The Reckless Moment Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Reckless Moment Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 20, 2019

Max Ophuls' "The Reckless Moment" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; archival program featuring director Todd Haynes; archival program featuring author Lutz Bacher; and more. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Samm Deighan, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I'd rather tell Bea

Contemporary screenwriters ought to study the character arcs in Max Ophuls’ The Reckless Moment because they could learn plenty from them. The story that the film tells is good, but it is the manner in which its characters engage with each other and in the process begin to evolve that actually make it quite special.

When Lucia Harper (Joan Bennett) discovers that her daughter Bea (Geraldine Brooks) has started seeing an older man (Shepperd Strudwick) with a shady reputation, she decides to meet him in downtown Los Angeles and tell him straight in his face to walk away from her. Instead of opposing her request, however, the ‘boyfriend’ offers her a deal -- if she pays him a large sum of money, he would instantly end his relationship with Bea and she would never hear from him again; if she does not, nothing changes and she would have to learn to tolerate his existence. Barely able to contain her anger, Lucia rejects the deal and immediately heads home determined to tell Bea about the deal and change her mind. Later that night, Bea and her lover meet in the back of her home, and while having an argument she accidentally kills him. When the terrified Bea reveals to Lucia what has just happened, she tells her to forget about it and let her figure out what needs to be done. On the next day, Lucia loads the cold body on the family’s boat and then dumps it in the water, assuming that no one would ever find it.

A few days later, however, a man (James Mason) with an Irish accent appears and demands that he and his associates are paid $5,000 so that Bea’s involvement with her ‘boyfriend’ is never revealed to the local authorities. With her husband on business in Berlin, Lucia begins looking for ways to collect the money, and the more she struggles, the more the man begins admiring her and her determination to protect her daughter.

As noted earlier, the progression of the story isn’t exactly unusual, so this isn’t where the film excels. Its brilliance comes from the subtle nuances in the relationships between the main characters, which eventually begin redefining the various rights and wrongs. For example, prior to the arrival of Mason’s character it is virtually impossible to excuse the mother’s cover-up and for a while it does look like she is the main villain the film. Then a bigger and more complete picture with the dead man right in the middle of it emerges and the mother’s desperate actions become a lot easier to justify; she is no longer the villain either. It is here that the viewer also begins to ponder different ‘what if’ scenarios that could have produced much greater drama, and whether fate might have in fact chosen the least tragic one. So, Mason’s visitor not only resets the balance of powers, but also the viewer’s previously supposedly logical take on the entire story.

Bennett’s performance is very strong but it has to be said that she is not the conventional femme fatale that classic film noirs from the same era promoted. It balances realism and melodrama in a way that brings her character closer to the ones that will soon begin emerging in Douglas Sirk’s films. On the other hand, Mason’s visitor has the dark aura that a lot of classic ‘bad’ guys had and nothing that he says or does weakens its presence.

The film’s stylistic appearance is quite fluid as well. Parts of it definitely embrace noirish lighting and contrasts, but there is a lot of footage that emphasizes the more naturalistic qualities that conventional dramas from the same period are known for. Also, this film does not have any of that strikingly elegant camera movement that Ophuls emphasized in his great European dramas.

The Reckless Moment Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Max Ophüls' The Reckless Moment arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. Predictably, there are some noticeable limitations on it. For example, while depth is quite good, plenty of the indoor and darker footage conveys crushing that tends to make the visuals look thicker and flatter. There are also small density fluctuations, though I personally did not find them distracting at all. (Lucia's visit to the pawn shop is one of the weakest looking segments in the entire film. Screencapture #14 is from it). Grain is present and noticeable, but a new and higher-quality remaster of the film will offer plenty of improvements in terms of stability and exposure. The grading is fine, but as mentioned above blacks could look stronger and in darker footage where they impact the overall balance (see screencaptures #16 and 19). Image stability is good. A few minor scratches remain, but there are no large debris, cuts, warped to torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to access its content regardless of your geographical location).

The Reckless Moment Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity and balance are very good, which makes all of the exchanges throughout the film very easy to follow. Some of the music that is used, however, has weak upper register, and at times it feels like it struggles to stay remain free of distortions. I don't know if a future remaster could offer any meaningful improvements, but this is the one area where the age of the film definitely shows.

The Reckless Moment Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making an American Moview - in this documentary feature, Lutz Bacher, artist and author of Max Ophuls in the Hollywood Studios, discusses the different phases of Max Ophuls' career, the evolution of his artistic style, and the production of The Reckless Moment. The featurette was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (44 min, 1080p).

• Maternal Overdrive - in this archival program, Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) discusses the conception of The Reckless Moment and highlights some of its key qualities. The program was produced in 2006. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• James Mason as Homme Fatal - presented here is footage from a recent event in which Adrian Garvey examines the career and legacy of James Mason. The event was held at Birkbeck, University of London, on May 26, 2018. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080p).

• Focus on James Mason: Audience Discussion - additional footage from the same event that was held at Birkbeck, University of London, hosted by Adrian Garvey and Sarah Thomas. The discussion that is presented here followed a screening of The Reckless Moment. In English, not subtitled. (40 min, 1080p).

• James Mason: Watching the Violence Unfold - additional footage from the same event that was at at Birkbeck, University of London, hosted by Sarah Thomas. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, 1080p).

• Image and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 1.0.

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage production and promotional materials for The Reckless Moment.

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Samm Deighan, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

The Reckless Moment Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Reckless Moment offers a very unorthodox mix of qualities. One part of it looks very comfortable carrying the stylistic identity of a classic film noir, but there is a bigger part that heads down the same path that later many of Douglas Sirk's melodramas will explore. The end result is a film with some great character arcs that in certain ways actually make it look surprisingly modern. Fans of Max Ophuls' work should not miss it. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' recent release of The Reckless Moment is sourced from an old but decent organic master that was prepared by Sony Pictures, and is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.