The Miracle of the Bells Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Miracle of the Bells Blu-ray Movie Review

A Star is Dead.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 10, 2013

Alida Valli was supposed to be the “next Ingrid Bergman”, an exotic but accessible foreigner who wasn’t just another pretty face but who could actually act. David O. Selznick had helped to create Bergman’s American film career by bringing her to Hollywood to recreate her role in an American version of what had been one her biggest Swedish successes, Intermezzo. But the David O. Selznick of the late thirties was not the David O. Selznick of the late forties, and the change in the impresario’s fortunes is probably one of the biggest reasons that Alida Valli (often credited simply as Valli, as she is in The Miracle of the Bells) never quite caught on with stateside audiences the way Bergman did. Valli’s non-European filmography is relatively small, at least when compared to the scores of films she did in her native Italy and other European locales through the years. She’s probably best remembered today for her co-starring work in Carol Reed’s legendary The Third Man (which is also available on Blu-ray in this edition), but The Miracle of the Bells perhaps provides her a bit more of a showcase for her talents even if the film itself is nowhere in the same league as the Reed masterpiece. Interestingly, there are some Ingrid Bergman parallels to The Miracle of the Bells as well, whether intentional or otherwise. Valli portrays a simple girl who’s plucked from the chorus line and has the makings of a major star (shades of 42nd Street), especially when she’s hired as a body double for the “real” star of a film about Joan of Arc. When that star rebels, Valli’s character becomes the rather unlikely new star of the film. The synchronicity here is that at virtually the same time The Miracle of the Bells was filming at RKO, Ingrid Bergman herself was essaying the role of Joan of Arc, a film which would ultimately be distributed by RKO. Bergman of course was anything but a prima dona, at least by most accounts from those who worked with her over the course of her long career, so that connection may be tenuous at best, but sometimes these little coincidences can be as interesting in hindsight as anything the films that contain them have to offer.

One of the kind of interesting things about The Miracle of the Bells is that it gives up the ghost (more or less literally) right off the bat, letting us know that Olga Treskovna (Valli) has died and is being returned by press agent Bill Dunnigan (Fred MacMurray) to her small Pennsylvania hometown for burial. Via some voiceover we are told that Dunnigan held a rather sizable torch for Olga and via a series of flashbacks we get the details of their brief but eventful history with each other. These reminiscences play out in rather startling contrast to Dunnigan’s experiences in the coal mining town (appropriately nicknamed “Coaltown”) where Olga’s family had emigrated to from Poland when she was just a little girl. Dunnigan repeatedly finds it hard to believe that Olga would want to return to this backwater to be laid to rest, but he’s determined that her final wishes are acceded to, something not made easier by a town that does not remember Olga’s family with any degree of charity or kindness.

The film is kind of an odd duck from a number of standpoints, perhaps one of the reasons it’s not held in wider regard. The most salient question hovering over this enterprise is: what’s the point? Is this a story of unrequited love? Is it an exposé of the vagaries of the film business? Is it one of those feel good quasi-religious outings like Ingrid Bergman’s own The Bells of St. Mary’s? The answer to all of these queries is a qualified “yes”, but that in and of itself helps to point out how relatively unfocused The Miracle of the Bells can be at times. Dunnigan’s obvious love for Olga never is consummated, the making of the Joan of Arc film is handled as just another anecdote in Olga’s brief life, and if this is indeed supposed to be a “feel good” film, why is its heroine dead from the get go? Additionally, when the so-called "miracle" is at the very least called into question if not revealed to be an out and out fake, any religiosity would seem to be built on a foundation of sand (evidently somewhat like the church at the center of the miracle).

The film is probably best enjoyed as one of Valli’s more full bodied roles, one that allows her to sing, dance and even go through a bit of Camille-esque drama. The rest of the casting is perhaps a bit odd. Fred MacMurray does rather well as the pining Dunnigan, but he lacks any real romantic spark with Valli. MacMurray was never a very magnetic actor, even during his early Paramount days where he managed to have a number of high profile successes (some of which at least can be attributed largely to his much more charismatic co-stars, like Carole Lombard or Frances Farmer). MacMurray had a certain intense gravitas that underlay his affable charms, and that aspect comes through rather nicely in his portrayal here. What may surprise some is seeing Frank Sinatra third billed here as the local priest. This was an interim period for Sinatra. His bobby soxer superstardom had waned and he was still years away from his Oscar win for From Here to Eternity, something that helped to jump start the second major phase of his career. He’s likable enough here, though perhaps a bit too much of a lightweight for a role with this supposed spiritual underpinning. The supporting cast here has some nice turns from the likes of Lee J. Cobb as the studio chief who gives Olga a chance but who is then reticent to release a film featuring a dead star, and Harold Verimlyea as the funeral director who catches Dunnigan off guard by providing the "real" story of Olga's family.

The Miracle of the Bells Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Miracle of the Bells is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.38:1. This is another generally very solid high definition presentation from Olive, one that only has a few minor blemishes to report in terms of its elements, as well as some momentary print through and flicker that's most noticeable in what would have been the first reel. Otherwise, though, this transfer offers excellent contrast and a generally very pleasing image. Valli is sometimes shot in soft focus, but the rest of the image is decently sharp and nicely detailed. As with most Olive Films catalog releases, The Miracle of the Bells does not appear to have undergone any digital scrubbing or manipulation of any noticeable kind.

The Miracle of the Bells Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Miracle of the Bells' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track unfortunately features some pervasive distortion, especially in the all important midrange, something that's instantly noticeable in the theme music playing during the credits sequence but which continues unabated in one degree or another for much of the rest of the film. The good news is that most if not all of the dialogue isn't overly affected by this anomaly (though occasional lines, like the stage manager's shouts at the chorus girls early in the film, clearly are). The score and some of the sound effects (including the bells) suffer at least somewhat from this problem. There's nothing absolutely unlistenable here, but even those without a penchant for noticing things like minor distortion will probably be able to pick out the raspiness of the midrange on this track.

The Miracle of the Bells Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.

The Miracle of the Bells Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The legendary Ben Hecht co-adapted the bestselling novel by Russell Janney which provided the source material for The Miracle of the Bells, and while there are glimmers of Hecht's wit and poetry in the dialogue, the film itself is probably too unfocused to ever totally connect with the audience. That said, it's still a wonderful opportunity to see the lovely Valli at the height of her rather short lived Hollywood career. This Blu-ray features generally excellent video though the audio has some persistent issues that may distract some listeners. Overall, though, The Miracle of the Bells comes Recommended.