6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Every rental is rented, every sublet is let in crowded Washington, D.C. So Jamie Rowan does her part for the wartime lodging crunch by sharing her home with military inventor Pat Jamieson. There are a few conditions, natch. First, for appearances, they must get married. Second, theres plenty of room for each other...but no room for love. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn team for the third time in Without Love, played for laughs and, above all, with love. Donald Ogden Stewart adapts Philip Barrys play (five years earlier, both helped shape Hepburns comeback movie, The Philadelphia Story). And Keenan Wynns bibulous bon vivant, Lucille Balls wisecracking girl Friday and Gloria Grahames flower girl add to the movies urbane wit and warmth.
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Keenan Wynn, Carl EsmondRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 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, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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).
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.
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 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.
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