The Enchanted Cottage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Enchanted Cottage Blu-ray Movie Review

Homely and the Beast.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 14, 2025

Based on Arthur Pinero's 1922 play which was first adapted into a silent film two years later (review forthcoming), John Cromwell's 1945 adaptation of The Enchanted Cottage logically transposes this original post-WWI story to the era of the as-yet-unfinished Second World War. Even more than its predecessors, this version carries an ethereal quality with light supernatural elements while adding a little bit more on-screen backstory for its two main characters: one is a wounded war veteran, and the other a young, artistic woman who *gasp* doesn’t wear makeup.

That remark may sound more than a little flippant, but The Enchanted Cottage’s only glaring flaw -- at least in my opinion -- is that it feels needlessly cruel in its treatment of poor Laura Pennington (Dorothy McGuire), who's recently been hired by Abigail Minnett (Mildred Natwick) to help care for a quaint cottage in New England that’s usually rented out to young couples on their honeymoon. Local legend suggests the cottage has magical properties -- call it “haunted” if you must -- and Laura agrees, but she still feels at home and is welcomed by young neighbor Danny Stanton (Alec Englander) and his kindly uncle John Hillgrove (Herbert Marshall), a skilled pianist who lost his sight in the war.

Not too put too fine a point on it, but Laura has felt ostracized by her plain appearance and shows no interest in style. Nonetheless, she can’t hide her attraction to the cottage's newest guest: Oliver Bradford (Robert Young), an Army man who plans to stay there with his soon-to-be wife Beatrice Alexander (Hillary Brooke). Sadly, though, Oliver is called back to active duty almost immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but Laura is allowed to stay on despite the unexpected termination of their lease. Taking a second job at a local restaurant, Laura’s dwindling confidence is finally shattered when a matchmaking party leaves her sitting alone and unwanted. Burying herself in work, she’s basically resigned herself to the single life, though she finds a little bit of comfort from the widowed Abigail.

Things change drastically a year later when Oliver, back from duty overseas for unknown reasons, decides to rent the cottage indefinitely… without Beatrice. Mostly confining himself to the bedroom, it’s soon revealed that Oliver’s face is scarred and he’s completely lost the use of his right arm and hand. Suffering the same crippling lack of confidence that Laura has endured most of her life, he gradually comes out of his shell and finds a kindred spirit in her as well as John, who serves as something of an ironically all-seeing guide as The Enchanted Cottage unfolds and the “ugly” Oliver and Laura learn to find solace in each other, even if their relationship doesn't seem built on genuine love at first.

The Enchanted Cottage moves along at a slow and deliberate pace, taking its time to develop its characters as they eventually converge on a similar course. It’s revealed in the present-day opening sequence that Olver and Laura have since been married; this means that the bulk of this story is told in flashback, which includes a lightly supernatural third act where the couple finally realizes their shared “inner beauty” that may or may not be a direct result of the cottage’s supposed magical properties. While I can’t admitethat the film’s treatment of Laura feels totally justified or that Oliver’s post-war fate is believable, the way in which The Enchanted Cottage ultimately serves its characters propels it from a slightly questionable romantic drama to something quite a bit more worthwhile and timeless.

Robert Young and especially Dorothy McGuire are solid enough in their shared lead roles, but Herbert Marshall (as the blind pianist John Hillgrove) and Mildred Natwick (caretaker Abigail Minnett) add quite a bit of necessary support, giving the film a strong enough foundation to ensure that Oliver and Laura’s separate paths and (eventually) budding romance feel a bit more believable. I really don’t think The Enchanted Cottage would have worked nearly as smoothly without this shared support… yet the film’s destination does indeed end up justifying the journey, one that will unavoidably seem a bit dated and even offensive to new viewers but one that’s still very much considering as a whole.

Speaking of “necessary support”, Warner Archive’s new Blu-ray of The Enchanted Cottage adds just that: its typically well-crafted 1080p transfer is sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original negative, while its lossless audio revitalizes the original score by composer Roy Webb, whose included piano concerto was nominated for an Oscar that year.

The Enchanted Cottage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's 1080p transfer of The Enchanted Cottage, sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original camera negative, is a lustrous effort that helps to sell its innately ethereal atmosphere, from hazy and fog-laced exteriors to the soft close-ups of its two main characters as they eventually see each other. Shadows and black levels are especially smooth and well-rendered, even if the film's often gauzy style of cinematography doesn't always leave room for tack-sharp textures and detail. As usual, Warner Archive has carefully cleaned up age-related dirt and debris while leaving organic film grain intact, meaning that The Enchanted Cottage looks authentic to this era of filmmaking yet also much younger than its age suggests. The encoding is also great, as this film runs at a supportive bit rate and successfully dodges every noticeable instance of posterization and macro blocking even during the most challenging compositions. This is very fine work indeed, and undoubtedly the best it's looked since the original theatrical run.

The Enchanted Cottage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix repurposes The Enchanted Cottage's original mono audio into a split two-channel container, preserving its original dynamic range by not subjecting the soundtrack to any noticeable amounts of noise reduction. (This means that trace amounts of hiss remain, but they're not intrusive and fall well within expectations for a film of this age.) Dialogue and sound effects are smoothly prioritized and, as mentioned before, Roy Webb's haunting (and Oscar-nominated) music comes through very clearly. Overall, it's a reliably solid effort for sure.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Enchanted Cottage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover artwork and a few bonus features.

• Lux Radio Theater Broadcast - Originally airing on 9/3/1945 (a few months after the film's premiere), this condensed version of The Enchanted Cottage has Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire reprising their roles.

• General Electric Theater Broadcast - Airing much later on 9/24/53, this radio version features Joan Fontaine in the role of Laura Pennington.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:00) - This rough-looking but watchable promotional piece can also be seen here.

The Enchanted Cottage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Directed by John Cromwell (father of James), this updated 1945 retelling of The Enchanted Cottage follows a 1924 silent film and the 1922 play that both movies were based on. (A 2016 remake apparently also exists, but it doesn't look to be worth the effort.) This a handsomely shot production with memorable music by Roy Webb and good to great performances all around, with the only drawback being portions of its narrative that deliver a lopsided message about female beauty… which is partially the point of the story and a product of the time, but I still feel it still could have been handled with more care. Luckily, the end result is effective and moving, and Warner Archive's great A/V restoration plays to its technical strengths. Firmly Recommended to fans and possibly new viewers as well.