The Lady Gambles Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

The Lady Gambles Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 17, 2022

Michael Gordon's "The Lady Gambles" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"You're a lost cause, baby, and that's one thing a guy in my business can't afford. It took a long time and a couple of hoods to beat that into my thick head."

You can add Michael Gordon’s The Lady Gambles to the long list of films that tell the truth about compulsive gamblers. Much like drug addicts, compulsive gamblers desperately need help because they usually end up in the gutter, alone and miserable, and eventually self-destruct. The few that are lucky enough to bounce back with the tremendous support of people that genuinely love them are never truly cured either. They just have their lives carefully managed until they become too old and weak to be able to resume their destructive habits.

In a dark alley somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago, a couple of gamblers break their game and begin fighting. A man runs away. A woman, who appears to have been the man’s partner, attempts to do the same, but is quickly pulled back and beaten up until she collapses in a puddle of mud.

Not too long after the woman’s unconscious body is discovered by the police and transferred to a local hospital, another man who identifies himself as David Boothe (Robert Preston) rushes in and tells an overworked doctor that he is her husband and has been looking for her all across the country. Because the doctor remains skeptical of the quick and very emotional description, and then nonchalantly declares that he is about to go on break, Boothe causes a bigger scene that attracts the cop on duty. Then, after he reveals the unconscious woman’s name, Joan Boothe (Barbara Stanwyck) and urges the cop to examine her police record where he would confirm that she is in fact his wife, proceeds to reconstruct her past before the visibly intrigued doctor.

In Las Vegas, some years earlier, the woman is seen accompanying Boothe while he is gathering information for his newspaper back in Chicago. While Boothe is away working during the day, his wife begins spending time observing some of the busiest crap tables in town. In an upscale casino, she is caught secretly taking pictures with her camera by Horace Corrigan (Stephen McNally), who manages the place, but instead of being kicked out is allowed to play with house chips. At the right time, Corrigan politely asks if she would like to go out on a date with him, but his offer is immediately rejected.

Less than forty-eight hours later, the woman returns to Corrigan’s office and this time engages him in a conversation that ends up with a different offer -- if interested, she could do a few gigs for Corrigan that will provide her with enough cash to meet her gambling needs. Having already lost all of her money and secretly borrowed some from her husband’s traveling funds, she agrees, and soon after her life spins out of control.

Even though Gordon does not transform The Lady Gambles into an exceptionally dark and miserabilist drama, the honesty with which his film depicts the different cycles a compulsive gambler goes through before the inevitable self-destruction is pretty unsettling. In fact, observing Stanwyck’s character repeatedly becoming overwhelmed by her gambling addiction and temporarily losing her ability to act as a rational human being isn’t any different from observing the two junkies in Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park. These are the same kind of people, too weak and ill, each day sinking even deeper into the abyss where The Grim Reaper awaits.

The biggest surprise in The Lady Gambles is McNally’s transformation as a cool-headed casino manager with connections to the underworld who also learns an important lesson while dealing with Stanwyck’s gambler. It is a tremendous performance that does a lot to enhance the film’s authenticity. While the finale isn’t disappointing, Gordon could have ended up with a legit classic had he chosen to do what Billy Wilder did at the end of The Lost Weekend. This way, the message of The Lady Gambles would have had a far greater resonance.

Gordon was able to secure the services of cinematographer Russell Metty, who just a few years later would go on to work with Oscar Welles on Touch of Evil.

The Lady Gambles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Lady Gambles arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older but very good master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. A brand new 2K or 4K master would have ensured a slightly healthier grain structure that would have given the visuals a marginally more attractive appearance, primarily by improving the surface of the visuals, but I think that depth, clarity, and delineation are already very nice. The grayscale is lovely, too. There are fine ranges of grays and whites, while the black are solid but not boosted. A few sequences reveal slightly stronger light reflections, but the overall quality of the visuals remains convincing. Image stability is very good. A few minor scratches and blemishes can be spotted, but there are not distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (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 Gambles 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.

I thought that the audio was excellent. The dialog is very clear and exceptionally easy to follow. Frank Skinner's score is used quite well throughout the film, but it has a supporting role, so do not expect any dramatic dynamic contrasts. The upper register is very healthy, which tells me that when the current master was prepared careful work was done to optimize the audio as best as possible. To be honest, I was rather impressed with the quality of the audio.

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

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

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

Had Michael Gordon given The Lady Gambles a gloomier finale, or at least a slightly more ambiguous one, it would have been impossible not to place it next to Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend. Obviously, these films examine the corrosive effects of different addictions, but their honesty is equally hard-hitting. Barbara Stanwyck gives a predictably powerful performance and is the undisputed star of The Lady Gambles, but it is awfully difficult to imagine the film being as good as it is without Stephen McNally. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older yet very nice organic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. It is included in Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III, a three-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.