The Lady Refuses Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Lady Refuses Blu-ray Movie Review

A story of a golddigger and a dame

The Lady Refuses is a curious confection as a pre-code 1931 RKO Radio Pictures production with bite. The film arrives on Blu-ray as part of the RKO Classic Romances collection released by Kino Lorber. The old-fashioned experience swings back and forth between melodrama and outright romance while exploring the characters and their interesting world. The feature is produced by William LeBaron (The Gracie Allen Murder Case, Valiant is the Word for Carrie, The Princess Comes Across) and is perhaps most notable for the performance by star Betty Compson.

The story to The Lady Refuses revolves an overbearing father, Sir Gerald Courtney (Gilbert Emery), who decides to take it upon himself to try and prevent his extremely wealthy son Russell Courtney (John Darrow) from being taken advantage of by the “gold-digging” Berthine Waller (Margaret Livingston). Fearing that Russell might end up marrying the woman (whom he so clearly despises), Gerald hires a beautiful woman named June (Betty Compson) to seduce and tempt his son away from marriage.

Matters become significantly more complicated during the course of the story. It turns out that not only does Russell develop legitimate romantic feelings for curvaceous temptress June (the charming and gorgeous woman of his dreams) but his dad starts to lust after her as well. Will it be Russel or pop Gerald to end up with the sexy June? (Or perhaps neither will!)

The story of The Lady Refuses feels much more dated to me than several of the other features included in the RKO Classic Romances collection. While the film remains an entertaining diversion on some level (in part because of the terrific cast) the storyline is definitely a bit far fetched and the focus in preventing a “gold-digging” woman from destroying a man's life seems absurdly emphasized in a decidedly “old-fashioned” sort of way.

Pardon me, I just got out of bed.

The production team utilized here includes some of the regular go-to RKO filmmakers. Featuring luxurious costumes by Max Ree (The Man and the Moment, Hook Like and Sinker), the film is certainly not disappointing on that front (the women have remarkably beautiful gowns). The cinematography by Leo Tover (The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Woman on the Beach) is impressively realized and the black and white imagery leaves a mark.

Unfortunately, one one the film's greatest weaknesses is undoubtedly the average quality screenplay which was written by Wallace Smith (The Captain Hates the Sea, Seven Keys to Baldpate). The film has such underdeveloped characters and weak concepts that it just feels like a routine Saturday-matinee that audiences won't take much away from in the long run. The story just feels like it's going around in circles and like it's a cobbled together drama. (Compared to some of the other RKO classics included within the Kino collection, such as the superb Millie or Kept Husbands, The Lady Refuses is a far cry when examined from the storytelling department).

Though director George Archainbaud (Goldtown Ghost Riders, Night Stage to Galveston) feels more workmanlike as a filmmaker than a season auteur, the director does manage to imbue the filmmaking with an entertaining energy which keeps the film from being a total missed opportunity. As a lightly entertaining curiosity, the film works largely because of the banter and antics back-and-forth between the three leads. The Lady Refuses is merely modest entertainment and one of the weaker films included in the RKO Romance set.

The Lady Refuses Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Lady Refuses arrives on Blu-ray from Kino with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded presentation. The film is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame. The feature looks less impressive to me than the features which are included on disc one of the RKO Classic Romances set. (Both Millie and Kept Husbands look to have had somewhat better restorative efforts by Lobster Films.) The black and white photography is decidedly weak with poor black levels that ate quite gray looking. The image is quite soft and less refined. The print utilized has much more thin lines of print wear and damage sprinkled throughout. While it's not a disastrous presentation for a film of it's age, audiences should keep in mind that the feature presentation is only a modest high-definition upgrade.

The Lady Refuses Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio included on this release is presented in stereo with a lossless sound mix. Utilizing a DTS-HD Master Audio presentation as included on this release, the audio is not quite as noteworthy as some of the other entries in the Kino RKO Romance Blu-ray set. The dialogue sounds a little more thin to me and not quite as crisp as desired. The overall soundstage simply sounds more flat to me than expected (even for a film of its age). Overall, it's a passable sound presentation that just isn't as pristine as one might hope for.

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

There are no supplemental features on this release.

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

While it's not as noteworthy as some of the other RKO romances (such as the remarkable Millie), The Lady Refuses offers passable entertainment with some standout performances from the cast. Due to a great turn by Betty Compson, the film will provide audiences with a decent experience that is worth checking out even if the filmmaking sometimes feels undercooked (especially in the screenwriting department). Worth a watch.