Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Lady Eve Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 10, 2020

Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve" (1941) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; new program with writer-director Preston Sturges's biographer and son Tom Sturges and friends; archival radio adaption; archival audio commentary by film scholar Marian Keane; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien, printed profile of the director, and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The guy down there is the one we want

Let’s do a small experiment. Take the shiny disc out of the blue case, place it in your player and press the ‘play’ button on your remote control. Now find a place in your room that makes it impossible for you to see your TV screen. If you can’t, just close your eyes and don’t look at your TV screen. Listen very carefully to the dialog for approximately twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes. This is more than enough. Press the ‘stop’ button on your remote control and try to remember when was the last time you had an identical experience while viewing a contemporary film. The purpose of the experiment should be quite obvious now -- the quality of the writing in Preston Sturges’ film The Lady Eve is so incredible that you don’t even have to see its characters to be fully immersed in it. This is a sample of the great magic that Hollywood used to produce.

While returning home from South America professional swindlers ‘Colonel’ Harrington (Charles Coburn), his daughter Jean (Barbara Stanwyck), and their close friend Gerald (Melville Cooper) identify an easy target, Charles Pike (Henry Fonda), the very wealthy and still single heir to Pike's Ale. Soon after, in the ship’s giant ballroom Jean goes to work and in matter of hours Charles falls madly in love with her. But then she falls in love with him, which forces her old man to issue a stern warning that she needs to stay focused on the job. Exactly the opposite happens. The more time she spends with the bachelor, the more convinced she becomes that he is the man of her dreams and they were meant to be together. Then someone hands Charles a photograph that reveals the true identities of the swindlers and he walks away from them, leaving Jean with a broken heart.

Months later, in New York, the swindlers meet old friend Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith (Eric Blore), who has found a very cozy spot amongst Connecticut’s elites and happens to know the Pike family. Jean convinces Sir Alfred to play a part in her revenge plan and then travels to Connecticut pretending to be the British aristocrat Lady Eve Sidwich. During a lavish party hosted by Mr. Pike (Eugene Palette), Jean repeatedly embarrasses the confused Charles and when he eventually begins seeing her gets him to propose to her.

The tremendous praise the two leads have received over the years is unquestionably deserved because they are both great in very different yet equally impressive ways. For example, Stanwyck’s personality switches are crucial for the dramatic shifts in the story and she does all of them with an easiness that actually has a very positive effect on a number of supporting actors. (As good as Palette is, for instance, he actually looks even better around Stanwyck). Fonda does not overdo his clumsy bachelor either, which is another reason why the film remains genuinely funny, sweet, and fresh in places where some of the material quite easily could have turned sloppy or dull. Also, like Stanwyck he engages various supporting actors in ways that make their contributions appear essential, especially during the mass sequences where so much has to be done right so that it works as intended. (See the reception where he encounters Stanwyck’s foreign visitor for the first time and changes multiple jackets).

The other really big star in this film that once again makes everyone better is the script. Sturges apparently wrote it specifically for Stanwyck, but there is such tremendous quality in it that everyone benefits. Just a couple of lines can make an entire sequence look brilliant and yet there is a lot more coming from all sorts of different directions.

Sturges used the services of Oscar-winning cinematographer Victor Milner whose credits include such classic films as Cleopatra, The General Died at Dawn, Union Pacific, The Palm Beach Story, and The Furies.

The Lady Eve Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Lady Eve arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"After the world's film archives were combed, and multiple third- and fourth-generation copies held at the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Library of Congress were reviewed, a 35mm fine-grain master positive from Universal Studios was determined to be the best element to scan for this film. This new digital transfer was created in 16-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner at EFILM Hollywood from that fine-grain. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm fine-grain master positive using Avid's Pro Tools and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisor and colorist: Lee Kline, Criterion."

The release is sourced from a lovely new 4K restoration. However, because the surviving elements for this film are not in optimal condition certain limitations remain, so expect to see some minor density fluctuations, in a few areas very light fading, and even some scattered blemishes. This being said, depth and clarity remain very pleasing, and in various backgrounds the newly restored master reveals plenty of nuances that are mostly lost on the old DVD release of the film. The grading job is very nice, which is another reason why the overall perception of depth is superior as well. Image stability is good, but a few slightly uneven transitions remain. In summary, what is on the Blu-ray release is undoubtedly the best technical presentation of the film that I have seen to date. (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 Lady Eve Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable, so following the brilliant exchanges is very easy. However, the age of the existing elements that were used to produce the new master occasionally shows. What does this mean? If you turn up the volume a bit there are a couple of sequences where the high register sounds a bit weak (or brittle if you will). There are no distortions or other such distracting anomalies, but it is quite clear that time has left its mark and there was only so much the restorers could to minimize its impact.

The Lady Eve Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - an archival filmed introduction by Peter Bogdanovich. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080i).

• Tom Sturges and Friends - in this new program, which is actually an online video conference, Tom Sturges, son of Preston Sturges, discusses the life and legacy of his father with Susan King, Kenneth Turan, Leonard Maltin, Ron Shelton, James L. Brooks, and Peter Bogdanovich. The session was recorded for Criterion in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (43 min, 1080i).

• The Lady Deceives - an exclusive new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns. The essay was produced for Criterion in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (22 min, 1080p).

• Costume Designs by Edith Head - a small video piece about costume designer Edith Head and her contrition to The Lady Eve. In English, not subtitled. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Lux Radio Theatre - this vintage Lux Radio Theatre radio adaptation featured Barbara Stanwyck, Ray Milland, and Charles Coburn and is hosted by filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille. It was originally broadcast on March 9, 1942. In English, not subtitled. (45 min, 1080p).

• "Up the Amazon" - presented here is a performance of "Up the Amazon", an opening number of a theatrical musical based on The Lady Eve and developed by Rick Chertoff and songwriter David J. Forman. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks created the arrangement and perform. (5 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Lady Eve. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by film scholar Marian Keane in 2001. It initially appeared on Criterion's first DVD release of The Lady Eve.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien and a 1946 profile of Preston Sturges from LIFE magazine, as well as technical credits.

The Lady Eve Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All of the magic that makes The Lady Eve such a special film begins and ends with Preston Sturges' script. Yes, its two leads, Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, are sensational, plus there are some tremendous contributions from the supporting actors, but the script is simply astonishing. It is why the comedy and romance come together so well and the entire film feels way, way ahead of its time. Do the small experiment that is mentioned at the very top of this article while keeping in mind that Sturges completed the film in the early '40s, and I guarantee you will come to the exact same conclusion. Criterion's upcoming release is sourced from a good new 4K restoration of the film, and I have already reserved a spot for it on my Top Ten list. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.