The Beguiled Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Beguiled Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 22, 2020

Don Siegel's "The Beguiled" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; new video interview with actress Melody Thomas Scott; archival featurette; new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Billy Yank

One of the tell-tell signs that you are viewing a great older film is its ability to remain relevant in a variety of different ways. At the moment, I am only willing to declare Don Siegel’s cinematic adaptation of Thomas Cullinan’s novel a very good film, but let’s do a small experiment and see if an adjustment is necessary.

Consider the following story which can be used in a contemporary thriller. The Swiss Alps. On a beautiful winter day, a young female skier has a terrible accident and suffers multiple body injures. Barely able to move, bleeding and freezing, she loses conciseness and faces certain death, but a wandering young man from a nearby isolated boarding school accidentally spots her right before the sun disappears. She is then quickly transported to the boarding school, where her recovery begins. It is Christmas time and the boarding school is almost completely empty. The only people there are the young man and a couple of other staff members that have stayed behind to take care of the building. The staff members are all men. When in a few days the woman regains her ability to communicate and move, one of them decides that it would be best to keep her there -- for entertainment purposes. Then, after repeatedly refusing to let her contact her family, the men begin playing sexual games with their captive. The games become complicated when the most senior player, who also happens to be the one in charge with staffing, asks the woman to be in a serious relationship with him, and to end the abuse she agrees. So, what would you say was the catalyst behind the men’s decision to abuse the woman? Would you say that it was toxic masculinity? Or would you say that it was something else?

Now here’s a quick summation of Siegel’s film. During the Civil War, badly injured Union soldier John McBurney (Clint Eastwood) is abandoned by his comrades somewhere in the deep South. He is discovered by a young girl (Pamelyn Ferdin) from a nearby mansion that functions as an all-girl school. Under Miss Martha’s guidance (Geraldine Page), McBurney’s wounds are carefully treated and he slowly regains his strength. Initially, the Miss Martha announces that the Yankee will be in the mansion temporarily, only until he is fit to be transported to a local prison, but a week or so later, after he gets a proper shave, she changes her mind and decides that if he stays around she can use him a lot -- and not only in the garden. It seems like a perfect plan, even according to McBurney, but then Miss Martha accidentally discovers that she isn’t the only one that finds the Yankee attractive and intends to be in a romantic relationship with him. A predictably dramatic confrontation between the interested parties ensues, but it is the amorous McBurney that bears the brunt of their anger. So, would you say that the drama in the secluded mansion might have been fueled by toxic femininity? Or would you say that the film simply examines a very unusual case of repressed sexuality?

I viewed The Beguiled last night for the first time in many years, and I could not stop smiling. It is covered with booby traps that can very quickly destroy a wide range of mainstream opinions, including many contemporary ones, of the flaws the two sexes frequently see in each other. On top of this, there is a terrific sense of humor attached to them -- I am sorry but if you do not detect the subtle Siegel-esque humor, you are missing, and very possibly misjudging, a lot -- that essentially makes it one deliciously wicked film. Of course, it is not surprising that it came out of the ‘70s because this was the decade when the majority of American filmmakers were basically free-spirited auteurs.

Eastwood gives a terrific performance as the Yankee who finds himself surrounded by completely unpredictable women willing to go the extra mile to get what they are after. It is not an easy character to play because the script requires him to appear legit in an environment where the real and the surreal never stop overlapping. By the way, this is the reason why the entire film seems like a Gothic dream that gets more real by the minute, with Siegel routinely redefining the viewer’s expectations in spectacular fashion. This is the reason why the film feels like an original project as well. (If unconvinced, see Sofia Coppola’s recent remake, which has a completely different vibe and personality).

To get the desired period look right, Siegel worked with his old friend and trusted collaborator Bruce Surtees, with whom he also did Dirty Harry and Escape from Alcatraz. The original soundtrack was delivered by maestro Lalo Schifrin (Bullitt, Charley Varrick).

The Beguiled Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Beguiled arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 2K master. If I had to guess, I would speculate that it was struck from an interpositive because of some minor limitations that appear in backgrounds, as well as the quality of the grain.

I like the new master quite a lot because it is much better than the previous old master the folks at Universal Studios used to prepare this release of The Beguiled. The old master has a very distracting electronic appearance, while this master has a wide range of organic qualities. For example, while the visuals appear a bit softer than they should, but the more natural grain immediately ensures better organic sharpness, which isn't the same as the digital sharpening that is present on the old master. During the daylight footage, there is better depth as well. Now, delineation and overall depth, however, can and should be better. In a lot of darker footage there are native nuances that are flattened as well. This usually happens when an interpositive is used, but the grading could have been managed a little better to preserve some of these nuances. The color scheme is very good. Again, in darker areas some of the black crush could have been avoided, but given the alternative I think that the end product is still preferable. Image stability is good, though I did notice very light shakiness during the opening credits. A few tiny white specks remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (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 Beguiled 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.

Clarity, sharpness and stability are very good. However, I had the volume turned up quite a bit and a couple of times I noticed extremely light buzz in the upper register whenever the music made an appearance. A good example can be heard around the 00.41.45 mark. This isn't a 'flaw' that I would be concerned with, but I thought I'd mention it. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Beguiled Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Actress Melody Thomas Scott - in this new video interview, Melody Thomas Scott remembers how she was cast to play Abigail and what it was like to work with Don Seigel and Clint Eastwood during the production of The Beguiled, and comments on some of the film's key themes and atmosphere. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - remastered vintage trailer for The Beguiled. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailers From Hell - presented here is a vintage episode of Trailers From Hell with director John Landis (The Blues Brothers). In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• The Beguiled, Misty, Don and Clint - this archival featurette takes a quick look at the evolution of Clint Eastwood's acting and directing career and involvement with The Beguiled and Play Misty for Me. Included in it are clips from interviews with critic Richard Schickel, Eastwood, and producer Robert Daley. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - new audio commentary recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Coogan's Bluff
  2. Two Mules for Sister Sara
  3. The Duel at Silver Creek
  4. The Gun Runners
  5. Madigan
  6. Charley Varrick
  7. The Black Windmill

The Beguiled Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If a day comes when you find yourself struggling with an inexorable urge to argue that Don Siegel was as brilliant as Luis Bunuel, you should start building your case with The Beguiled. This film has such a wicked sense of humor and gets so surreal at times that you could actually find quite a few people to agree with you. Like many of Bunuel's great films, The Beguiled remains relevant in multiple ways as well. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a good exclusive new 2K master and offers an interesting selection of new and vintage bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.