Synopsis
Gregory Peck is having trouble making ends meet in his current job. A more lucrative one opens up, but with it comes many more demands that create more stress in his family. There is also a secret from his past that is coming back to haunt him.
Eminently watchable, this is also hugely melodramatic, very long, and quite dated. Jennifer Jones as Peck’s wife comes off almost immediately as an intolerable shrew, berating her husband for lack of ambition and complaining about the suppos…dly awful house they’re living in, a house that will strike most viewers as being very spacious, thank you very much. So suspension of disbelief can be a problem. Still, the film does hold one’s attention.
Audio
This has one of the better 2.0 stereo mixes in the Studio Classics series (perhaps being the soundtrack’s original form, as there is no mono option included). The music has a fine, rich sound to it, and there are no surround dialogue issues. The voices are undistorted, too. The surround FX are low key and subtle, but they are there, filling in the sound a bit.
Video
One can only imagine what an atrocity fullscreen versions of this film must be, given that here we see the careful compositions in full 2.55:1 anamorphic widescreen. The print is in excellent shape, with no grain or damage to speak of. The colours, flesh tones and blacks are all fine, and the image is sharp.
Special Features
James Monaco’s commentary isn’t always terribly useful or relevant – he spends a lot of the time talking about how New York and surroundings have changed since the film was made, and pointing out the obvious on-screen. The usual Movietone newsreel, still gallery, trailer and restoration comparison round things out. The menu is basic.
Closing Thoughts
A lesser entry in the Studio Classics series, but still an intriguing one for all that.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Movietone Newsreel
- Still Gallery
- Restoration Comparison
- Theatrical Trailer
