The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 24, 2022

Lewis Milestone's "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by author and film historian Alan K. Rode; archival program with Kirk Douglas; Gene Feldman's documentary "Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line"; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Do you remember?

You are not going to see another film in which Kirk Douglas has a major part but is convincingly overshadowed by another big actor that also has a major part. Such a film does not exist. In Lewis Milestone’s The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Van Heflin forces Douglas into his shadow and makes him look smaller. It is not that Douglas is not good either, it is just that Heflin is much, much better and has a commanding presence throughout the entire film.

In the long prologue, the young Martha attempts to run away with her best friend Sam but the two are caught at the train station and brought back to her very wealthy and abusive aunt. After Sam escapes, the fuming Martha kills her aunt in an “accident” that is corroborated by her second best friend, Walter.

Nearly two decades later, Sam (Heflin) returns to the small town where he grew up with Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) and discovers that Walter (Douglas) is running to be reelected as a District Attorney. Sam also learns that Martha has married Walter and after successfully expanding her businesses now has a firm grip on the town’s economy. While waiting to have his car fixed, Sam then bumps into Toni Marachek (Lizabeth Scott), buys her a drink in a local bar, and the two begin a casual affair. While Tony waits for him in the hotel, Sam meets his old friend Walter, who immediately misinterprets the purpose of his visit and that he is roughed up and sent on his way out of town. Eventually, Sam also reunites with Martha, who reluctantly reveals to him that her life could have been a lot better had he stayed around and taken Walter’s role in it. Unsure whether to attempt to rebuild his past relationship with Martha or move forward with Toni, Sam finds himself fighting contrasting feelings and emotions that could force him to make an unforgivable mistake.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is based on playwright Jack Patrick’s short story Love Lies Bleeding, but Milestone’s treatment of the original material is very unique. However, it is the construction of the character arcs rather than the structure of the story and events that are part of it that makes the film special.

Unfortunately, in its current form The Strange Love of Martha Ivers does not reflect Milestone’s original vision of it. During the production process, Milestone repeatedly clashed with the powerful producer Hal B. Wallis and the two could not compromise on how entire sections of the film were to be staged and shot. According to Douglas, there is material in the film that was not even shot by Milestone. Byron Haskin was brought to do it, though he is not officially credited for his contribution.

But the character arcs are so good that even though it is quite easy to identify a few areas where key developments do not align as well as they could have the drama remains riveting. It is the very fluid balance of power between the leads that makes the crucial difference. Indeed, as soon as the film moves to the present, Milestone allows the four leads to establish personalities that impact the nature of the drama in a non-homogenous manner, making their interactions quite unpredictable as well. This is the reason noir, melodrama, and old-fashioned romance keep overlapping until the very end, too.

While a direct comparison with the work of Douglas Sirk may seem odd because it is unclear what Milestone’s original vision of The Strange Love of Martha Ivers was, the similarities are unquestionably there to be recognized. For example, Sirk’s Written on the Wind produces a very similar multi-layered drama that is defined by superb character arcs rather than a spectacularly crafted mosaic of events.

Oscar-winning cinematographer Victor Milner gives The Strange Love of Martha Ivers a rich visual appearance, which could have been suitable for a Sirk film as well. The soundtrack was created by another Oscar winner, the great maestro Miklos Rosza.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures and the folks at Kino Lorber used to produce this release for the U.S. market. Unsurprisingly, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers looks as it does on the Kino Lorber release. Despite some minor surface imperfections -- like small blemishes, marks, and scratches -- the visuals have solid organic qualities. A proper 4K restoration could have addressed some density fluctuations and introduced small but meaningful stabilizations in a few areas, but even on a very large screen everything looks good. I previously mentioned that the grayscale is convincing but there is room for some minor adjustments. On this release, this remains true, and as you can tell from the screencaptures we have included with our review, the gamma/grayscale balance remains the same. All in all, slightly uneven, this is a fine organic presentation of The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The quality of the lossless track is identical to that of the lossless track from the U.S. release. This means that all exchanges are clear and easy to follow but there is room for small cosmetic adjustments. When I view my films, I usually turn up the volume quite a bit and on this release it is sometimes easy to hear extremely light buzz in the upper register. It is not distracting, but there are digital tools that easily could have removed it.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and film historian Alan K. Rode. It is predictably excellent. Mr. Rode shares a great deal of factual information about the conception and production of The Strange Love of Martha Ivers as well as its visual appearance and genre identity.

• Kirk Douglas on "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" - in this archival program, Kirk Douglas recalls how he was offered his first major part in a Hollywood film (which was in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers), what it was like to work with Van Heflin and Barbara Stanwyck, a sickening smoking experience, and how his career progressed after working with Lewis Milestone. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• "Barbara Stanwyck - From Stage to Screen to Legend" - in this exclusive new program, Alan K. Rode discusses the acting legacy of Barbara Stanwyck and explains why she should be considered Hollywood's greatest female star. Rode also explains why Stanwyck's career became her identity. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• "Domestic Terror: Barbara Stanwyck and the Gothic Noir" - this exclusive new video essay was produced by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• "Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line" - this archival documentary explores the illustrious cinematic legacy of Barbara Stanwyck and her image as a tough woman. Included in it are clips from interviews with Charlton Heston, Robert Wagner, Robert Stack, Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalban, producer Aaron Spelling, fashion designer Nolan Miller, and biographer Bob Thomas, amongst others. The documentary was written and directed by Gene Feldman in 1997. In English, not subtitled. (54 min).

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is unclear how The Strange Love of Martha Ivers would have looked if Lewis Milestone had been allowed to have total creative control over it. To be honest, I am actually unsure how much of the material in it comes from Milestone's original vision of the film. However, I still think that in its current form The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is really, really good. The character arcs are outstanding and the multi-layered drama, or melodrama if you will, very much reminds of the one that is typically associated with Douglas Sirk's best work. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a solid recent 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures. It is included in Essential Film Noir - Collection 3, a four-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.