7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In a rare dramatic role, Esther Williams stars as a high school teacher stalked by a peeping tom who might be the same homicidal sex fiend wanted by the police. Based on a story by Rosalind Russell and Larry Marcus, The Unguarded Moment is a moody melodrama that co-stars John Saxon in one of his first major roles and George Nader as the investigating detective.
Starring: Esther Williams, George Nader, John Saxon, Edward Andrews (I), Les TremayneFilm-Noir | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Melodrama | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Harry Keller's "The Unguarded Moment" (1956) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Pictures. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by author/critic David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau; new audio commentary by film scholar Jason A. Ney; and vintage trailer. In Engish, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Unguarded Moment arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a recent 2K master that was prepared at Universal Pictures. The film looks healthy and attractive, in some areas quite good, too. However, in order for its Technicolor visuals to look as good as they should, it has to be properly restored. No, I am not implying that you will be disappointed by the equality of the technical presentation, but if you know how good Technicolor films can look, you will quickly conclude that there are areas where a lot of meaningful improvements can be made. For example, density levels can be superior, and if they are you will see several key improvements that will affect delineation and depth. While color balance is convincing, there are areas with minor registration issues, plus saturation levels could be better as well. Image stability is good. Some small blemishes and tiny specks remain, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, this release offers a solid organic presentation of the film, but ideally its visuals could look quite a bit better. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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.
I did not encounter any serious issues to report in our review. I think that there are a few areas where the upper register could be a tad healthier, but the corrections that can be made there are what I usually refer to as cosmetic work. The basics of the lossless audio track are solid -- clarity, sharpness, balance, and dynamic intensity are all very good.
More than two-thirds of the drama in The Unguarded Moment will not materialize if the supposedly very intelligent school teacher Esther Williams plays stopped "helping". As the drama begins to unfold her reads of the rights and wrongs become so awful that the tragic events at the end of the film seem unavoidable. I think that The Unguarded Moment will appeal to folks that enjoy Douglas Sirk's melodramas from the 1950s but it should be approached with modest expectations. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a slightly rough yet quite good recent 2K master that was prepared at Universal Pictures. RECOMMENDED.
1958
1949
1962
Limited Edition of 2000
1963
1944
1975
Warner Archive Collection
1944
1946
1945
Reissue
1957
Limited Edition to 3000
1968
Includes They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! and The Organization on standard BD
1967
One Woman
1949
1948
Limited Edition to 3000
1950
Encore Edition | Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1953
1957
1942
1945
1950