Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.5 |
| Video |  | 4.5 |
| Audio | | 3.5 |
| Extras |  | 1.5 |
| Overall |  | 3.0 |
Without Love Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson December 22, 2021
Without Love (1945) was the third of nine cinematic collaborations between the legendary screen duo of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It's based on Philip Barry's 1942 play, Without Love: A Comedy in Three Acts, which he later revised and rewrote for the stage. Barry had also authored the plays Holiday and The Philadelphia Story of which Hepburn later starred in the eponymous screen adaptations. According to author Homer Dickens, Hepburn gave 113 performances as Jamie Rowan in the Broadway production of Without Love. Hepburn wanted Tracy to play opposite her on the stage but a combination of the actor's heavy drinking, his desire to remain predominantly in his California home, and the extensive preparation he foresaw in portraying Patrick Jamieson opposite Hepburn prevented a stage pairing. Elliott Nugent, who was way down on the list of thespians for the male lead, replaced Tracy but he turned out to be an even heavier drinker than Tracy! Barry's play only received a lukewarm reception from theater critics but was a pretty big box-office draw thanks solely to Hepburn.
In her memoirs, Me: Stories of My Life, Hepburn wrote that she brought Without Love to MGM. Louis B. Mayer was initially hesitant to purchase the rights because Dragon Seed (1944), Hepburn's prior picture at the studio, didn't fare well commercially. However, producer Lawrence Weingarten, who shepherded the project, convinced Mayer that it could be successful if Tracy was added to the cast. Both Hepburn and Tracy wanted to try their hands at more lighthearted material following the politically infused Keeper of the Flame (1942).
Screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart, who adapted
Holiday (1938) and
The Philadelphia Story (1940), changed several elements of the play. Barry portrayed Pat Jamieson as an Irish-American diplomat who tries to get Ireland into the war effort. Barry alters the character so he's an aeronautical engineer working on clandestine projects for the US War Department. Stewart made other changes that effectively depoliticized the original material. Hepburn biographers Darwin Porter and Barbara Leaming have chronicled how Barry loathed Stewart's screen adaptation. Porter even recounted an hour-long phone conversation between Barry and Hepburn in which the former screamed to her in disgust over Stewart's alterations.
The film version of
Without Love is set in Washington DC during a housing shortage. Pat Jamieson (Spencer Tracy) meets an inebriated Quentin Ladd (Keenan Wynn) in a carriage one night as the two return to the country home where Quentin is staying at. This is the residence of his cousin, Jamie Rowan (Katharine Hepburn). The following morning, Quentin is surprised to find Pat working in the basement. Quentin's girlfriend Edwina (Patricia Morison) is also aghast at this stranger's presence but Pat talks his way into staying. When Jamie arrives, she's expecting a caretaker to arrive for an interview but Pat shuffles the real candidate out the door only to persuade her that he'd like to be the one. At first, Jamie scoffs at the idea but becomes intrigued when Pat demonstrates an oxygen mask he's testing at high altitudes. Jamie volunteers to be Pat's test subject in the hyperbaric chamber.
Jamie proposes that Pat and her enter in a marriage of convenience. She had a perfect marriage that ended after her husband died tragically only two years into it. Pat is in an on/off again romance with a French socialite. Jamie and Pat partake in a platonic relationship that brings unexpected romantic sparks.
Without Love benefits from Stewart's deft comical touches and the wonderful ways that Tracy and Hepburn play off each other. But at 111 minutes, it drags on too long as similar comedic skits repeat themselves. Keenan Wynn is a hoot at Jamie's cousin as is his other girlfriend in the picture,
Kitty, a real estate agent who's not overplayed in the least by Lucille Ball. The picture is a minor Tracy-Hepburn effort not without its moments.
Without Love Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray is struck from a 4K scan that looks quite impressive. Grain is evenly balanced throughout the frame. Black levels are deep and crisp. Contrast is solid and grayscale is excellent. Dirt and debris are largely absent. The MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 sports an average video bitrate of 34999 kbps.
Warner provides thirty chapters for the feature.
Without Love Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Warner supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono (1877 kbps, 24-bit) track that's free from audible hiss, scratches, and dropouts. Dialogue is clear and comprehensible for the most part, although range and pitch varies. I loved Tracy's abridged piano performance of Debussy's Clair de Lune. Bronislau Kaper composed the underscore.
I watched Without Love a second time with the yellow English SDH. They accurately transcribe 98 percent of the dialogue.
Without Love Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- 1945 MGM Short: Purity Squad (19:52, upconverted to 1080p) - Part of the "Crime Does Not Pay" series, this short concerns the drug "Diabulin" as a substitute for insulin. The image has not been restored. In English, not subtitled.
- Cartoon: Swing Shift Cinderella (7:46, upconverted to 1080p) - directed by Tex Avery, this MGM short (also from 1945) previously appeared on a 2007 Warner DVD. It doesn't appear any further restoration work has been done on the image, although it does come with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono mix.
- Theatrical Trailer (2:04, upconverted to 1080p) - an unrestored original theatrical trailer of Without Love that comes with DTS-HD MA Dual Mono sound.
Without Love Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Without Love is an amusing and entertaining comedic romp that's among the least known of the Tracy and Hepburn films. It would been better if it trimmed some of the secondary characters and included more of Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball, who are delightful and don't overstay their welcome. The Warner Archive presents a sterling HD presentation of Karl Freund's black-and-white cinematography. The lossless monaural mix is solid. Extras are studio-era fillers. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED to fans of the principals, although you may want to rent it first before considering a purchase.
