Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Reluctant Debutante Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 21, 2020

Vincente Minnelli's enjoyable 1958 romantic comedy The Reluctant Debutante remains a standout production with great performances from top to bottom. Although its titular character Jane Broadbent (Sandra Dee, Gidget) steals a couple of scenes with her suitor David Parkson (John Saxon, Enter the Dragon), this film really belongs to Jimmy and Sheila Broadbent (Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall, who were married the previous year) -- he's quick-witted and charismatic as her doting daddy, while she's a finicky and patronizing stepmother more concerned with name value than Jane's own happiness. It's fitting that everything ends on a happy note...but up until that great moment, The Reluctant Debutante is a reliably entertaining comedy of errors that holds up pretty damn well more than 60 years later.

It starts off like this: 17-year-old Jane has finally made the flight from America to her wealthy father's home in London. It's been at least two years since they've seen each other so Jimmy waits excitedly at the gate with new wife Sheila, who has yet to meet the young lady. To their surprise she's blossomed into a beautiful young woman and Sheila, ever the social butterfly, can't wait to plan Jane's big debut. It seems common, among their wealthy circle of friends, to attend an endless cycle of elaborate ballroom dances designed to show off their children and find a well-to-do mate. Before long, Sheila's already picked one out for her stepdaughter: toothy bore David Fenner (Peter Myers), who'd rather talk about traffic patterns than anything of real interest. Meanwhile, Jane's got her eye on drummer David -- but while her dad warms up to the polite young man, Sheila sees him as nothing more than low-class trouble.

The Reluctant Debutante has a few tricks up its sleeve that elevate it above the plain-wrap plot. Chief among them is a top-notch script loaded with quotable one-liners and quick retorts -- many by Rex Harrison, in top form here -- as well as a game supporting cast that includes memorable turns by Angela Lansbury and Diane Clare (perhaps best known for The Haunting), who play a mother-daughter team that respectively serves as Sheila's good "friend" and at least one point in multiple love triangles. Capably directed by Minnelli, The Reluctant Debutante moves at a very good clip and ends on a terrific and satisfying note for almost all of its main and supporting characters -- some finally receive their long-overdue comeuppance, which feels entirely appropriate for a film that maintains such a light and likable touch. Appropriately enough, Sandra Dee and John Saxon would appear in two more films together: The Restless Years (released just a few short months later) and 1960's Portrait in Black, but this is the best of the bunch. As for Kay Kendall, this would be her second-to-last film role before the actress' untimely death at the age of 32.

Only a modest hit at the time of its release, The Reluctant Debutante has aged surprisingly well since 1958, and even more so if you're keen on British humor and culture. Its very memorable characters, well-rounded performances, and excellent dialogue carry all the load here -- the lavish homes and ballrooms are beautifully decorated but still get a little tiresome after awhile, as I'd have loved to see young David and Jane explore the city a little more. Still, The Reluctant Debutante maintains a very satisfying groove and I'd imagine that die-hard fans will really appreciate Warner Archive Collection's new Blu-ray: its rock-solid A/V presentation makes this nicely-shot production sparkle like new.

The Reluctant Debutante Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not surprisingly, Warner Archive serves up another winning 1080p transfer that die-hard fans will enjoy. Likely sourced from a recent 2K scan of the interpositive, The Reluctant Debutante features all the film-like clarity, texture, and detail you'd expect from such careful treatment, which also includes lots of manual clean-up to remove pesky dirt and debris without hurting the natural grain structure of this handsomely-framed Cinemascope production. Colors are warm and natural when needed, with many of the reds popping nicely; this is especially true of certain dresses and background elements. Black levels run deep with almost no crush, although some of the darkest elements like tuxedos can't help but look flat with limited shadow detail. As usual, the bit rate runs high and no compression-related issues could be spotted along the way. Overall, more fine work from one of the most reliable studios in the business.

The Reluctant Debutante Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The purist-friendly DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio also does a fine job of preserving its one-channel source, although it's mostly limited to conversations between two or three people. More crowded scenes exhibit good placement and achieve modest depth, while the fuller moments are almost all related to music -- Eddie Warner's original score, of course, but also the diegetic performances including David Parkson's band and drum solos. No source defects could be detected, and the stray uses of ADR also blend in pretty seamlessly with a few very brief exceptions. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature; these are formatted nicely and fit inside the 2.35:1 frame.

The Reluctant Debutante Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with poster-themed artwork. Extras are minimal.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:23, 1080p) - Watch this jazzy vintage promotional piece on Warner Archive's YouTube channel here, as well the opening scene in HD and another clip while you're at it.

The Reluctant Debutante Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vincente Minnelli's The Reluctant Debutante is an enjoyable romantic romp with great lead and supporting performers who make their characters very memorable. Not far behind are its excellent script and countless one-liners, which imbue a lot of the dialogue with energy to spare. It all adds up to a light and breezy crowd-pleaser that plays very well more than six decades later. Warner Archive's Blu-ray follows suit with another high-quality 1080p transfer and lossless audio, both of which will exceed the expectations of die-hard fans and newcomers alike. Highly recommended!