The Honey Pot Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Honey Pot Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 27, 2015

Absorbing influences from plays and novels, legendary director Joseph L. Mankiewicz sets out to create a particularly knotted game of love and allegiance with “The Honey Pot.” The 1967 picture is one of his last productions, but it still bears the fingerprints of an invested filmmaker with an interest in razor-sharp banter and unusual motivations, laboring to define a collection of troublesome personalities as they struggle with the devil itself, greed. The feature isn’t always an easy sit, but when it comes alive, it does so with tremendously refined performances and a streak of mischief that powers the effort for a great deal of its indulgent run time.

“The Honey Pot” plays with a certain regality, opening with a cultured look at a devious scheme, with wealthy Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) hiring actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) to partake in a plan intended to rattle the nerves of three of his ex-lovers, teasing Princess Dominique (Capucine), Merle (Edie Adams), and Sheridan (Susan Hayward) with dreams of a massive inheritance. The men discuss the undertaking, but when time comes to execute it, trouble erupts, with Sheridan’s nurse, Sarah (Maggie Smith), entering the fray, challenging McFly as the two develop a tentative bond of trust. The screenplay is tightly managed by Mankiewicz, who invests in finger-snap dialogue and full-bodied characterization, constructing a madhouse of motivations as loyalties are tested and fabrications spiral out of control.

The Honey Pot Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.84:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries a decent amount of detail, offering fans of the movie a semi-sharp viewing experience that's good with facial particulars, finding close-ups exposing fine hair and the limitations of make-up. Studio settings also benefit from the HD upgrade, highlighting design textures and distances. Colors are secure with minimal fade, holding slight exaggeration with amplified costuming and skintones, which retain glamour, not necessarily realism. Delineation is capable, managing evening encounters, and grain is acceptably filmic. Source is in fine shape, though some minor hiccups with missing frames are detected -- possibly an inherent issue. Zoomed-in shots are easily spotted as well.

The Honey Pot Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles the mystery mood of the picture with ease, capturing dramatic nuances during dialogue exchanges, which are presented with clarity and weight. Scoring cues are strong, supporting the movie as intended, but also bursting through with presence when select scenes call for amplification of orchestral performances. Atmospherics are stable and evocative, contributing to the illusion of location work. Hiss isn't a concern.

The Honey Pot Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:40, HD) is included.

The Honey Pot Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Honey Pot" is superbly acted, with the entire cast sinking their teeth into the material, playing every turn with enthusiasm, dressed impeccably in gorgeous costumes. However, length soon cripples the effort, which spends 132 minutes on a plot that doesn't feature all that much in the way of incident. Mankiewicz can't pull himself away from the material, enjoying the schemes too much to realize that the longer "The Honey Pot" plays out, the less potent it becomes.