Woman of Straw Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Woman of Straw Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 15, 2015

As a twisty crime picture, 1964’s “Woman of Straw” is a slow-burn affair, attempting to beguile audiences with a little heat generated between stars Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery (in the same film year, the actor would conquer the globe with “Goldfinger”), and incite some hatred for Ralph Richardson, who plays a broadly loathsome character. The movie doesn’t offer an especially tight screenplay, content to draw out the obvious for as long as possible, but as a mid-level thriller with a few interesting left turns, “Woman of Straw” manages to satisfy, perhaps best appreciated when it dives into abhorrent behavior.

Richardson portrays Charles, a troubled tycoon confined to a wheelchair, lashing out at the world around him, including nephew Tony (Connery). Charles is a doozy, batting around his pet dogs and treating his black caretakers like animals, openly racist and dismissive. Tony’s scheme to urge kindly nurse Maria (Lollobrigida) to marry the elderly monster for an inheritance fortune drives the plot of “Woman of Straw” (adapted from the book by Catherine Arley), but the picture mostly resides in private interactions. We watch as Tony warms Maria up, using his sexual presence to direct the uncertain woman into unsavory decisions. And there’s Charles, who’s a demanding ghoul, with Beethoven scoring his mental illness, but loneliness remains, with Maria a calming presence, making marriage a natural progression of their relationship. Wicked plans are created and near-misses periodically arrive to spice up the proceedings.

Woman of Straw Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The "Woman of Straw" viewing experience is tricky to assess. The AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation feels adequately filmic, with passable detail on facial responses and costumes, and locations also carry necessary texture. Colors are also acceptable, delivering cinematographic intent without overt fade, with bright primaries for outdoor adventures, and costuming allows for a range of hues. Skintones look accurate as well. Shadow detail could be better, with some instances of solidification, and grain does slip into bursts of noise on occasion. The print is problematic, riddled with chemical burns, scratches, flicker, debris, and, for a brief sequence, discoloration on the right side of the frame. The disc certainly delivers an HD event, just not a fresh one.

Woman of Straw Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries a degree of murkiness, fighting age and troubling source quality to capture dramatic intent. Levels are soft, requiring a boost in volume to bring up to acceptable standards. Hiss and pops are present, but never overwhelm dialogue exchanges, which maintain shape but not always detail, finding highs fuzzy and lows dulled. Scoring is similar, remaining identifiable without definition.

Woman of Straw Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Woman of Straw Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Woman of Straw" takes a detour in its second half, blending a police procedural with mild take on "Weekend at Bernie's." Yet, with such oddity there for prime exploitation, the script plays somewhat conventionally, working toward pressure points that accentuate betrayals and criminal suspicion. "Woman of Straw" is certainly entertaining, only in need of a tighter edit to keep its devilish behavior on the go, encouraging a more excitable response.