Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Lady in Red Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 3, 2021

1979’s “The Lady in Red” has something to work with, using a screenplay written by John Sayles, who clearly wants to make his mark with a gritty, pitiless gangster story told from the perspective of a woman involved in the fringes of the violent culture. Sayles aims to create characters and threats, aiming to deal honestly and epically with the lead character’s descent into hell. Unfortunately, “The Lady in Red” is a Roger Corman production, which means down-and-dirty filmmaking and a general muting of Sayles’s ambition for the project, though elements of his vision remain intact in a feature that gradually loses its initial spark.

A farmgirl with big Hollywood dreams, Polly (Pamela Sue Martin) gets her first taste of gangster darkness when she witnesses a bank robbery. Newly empowered to leave her old life behind, Polly is quickly introduced to the cruelties of the world, experiencing prison, slave labor, and ultimately work as a prostitute, employed by Anna (Louise Fletcher). While Polly makes friends and learns to protect herself, she also unknowingly falls in love with John Dillinger (Robert Conrad), with outside forces looking to exploit their connection to bring down the legendary gangster.

“The Lady in Red” is bleak, as Sayles takes some time to track the corruption of Polly’s innocence. She’s initially presented as a rural woman with dreams of dancing on the big screen, keeping “42nd Street” looped in her mind as she hopes to connect with the entertainment business one day. Instead of glamour, Polly is made to suffer, experiencing violence and humiliation as she’s manipulated by men, spending time in a sweatshop and working as a taxi dancer. She ends up in prison, urged into prostitution by the warden, where she faces the wrath of unstable customers, such as Frognose (Christopher Lloyd), a mob enforcer. The first half of “The Lady in Red” is quite merciless, with Sayles creating an interestingly brutal education for Polly as she deals with the worst of the worst, making a few connections along the way, including a gangster, Turk (Robert Forster).

Director Lewis Teague does what he can to replicate the 1930s with Corman money, trying to keep things as period as possible. It’s not an especially dazzling picture visually, and Teague can’t get much out of Martin, who’s miscast in such an emotionally draining part. “The Lady in Red” loses steam as it goes, trading a lively parade of ugliness for time with Dillinger, which offers Polly a softer sense of love she’s never felt before, and it also makes her a target, with feds, reporters, and enemies looking for a way to kill the gangster.

The Lady in Red Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Lady in Red" is sourced from an older master of the feature. Detail isn't crisp, but facial surfaces retain elements of age and emotional raggedness, and costuming offers compelling textures on period outfits. Exteriors retain decent dimension, exploring farmlands and town tours. Colors are acceptable, with the titular hue most striking throughout the viewing experience, on view in clothing, interior decoration, and makeup application. Greenery is healthy and skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition, but speckling is a common sight.

The Lady in Red Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers clear dialogue exchanges, dealing with pronounced emotional efforts and some scenes of overlapping conversations. Scoring cues are clear, with defined instrumentation. Sound effects offers some snap with gunplay and car chases.

The Lady in Red Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Lewis Teague and actor Robert Forster.

• Commentary #2 features writer John Sayles and producer Julie Corman.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:19, HD) is included.

The Lady in Red Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Lady in Red" has its highlights, but most of them are in the first half of the movie, which seems to visually represent most of Sayles's ideas with the most clarity. Once the story slows down, "The Lady in Red" doesn't recover, dragging to a conclusion that feels anticlimactic considering all the rapidly introduced misery that precedes it.