The Scar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Scar Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 25, 2017

From 1948, “The Scar” (originally titled “Hollow Triumph”) takes its plotting very seriously. It’s no romp with crooks and cops, but a strange, vaguely “Twilight Zone”-ish journey of a stolen identity that winds through complications that touch on romance and paranoia. Star Paul Henreid (who also produces) assumes command of the feature’s uneasy tone, working well with director Steve Sekely, who constructs a noir playground of shadows and danger while sustaining a screenplay (written by Daniel Fuchs, who adapts a novel by Murray Forbes) that’s restless, continually redefining the stakes to maintain surprise.

Henreid stars as Muller, a recent parolee who finds himself in great danger when he immediately returns to crime, botching a casino robbery. Trying to remain one step ahead of the mob, Muller finds sanctuary as another man, stealing respectability as he assumes a therapist’s identity. “The Scar” isn’t simplified, following its literary lead as Muller’s odyssey of self-preservation inspires unusual criminal ideas, including a chance to take a new life, which provides a shot a romantic salvation with the dead man’s secretary, Evelyn (Joan Bennett).

The Scar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation is billed as a new HD remaster, allowing "The Scar" to more closely resemble its initial theatrical release than previous home video offerings were able to achieve. Source shows a little wear and tear, with mild scratches, speckling, and a few pronounced reel changes, definitely reminding the viewer of the movie's age. However, clarity is strong, working with period cinematography to pick up on facial particulars and textured costuming. Softness is there, but not excessive, handling imagery with filmic care. Delineation is comfortable, making sense of the production's limited lighting. Some banding is detected.

The Scar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA is a basic offering of period aural craftsmanship, leading with intelligible dialogue exchanges that lack precision, but remain open for interpretation, preserving performances. Scoring also lacks edge, but moods are sold with volume, taking command of suspense when necessary. Sound effects remain loud, including snappy gunshots. Hiss and pops are present throughout.

The Scar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Imogen Sara Smith.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The Scar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Scar" is engaging enough, and Sekely keeps things lively with chase sequences, bombing around Los Angeles, using some touristy locations in the process. Henried is also quite good in the lead role, handling a bent duality that inspires some of the feature's best scenes of suspense. "The Scar" isn't a prime example of noir, but it participates in the genre with enthusiasm, cooking up enough mysterious encounters and precise cinematography to beguile.