Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Bride Wore Boots Blu-ray Movie Review

A charming, fun, and delightful comedic gem

An old-fashioned gem that deserves to find new life on home media, The Bride Wore Boots is a charming comedy featuring silver-screen legend Barbara Stanwyck. The final comedy of Barbara Stanwyck, there is something utterly enchanting about the film and its fun comedic style. Produced by Seton I. Miller (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Adventures of Robin Hood), audiences are in for a treat with this under-the-radar effort.

The story unfolds with unique charm: the beautiful Sally Warren (Barbara Stanwyck) has a great deal of admiration and affection for beautiful horses: she cares about their well being and is invested in the world of horse breeding. Meanwhile, her wordy spouse, Jeff Warren (Robert Cummings), can't stand horses at all (and as a writer has other things on his mind). The friction over the beautiful creatures is something that causes immense commotion between the two love-birds and their disjointed views lead to a case in divorce court. Can romantic love become re-kindled and will the wounds of the heart heal? Or are the sunny days of blissful love gone at last?

The Bride Wore Boots is a delight in large part because of the fantastic performances from the ensemble cast. At the heart of the film is the pitch-perfect performance by Barbara Stanwyck. The performance showcases her own comedic style and grace. The film is charming and easy to sit-back and enjoy and so much of this is due to her craft and nuanced performance. Not only does she look the part wearing the beautiful costumes designed by Edith Head (This Property is Condemned, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid), she acts the part: the role was made for her and that makes the journey all the more worthwhile.

Likewise, the production has several commendable production merits that make a good impression. The art direction by Hans Dreier (The Hour Before Dawn, I Married a Witch) and John Meehan (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Suddenly It's Spring) is more impressive than one might have initially expected given the comedic back-bone of the story but the aesthetics of the production are rock solid as a foundation for the cast and crew to work with. The film is beautifully constructed and shines with the cinematography by Stuart Thompson (Out of This World, Death of a Champion) delivering impressive style in spades.

"Well, well... we got a great review!"

One of the most important elements to any film is the construction. The editing is key to how the film works. As any great film critic will tell you, editing can make or break a motion-picture. One can see this time and time again. The editing by Ellsworth Hoagland (The Great Lover, Holiday Inn) is truly superb and keeps the pace and tempo consistently entertaining. The film doesn't seem to drag in any parts and has a way of organically moving from one scene to another. The end results are highly satisfactory.

The film has a sense of musicality which is also enjoyable: the score composed by Friedrich Hollaender (Remember the Night, Christmas in Connecticut) adds a great element of charm to the filmmaking and the world of the characters. The score is breezy and delightful. Hollaender highlights comedic scenes with enough pizzazz to keep viewers entertained. A worthy score for the cinematic confection.

Based upon an original play by Harry Segall (Two Yanks in Trinidad, There Goes My Girl), the story and screenplay by Dwight Mitchell Wiley is one of the most impressive aspects of the film. The storytelling is undeniably fun and gives the cast plenty to work with from start to end. Simple but effective, The Bride Wore Boots is never revolutionary in its storytelling devices and tropes but the fundamentals are effective and make the experience more engaging.

Directed by Irving Pichel (Destination Moon, Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid), The Bride Wore Boots is a worthwhile delight and a cinematic gem that has somehow managed to go under-the-radar of many viewers. Barbara Stanwyck is terrific in her lead performance and gives the film her charm. A truly enjoyable excursion which fans of classic comedic-cinema should seek out and enjoy. Pichel has assembled a film that holds up well to this day.

The Bride Wore Boots Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The Bride Wore Boots is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. This transfer is a remarkably clean print with only occasional specks on the scan. Though there are some relatively minor scratches, the scan has excellent detail and superb black levels – the lush black and white photography is well preserved. Fine film grain is preserved and the transfer looks naturalistic.

The Bride Wore Boots Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a DTS HD Master Audio mono audio track. The lossless audio mix sounds superb and has good clarity throughout the presentation. Dialogue reproduction is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The track is well presented and doesn't have egregious hiss, crackle, or pops/clicks. A impressive audio presentation that capably preserves the soundstage for the original audio design.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

The Bride Wore Boots Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Bride Wore Boots Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:05)

The release also includes a selection of trailers for other releases available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber: The Flame of New Orleans (SD, 2:08) and Murder, He Says (SD, 2:05.)

The Bride Wore Boots Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Bride Wore Boots is an entertaining experience and one that fans of actress Barbara Stanwyck will certainly want to seek out. The production is impressive and there is much to appreciate about the comedic style of filmmaking. The Kino Blu-ray release is equally terrific and has a great video-audio presentation. This is a high quality release and one that deserves consideration. Highly recommended.