The Member of the Wedding Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Member of the Wedding Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 18, 2016

It’s at least arguable that the two greatest (American) stage actresses of the 20th century were Helen Hayes and Julie Harris, and it’s at a minimum a little odd that neither of them had a “huge” film career, despite the fact that Hayes if not Harris was fêted with two Academy Awards over the course of her long and distinguished career. There were certainly other highly respected stage actresses who had at least somewhat better remembered (if similarly weirdly curtailed) film careers (and in fact one of them, Shirley Booth, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Come Back, Little Sheba, besting nominated Julie Harris for The Member of the Wedding), but Harris’ filmography is a rather odd one, with films like this one currently under review, East of Eden and The Haunting probably being the best remembered of the bunch. And, yes, for curmudgeons who are already sputtering a “but….”, there are some other interesting offerings in Harris’ oeuvre, including I Am a Camera (the basis for the later musical Cabaret), Harper, Reflections in a Golden Eye, and Gorillas in the Mist, though it’s notable that Harris is in many if not all of these a supporting player and virtually none of these films would probably be thought of as a “Julie Harris” vehicle. The Member of the Wedding was nonetheless a rather auspicious film debut for the then young actress, one which seemed to augur a major new talent (which of course she was, even if the movies never quite figured out how to “use” her). One of the best things about the film version of The Member of the Wedding is that it, unlike so many filmings of successful Broadway plays, ported over several of the stage version’s performers, with Ethel Waters and Brandon de Wilde also recreating their original roles (along with the lesser known William Hansen and Harry Bolden). That pre-existing rapport plays beautifully into the cinematic iteration of Carson McCullers’ kind of bittersweet and nostalgic take on the maturation of a young Southern girl, a story which in tone if not in actual subject matter may remind some, at least in passing, of To Kill a Mockingbird, with a motherless family featuring a precocious young girl in the deep south.

One could in fact almost imagine The Member of the Wedding’s young Frankie Addams (Julie Harris) being best friends with To Kill a Mockingbird’s Scout, since both are young girls with tomboyish proclivities, and each has an older brother they both argue with and tend to deify, if circumspectly. Frankie’s a bit older than Scout, though, and her sudden growth spurt has made her something of a wallflower. She’s a young girl who lives largely in her head (and heart), aware of the world around her but given to fantasies of what life “should” be like. That includes the improbable (okay—impossible) dream that she’ll end up living with her older brother Jarvis (Arthur Franz) after he marries his fiancée Janice (Nancy Gates). The harsh reality of the situation, one where Frankie finally becomes aware that newlyweds aren’t going to want a pesky little sister around interrupting their amorous interludes, is one of the emotional lynchpins of the piece, though not the only one.

Another major subplot involves Frankie’s cousin John Henry (Brandon de Wilde, who won a Golden Globe for Best Juvenile Performance), a sweet little kid who (again referencing the immortal tale by Harper Lee) might be thought of as a kind of "analog" to Dill. Without revealing too much, certain traumas ensue which force Frankie to come to terms with the fact that real life often doesn’t bend to the whims of one’s fantasies. Helping Frankie navigate this perhaps treacherous route into putative adulthood is her calm and nurturing black housekeeper Berenice Sadie Brown (Ethel Waters, who really should have received an Academy Award nomination for her nice work in the film, even if she's playing a version of the part which did bring her an Oscar nomination for Pinky).

The Member of the Wedding is intentionally small scale, built out of some rather lengthy monologues spun by Frankie, and while director Fred Zinnemann does his typically superior job of making a stage play cinematic (e.g., A Man for All Seasons), there’s an inherent “theatricality” to this piece that may not be to everyone’s taste. That said, the beautifully articulated performances make this seemingly “slight” material really take wing, and for those who don’t mind a bit of schmaltz, the film provides a really unique emotional experience that is both completely distinctive and undeniably universal.

The Member of the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Member of the Wedding is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. This is another lustrous looking offering from the Sony-Columbia catalog, one that preserves a really beautiful organic appearance and is virtually damage free. There are just a very few isolated and tiny white specks that the most eagle eyed videophiles may spot, and a few other anomalies like what looks like one misaligned frame after an edit point at circa 7 minutes. The gorgeous cinematography of Hal Mohr is offered here with consistent contrast and subtle tonal modulations, with solid blacks and authentic looking grayscale. A couple of extreme close-ups look awfully soft (see screenshot 9), but those are the exception rather than the rule. A couple of times Julie Harris looks just ever so slightly out of focus, and I have to wonder if perhaps this fledgling film actress didn't quite hit her mark and they decided not to reshoot because the performances were so fine (watch the scene where she's accosting the neighborhood club girls for not "electing" her and you'll see her suddenly pop into focus when she takes a step backward). Fine detail is quite remarkable at times (look at screenshot 5 and the nicely resolved pattern of the screen over Harris' face).

The Member of the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Member of the Wedding's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track capably supports the film's penchant toward soliloquoys and quieter dialogue moments, while also providing a secure foundation for a rather affecting score by Alex North. Fidelity is fine, with no age related problems to report.

The Member of the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries:

  Suzanne Vega, Derek Botelho and David Del Valle

  Carson McCullers Biographer Virginia Spencer Carr

• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• The World of Carson McCullers (1080i; 15:53) is a well done overview with some interesting interviews and archival footage.


• The Journey from Stage to Film (1080i; 10:11) has some really interesting comments from the likes of Kevin Spacey and Stanley Kramer's widow.


• Introduction by Karen Kramer (1080i; 1:36)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:31)

The Member of the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I hadn't seen The Member of the Wedding in several years when I rewatched it in this new Blu-ray version, and what struck me this time through is that despite the film's ostensible focus on Frankie, it's arguable that the film is really just as much about Berenice, as evidenced by the film's closing shot. One way or the other, this is a really affecting drama, one that ably depicts the hurdles that many (maybe even most) face as they start to "grow up." Technical merits are first rate, and The Member of the Wedding comes Highly recommended.