7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In 1928, young heiress Martha Ivers fails to run off with friend Sam Masterson, and is involved in fatal events. Years later, Sam returns to find Martha the power behind Iverstown and married to "good boy" Walter O'Neil, now district attorney. At first, Sam is more interested in displaced blonde Toni Marachek than in his boyhood friends; but they draw him into a convoluted web of plotting and cross-purposes.
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Judith AndersonFilm-Noir | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Lewis Milestone's "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by author and film historian Alan K. Rode. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
After the beating
Presented in an 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 Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a recent 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures. This is a solid organic master, but I have to make it very clear that the film has not been meticulously restored. Why? The surface of the visuals reveals numerous small but noticeable blemishes, marks, and scratches. Also, there are a few areas with density inconsistencies that are very clearly not introduced by the original cinematography. Again, I quite like how the film looks now and even on a very large screen, when projected, the visuals boast solid organic qualities, but it appears that the film was simply transferred in 4K with minimal corrective work. The grayscale is very convincing. However, in some areas there is room for minor adjustments that could have helped the different ranges of grays to appear more convincing. Image stability is good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, if you turn up the volume enough so that you can hear absolutely everything that is being said, from time to time you are likely going to detect the presence of an extremely light buzz in the upper register. It never becomes even remotely distracting, but I have to mention it. Dynamic intensity is quite limited, though this should not be surprising given the age of the film.
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. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a solid recent 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Warner Archive Collection
1949
1946
1955
1945
1946
Warner Archive Collection
1947
Special Edition
1953
1950
1945
I Married a Dead Man
1950
1948
Warner Archive Collection
1947
1952
1948
1949
Hot Spot
1941
Warner Archive Collection
1949
Warner Archive Collection
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1947
1948