Synopsis
Lee Remick travels to Columbus, Texas, so her young daughter can meet the father she hasnever known. Steve McQueen is but recently out of jail, and rather than settling down, dreams ofbeing a songwriter and singer. He is surprised to see Remick and daughter, but welcomes them.He is too volatile for life to be happy, however, and in spite of the best efforts of gentle deputyDon Murray to keep things in line, the situation grows every more dire.
Lee Remick is one of c…nema’s great sufferers. She suffers incredibly well, her eyes wideningas her brow furrows into the very picture of uncomprehending hurt. And suffer she does here too,almost from the very beginning. She does it well, but one can’t help but wish she was given achance to show her range for more (amply on display in Days of Wine and Roses). SteveMcQueen, on the other hand, is less at ease in his role, and his lip-synching rockabilly scenes arehilariously embarrassing.
Audio
Mono sound. Perfectly serviceable, with a surprisingly rich range on the music score. Crisp,clean, with no background hiss, and decently nuanced, it does the job just fine. And there are nodubious stereo remixes to deal with.
Video
The picture is, initially, quite grainy. Though this aspect improves, the grain never goes awayentirely. There is also speckling. The image is sharp enough, even with these flaws. There is nonoticeable edge enhancement, and the grey tones of the black-and-white are very nice. The aspectis 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.
Special Features
None to speak of. Trailers for The Bedford Incident, Fail Safe and In ColdBlood. That’s it.
Closing Thoughts
Lovely B&W photography, and an interesting drama, though some of the interest comesclose to morbid, given McQueen’s hilarious rocking out.
Special Features List
- Trailers
