The Country Girl Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Country Girl Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 16, 2024

George Seaton's "The Country Girl" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by film scholar Jason A. Ney and vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Director Bernie Dodd (William Holden) needs the right actor to help him make his next musical a box office hit, and he knows the perfect man for the job. It is Frank Elgin (Bing Crosby), a veteran who has had a rough time in recent years but is still one of the best in the business.

Even though Elgin agrees to audition for the part and consequently makes the right impression, Dodd faces fierce resistance from his executive producer because he does not believe that the old-timer still has what it takes to be a legit star. However, instead of capitulating before him, Dodd vows to double his efforts to get Elgin to commit to the job and immediately heads to his place. He meets Elgin and his wife, Georgie (Grace Kelly), and is shocked to discover that she seems to be shaping up all of his decisions. When Dodd attempts to force Elgin to commit to the job on his own, he finds himself stuck in the middle of a very brittle relationship that seems on the verge of a permanent collapse.

But much to Dodd’s surprise, Elgin gathers the courage to take on the part in his musical and then begins rehearsing with him. However, as Elgin slowly regains his confidence as an actor, Dodd realizes that he is a closeted alcoholic whose relationship with his wife is even more complicated than he had previously imagined. As their work continues, Dodd also discovers a completely different side of Elgin’s wife, which initially he finds surprising, then charming, and eventually irresistibly attractive.

A cinematic adaptation of Clifford Odets’ popular Broadway play, George Seaton’s The Country Girl sums up perfectly the very special magic Hollywood used to produce and people could not wait to experience in their local theater. Indeed, The Country Girl is an old film in which the stars act like stars and the man behind the camera does everything right to make them look as good as possible.

The new musical that Holden is putting together is essentially a ruse for a magnificent character study of an aging alcoholic determined to take down with him a loyal woman who can’t stop loving him. Initially, Holden completely misjudges the couple’s relationship, as would any viewer before their character transformations are initiated, and this is one of the film’s greatest accomplishments because it effectively proves that the obvious could be something entirely different when observed from the right angle.

Crosby’s alcoholic isn’t comparable to the nihilistic kamikaze Ray Milland plays in Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend, but he is just as dangerous because his addiction is every bit as overpowering. Also, Seaton wraps up The Country Girl while allowing the same ray of hope to emerge that is present at the end of The Lost Weekend, but the intelligent viewer will easily recognize that it is temporary and there are still plenty of dark clouds on the horizon.

Kelly’s transformation is rather astonishing because, until the lavish reception toward the end of the film, she does look like an ordinary girl who has made a decision to sacrifice her best years so that she could be with a man who does not deserve her. Also, while revealing different personalities, she does look extremely comfortable in the company of her male costars, which is interesting, to say the least, because apparently at the same time she managed to have romantic relationships with both.

The only vulnerable area of The Country Girl is the singing because it does seem slightly overpolished at times. But this is very much a minor flaw in an otherwise terrific film.

John F. Warren made his debut as a cinematographer on The Country Girl. He had previously worked as camera assistant and operator on such films as Rebecca, Spellbound, and Force of Evil.

The Country Girl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Country Girl arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In 2021, we reviewed this Australian release of The Country Girl, produced by local label Imprint Films. Even though it was sourced from an older master, it offered a pretty good presentation of the film.

Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a recent 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures. This master produces healthier visuals, but is framed quite awkwardly, which is why I found the presentation of the film frustrating. Let me clarify right away that my frustration has nothing to do with the fact that the film is not presented in 1.37:1, but in a wider ratio. In 1954, the transition to widescreen presentations was already well underway. (For what it's worth, On the Waterfront, which was released during the same year, can be viewed in 1.37:1, 1.66:1, and 1.85:1 ratios, and their composition is fine). My frustration has everything to do with the composition of the 1.67:1 presentation because in many, many areas it is clearly off. Not by a lot, but by enough to notice that something is off. Usually, it appears that more information is taken off the top, while the bottom is more or less fine. (A proper 1.37:1 to 1.85:1 reframing can be seen if one compares the BFI and Kino Lorber's presentations of Odds Against Tomorrow, where the compotisional balance on the 1.85:1 presentation is prefect. For example, see here and here). I do not wish to speculate why there is such a discrepancy, but on my system the effects of the strange composition were very obvious, causing even the title of the film to appear incorrectly positioned. This is unfortunate because this new master produces healthier visuals with stronger organic qualities. (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 Country Girl 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 quality of the lossless track is very good, but I wrote the same about the audio track found on the Australian release of The Country Girl. I could not identify any meaningful discrepancies between the two to mention in our review. In a few areas, I noticed small unevenness, but this is an inherited limitation. Perhaps some minor rebalancing adjustments are possible, but I do not think that they are needed.

The Country Girl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney. The commentary covers a wide range of topics, such as the production of The Country Girl, some of the peculiar similarities between real events and relationships from the lives of its stars and the characters they play, the film's critical success, alcoholism, etc. It first appeared on Imprint Films' release of The County Girl.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Country Girl. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Country Girl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

So much of what is depicted in George Seaton's The Country Girl still feels so relevant that it is actually a bit odd. But it shouldn't because this is what separates the truly great films from the rest -- regardless of the passage of time, they remain relevant and continue to connect with their audience just as easily as they did decades ago. Of course, in The Country Girl you will see three of old Hollywood's greatest stars at the top of their game as well. Kino Lorber's release offers a widescreen presentation of The Country Girl sourced from a recent 4K master. If you can, find a way to test this release first because I did not find the presentation of the film as convincing as I wanted it to be.