The Awful Truth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Awful Truth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 15, 2018

Leo McCarey's "The Awful Truth" (1937) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film; new video essay by critic David Cairns; new video interview with critic Gary Giddins; and archival interview with Irene Dunne. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Molly Haskell and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Awkward dance

This very charming and perhaps somewhat deceivingly simple film won Leo McCarey an Academy Award for Best Director in 1938. It is based on the popular play by Arthur Richman, which a few years earlier also inspired director Marshal Neiland to adapt it for the big screen.

Lucy (Irene Dunne) and Jerry (Cary Grant) are enjoying what seems like the perfect ‘open marriage’ until on the same day they suddenly become very suspicious of each other. And for good reasons because both have lied to each other and their alibis have unexpectedly collapsed -- instead of being on a business trip in Florida Jerry has stayed in New York and played poker with a group of old friends, and Lucy has spent the night in the company of her music teacher Armand Duvalle (Alexander D'Arcy) while claiming to have had an awful car accident. When their lies are fully exposed the two enthusiastically agree to file for divorce and then move on with their lives.

However, before they part ways Lucy and Jerry decide to prove that by allowing their marriage to crumble the other is making a crucial mistake. Then to send the proper message Lucy quickly begins seeing her neighbor, Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy), a wealthy bachelor from Oklahoma who is dying to find the ‘right girl’ that would please his mother (Esther Dale) and grace his beautiful ranch. Jerry also befriends the bubbly night club performer Dixie Belle Lee (Joyce Compton), who has also thought a lot about the future and is ready to settle down with a gentleman that understands what a great woman really needs. The new relationships quickly frustrate Lucy and Jerry, but they vow not to give up until the other shows signs of remorse.

Films like The Awful Truth just make it painfully obvious how low Hollywood has fallen over the years and really lost the ability to produce material that can be genuinely funny and witty at the same time. It is probably the perfect antidote for anyone that has recently been unfortunate to endure any of the many unfunny rude-and-crude disasters that are frequently passed for comedies at theaters across the nation. The difference in terms of quality of content and acting really could not be any more drastic.

Old but reputable reports suggest that McCarey and the actors did a lot of improvising throughout the entire shoot, which makes the end result even more impressive because the exchanges are very sharp and the social remarks impeccably timed. Also, there are a couple of sequences where the charming puppy, Mr. Smith, does some absolutely astonishing tricks that make it almost impossible to believe that the required synchronization was spontaneous. It is beautiful to watch.

The film was lensed by the great cinematographer Joseph Walker, whose credits also include such early Hollywood gems as It Happened One Night, You Can't Take It with You, His Girl Friday, and Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

The Awful Truth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Leo McCarey's The Awful Truth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital restoration was undertaken by Sony Pictures Entertainment from from a transfer created in 4K resolution on an Oxberry wet-gate film scanner at Cineric in New York. Because the 35mm original camera negative of The Awful Truth is lost, a 1943 nitrate duplicate negative was used for the majority of the restoration, along with a nitrate print held by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. A nitrate fine-grain was used for a handful of frames that were either missing or irreparably damaged in the two primary sources. Additional cleanup was done by Prasad Group in Chennai, India.

Transfer supervisor: Rita Belda/Sony Pictures Entertainment, Culver City. CA.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Deluxe, Culver City."

The release is sourced from a very beautiful new 4K restoration that makes it an absolute delight to revisit this wonderful film in high-definition. Indeed, the entire film looks exceptionally healthy and the new master boasts the type of consistent density and fluidity that only very high-quality restorations are capable of delivering. It is also expertly graded; there is an excellent range of fresh and stable blacks and whites with an equally solid and healthy range of gray nuances. Grain is nicely exposed and evenly resolved. In fact, for such an old film there are hardly any density fluctuations to report, as the few that remain are typically native fluctuations that appear before or after transitions. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. (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 Awful Truth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully restored as well, and it definitely shows because there are virtually no traces of age-related imperfections. I noticed one sequence -- during the club dance where Cary Grant is seen with Joyce Compton -- where some light unevenness is present, but overall stability, clarity, and depth are indeed excellent for a film from the era. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Awful Truth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lux Radio Theatre - presented here is a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of The Awful Truth, starring Cary Grant and Claudette Colbert. It originally aired on September 11, 1939. In English, not subtitled. (60 min, 1080p).

• Tell Me Lies About Cary Grant - in this new video essay, critic David Cairns discusses the 'classic' Hollywood image of Cary Grant and the manner in which the iconic actor crafted it, his relationship with director Leo McCarey and the evolution of his career, and his involvement with The Awful Truth. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Gary Giddins - in this new video interview, critic Gary Giddins discusses Leo McCarey's directing methods and improvisational techniques, the evolution of the comedy genre in Hollywood after WWII, some key themes in his films, the style narrative construction of The Awful Truth, etc. The interview was recorded exclusively for Criterion in New York City in January 2018. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Irene Dunne - presented here is an archival illustrated audio interview with Irene Dunne in which the actress discusses her work with director Leo McCarey and Cary Grant in The Awful Truth. The interview was conducted by film scholar James Harvey in 1978. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Molly Haskell and technical credits.

The Awful Truth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The battles that the two sexes are frequently fighting in can be very entertaining to behold, but there has to be a director that can see clearly the flaws on both sides and know how to ridicule them in ways that can engage viewers rather than bore them to tears. Leo McCarey was that kind of a skilled director and it is the very reason why all of his comedies remain enormously entertaining and in many ways also surprisingly relevant today. The Awful Truth, one of McCarey's best films, has been recently restored in 4K and looks rather striking on Blu-ray. I have to say that even though there have been a lot of great Criterion releases lately, this one feels a bit more special than the rest because the film is one of my all-time favorites. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.