Three Comrades Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Three Comrades Blu-ray Movie Review

Four, if you count Patricia.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 7, 2025

Based on Erich Maria Remarque's then-recent novel and built from a screenplay partially penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald (his only film credit), Frank Borzage's Three Comrades' only real sin is terrible timing. Produced several years after the introduction of the Hays Code, it disappointingly downplays the novel's anti-Nazi sentiments and other "controversial" elements to presumably appease international markets -- something director Borzage would rebuff two years later with The Mortal Storm, thankfully. Despite the bitter aftertaste of studio interference, Three Comrades largely survives this meddling thanks to a quartet of outstanding performances and top-level production design, all of which contribute to an engaging and only occasionally melodramatic story of friendship and romance in post-WWI Germany.

I'll keep this one short and sweet, since the generally lesser-known Three Comrades is best approached with as few spoilers as possible. Essentially, it follows a trio of titular men: Erich Lohkamp (Robert Taylor, Waterloo Bridge), Otto Köster (Franchot Tone, Mutiny on the Bounty), and Gottfried Lenz (Robert Young, The Enchanted Cottage), all German soldiers who return home unsure about the future but convinced their shared friendship and a joint business venture will help them succeed. After a surprisingly dangerous impromptu car chase with two total strangers, the three friends meet Herr Breuer (Lionel Atwill, To Be Or Not To Be) and and Pat Hollmann (Margaret Sullavan, The Shop Around the Corner); the latter is a society woman who's gradually lost her fortune, but finds herself attracted to Erich and they begin seeing one another. Although their finances are similar, Erich and Pat's social statuses are still vastly different -- something he finds out the hard way at an opera -- but she remains convinced that they're a perfect match. A sudden revelation of sickness, unknown to one of them until a near-fatal incident, threatens their happiness... but they're as mutually supportive of each other as the three friends, whose bond will hopefully endure.

Balancing the ups and downs of life with enduring optimism while set against a tumultuous post-war backdrop doesn't sound like a guaranteed recipe for success, but Three Comrades shows remarkable restraint while nonetheless wearing its heart on its sleeve. The film's appealing flow and cast chemistry really do work overtime here, helping the story to overcome those studio-meddling sidesteps with only a few era-specific illogical elements to show for it. (Let's just say that very few German accents are even attempted here.) While not quite a full-on four-star classic in all respects, it's the kind of film that's just close enough to get a courtesy bump... and this is partially due to that lesser-known status, even though Warner Archive previously issued Three Comrades on DVD during their first year of existence all the way back in 2009. While that disc was hampered by an old master sourced from inferior elements, this welcome new Blu-ray edition turns the tide dramatically and stands as yet another top-tier release from the boutique label.

Three Comrades Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's terrific new restoration of Three Comrades replaces a 32-year old master used for TV broadcasts as well as one of the boutique label's very first DVD releases back in 2009, and their pristine work yields as massive of an improvement as expected in all departments. It's been sourced from a recent 4K scan of the best-available preservation elements; in this case, that translates to a second-generation safety element created by MGM during the 1960s... which is fortunate, as the original nitrate negative for Three Comrades, like countless other MGM Golden Age films, was later destroyed in the tragic 1978 George Eastman House fire. As always, this scanned element was treated to a round of the boutique label's careful manual cleanup process, which has removed all major traces of dirt, debris, and other damage while maintaining an organic and film-like texture that far outpaces previous iterations and likely meets if not exceeds the quality of original theatrical showings. I almost sound like a broken record at this point, but Warner Archive has once again outdone themselves with this restoration so fans and newcomers should buy with confidence.

Three Comrades Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's more teriffic news in the audio department, as Warner Archive's lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is likewise a reasonably crisp and robust effort that certainly outpaces earlier home video editions. Dialogue is extremely clear and easily understood, with effects and music cues -- in this case, the enjoyable original score by composer Franz Waxman -- coming through with no prevailing signs of damage except for understandable amounts of occasional hiss left untouched to avoid damaging the original dynamic range. Regarding the channel spread, Warner Archive's usual policy of presenting the original mono mix in a split two-channel container preserves its original intent while ever-so-slightly widening the soundstage for a fuller listening experience. In all respects, it's just more good work from the boutique label and, as usual, gets the job done without necessarily calling attention to itself.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Three Comrades Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with attractive vintage poster-themed cover artwork. All three era-specific bonus features are taken from a standard definition source and are in rough but watchable condition.

• The Face Behind the Mask (10:46) - Not to be confused with the 1941 film starring Peter Lorre, this 1938 historical short film is narrated by John Nesbitt and directed by Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past); it concerns three potential answers for the real identity of France's infamous "man in the iron mask".

• How to Raise a Baby (3:02) - A much more comedic detour, this bite-sized 1938 short stars Robert Benchley as a man who lectures the audience about proper child rearing while ignoring his own advice.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (3:26) - "Pictorially Previewing the Love Story of the Month!" This enjoyable vintage promotional piece can also be seen in all its glory here.

Three Comrades Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Much like I said in my recent review of The Beast of the City, Frank Borzage's Three Comrades is an otherwise solid effort whose studio-influenced message leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste. This is clearly at least a slightly better film, though, and largely due to the quartet of enjoyable performances and a more appealing story. As with the wide majority of deep catalog cuts handled by Warner Archive, Three Comrades is more a hidden gem than a curiosity and thus deserves to be (re)discovered by a new generation of fans. The boutique label's new Blu-ray serves as a perfect entry point, offering top-tier A/V merits and a few thoughtful era-specific extras. Recommended.