Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The File on Thelma Jordon Blu-ray Movie Review

File under "U" for unexpected.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 4, 2013

Barbara Stanwyck was not a traditionally beautiful woman, especially by the elevated (and often unnatural) standards of Golden Age Hollywood. With a sometimes tough persona that only exacerbated a less than glamorous appearance, Stanwyck seemed to often fall into playing hard nosed characters who nonetheless often seemed to have ineluctable sex appeal. Despite not having the pristine glamour of, say, a Lana Turner or a Veronica Lake, Stanwyck built a career out of playing “bad girls” who slept around (Baby Face) or, in what is one of the most defining roles in her long filmography, a femme fatale who lured a helpless shmoe to his demise (Double Indemnity, rumored to be due on Blu-ray fairly soon). Stanwyck also occasionally dabbled in other roles which stretched her usual film persona, notably the paralyzed hypochondriac who herself was helpless to prevent her own murder in Sorry, Wrong Number. All three of these disparate types are woven together in various doses in the strangely underappreciated noir from 1950, The File on Thelma Jordon. Director Robert Siodmak, who had helmed a number of well regarded noirs and other mysteries including The Killers, Criss Cross and The Dark Mirror, plies somewhat the same territory in The File on Thelma Jordon, delving into a female character with duplicitous motives who manages to lure an initially unsuspecting male into her web of deceit. What’s interesting about Thelma Jordon’s formulation of this noir staple is that Thelma herself is not the typical femme fatale, but instead an almost matronly woman who actually seems to be genuinely in love with her “mark”. The other unusual element here is the fact that the “mark”, an Assistant District Attorney played by Wendell Corey, is a married man trying to work through some difficulties he’s experienced for years with his wife’s father. That sets up a really intriguingly “modern” triangle for a 1950 film, one that scenarist Ketti Frings (a Pulitzer Prize winner for her stage adaptation of Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel) details rather smartly, albeit within the confines of a fifties’ sensibility.

One of the most common tropes in film noir is the femme fatale who coaxes a basically decent man to his demise. The File on Thelma Jordon just slightly tweaks this typical setup by offering us a male who obviously isn’t exactly a paradigm of morality to begin with. Corey’s character of Cleve Marshall starts the film out in his cups, a situation that only increases throughout the first sequence until he can barely speak or stand. When Thelma shows up late at night to the District Attorney’s office and mistakes Cleve for D.A. Miles Scott (Paul Kelly), with whom she’s already been in contact by phone, Cleve plays along for a while before ultimately disclosing his real identity. And then, either under the influence of alcohol or because of simmering tensions within his marriage, Cleve makes a rather serious pass at Thelma. She may say “no”, but her eyes are clearly indicating “yes”.

Things get at least relatively closer to noir territory once Cleve’s wife (Joan Tetzel) takes off to her family’s beach home for the summer, and Cleve soon finds himself ensnared in a crime scene when Thelma phones him, desperate after her spinster (and very wealthy) Aunt has been killed by an intruder. Cleve may not be buying Thelma’s line, but he’s more than willing to run to her aid, helping her “arrange” the crime scene to make it less indicative that Thelma might be involved. That strategy backfires, however, when Thelma is ultimately brought up on charges, and when through a few more plot machinations, Cleve is assigned to prosecute her.

There’s a palpable sense of claustrophobia running rampant throughout The File on Thelma Jordon. Note, for example, how many important scenes play out between Cleve and Thelma in cars, or at the very least in extreme close- up. There’s also an obviously deliberate emphasis on disconnection, something kind of strange for the often heated world of noir. So much of this film plays out in phone conversations where people can’t quite “reach out and touch each other” that it gives the film a visceral feeling of angst and anxiety.

The biggest departure from traditional noir territory here is that the flawed hero, Cleve, doesn’t “follow” the femme fatale down the road to ruin, but in fact kind of blazes the trail there himself. Sure, Thelma’s a duplicitous, lying schemer, as becomes evident the longer the film goes on. But Cleve is no mere “dupe” in the traditional way many noirs exploit. He is an activist “dupe”, one who is only too aware he is sowing the seeds of his own destruction.

Stanwyck does very well in this relatively shaded role. She’s hard as a tack in several key scenes, but she’s also surprisingly vulnerable in even more. This, again, is a rather odd formulation for a noir. Thelma is not a traditional noir sex siren, and almost seems to be an abused woman as certain plot points play out later in the film. That doesn’t detract from her allure, at least in Cleve’s eyes, and in fact may only increase it. Corey is a bit stiff, as he tended to be in most of his films, but he manages to convey the inner turmoil of Cleve, who knows he’s doing wrong, but can’t quite help himself. The File on Thelma Jordon offers two equally flawed characters making a number of disastrous decisions. This particular road to hell is actually paved with almost resolutely bad intentions, but that only makes for a more fascinating journey.

The File on Thelma Jordon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The File on Thelma Jordon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This is unfortunately a relatively problematic catalog release from Olive, one whose source elements reveal more than the standard amount of damage. Added to the ubiquitous flecks and specks are some omnipresent density fluctuations, as well as some minor emulsion damage and occasional print through, as well as what looks like some intermittent shrinkage of individual frames. Contrast is generally pretty good, but it, too, varies at times, with some brief moments looking considerably more blown out than the bulk of the film. All of this said, this high definition presentation is perfectly watchable given reasonable expectations.

The File on Thelma Jordon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The File on Thelma Jordon's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix ably supports both the dialogue and Victor Young's sumptuously romantic score. There's not much to this sound design other than those two elements. Fidelity is fine, if unremarkable. The track is obviously narrow and has the typically boxy sound of its era, but other than that, everything is perfectly audible within a fairly narrow soundfield.

The File on Thelma Jordon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.

The File on Thelma Jordon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The File on Thelma Jordon may not be top tier film noir, but it's fascinating nonetheless, perhaps more for how it isn't a traditional noir than for how it is. The film offers two fascinating characters stumbling through a series of bad decisions together, and there's an equally interesting emphasis on the potentially happy home life Cleve is abandoning in his pursuit of Thelma. Directed with a kind of casual flair by stalwart Robert Siodmak, and well written by Ketti Frings, The File on Thelma Jordon has long held special interest for noir fans and Stanwyck aficionados. Even though this Blu-ray has some image quality problems, overall this often captivating film comes Recommended.