempted to build a great deal of suspense so that the struggle of the terrified victim-killer appears more impressive. Why? Because I would expect a 'normal' woman like Loretta Young's character to look and behave exactly like she does -- terrified and clumsy, making all kinds of different errors and questioning herself until her mind inevitably pushes her on the verge of a massive nervous breakdown. This film blends old-fashioned melodrama and noir atmosphere really well, so even though it can look a bit dated at times, I think that its take on the victim-killer's dilemma is pretty entertaining and even thought-provoking. I liked it. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a somewhat rough but good organic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. RECOMMENDED.