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Blu-ray Review The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Richard Gallagher

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The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry Blu-ray Review

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry is an engrossing film noir about a domineering woman who never wants her middle-aged, bachelor brother to ever be married and leave home. Expertly directed by Robert Siodmak (The Spiral Staircase, Criss Cross, The Killers) the film is marred only by an ending which was forced upon the filmmakers by the Motion Picture Production Code.



Studio: Universal

Distributed By: Olive

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1

Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA

Subtitles: None

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 1 Hr. 20 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

Standard Blu-ray Case

Disc Type: BD25 (single layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 03/31/2015

MSRP: $29.95




The Production Rating: 4/5

In order that your friends may enjoy this picture, please do not disclose the ending.

Harry Quincey (George Sanders) once led a comfortable life as the son of a leading citizen in the New England town of Corinth, but the family was nearly wiped out financially during the Great Depression and now he toils as a fabrics designer at a mill which employs nearly every working resident of the town. For years he has been called "Uncle Harry" by youngsters in Corinth, but now that those youngsters have grown up to be adults he has grown weary of being everyone's uncle. The Quinceys lost everything except their mansion, where Harry lives with his two sisters. Hester (Moyna MacGill), the older sister, is a talkative widow who does not like to be reminded of her husband's death. Lettie (Geraldine Fitzgerald) is an attractive hypochondriac who spends most of her time in bed and who seemingly will get up only when encouraged to do so by Harry. The sisters spend much of their time bickering, which continually annoys their housekeeper, Nona (Sara Allgood).

Everything changes when Deborah Brown (Ella Raines), who works in the mill's New York City office, arrives in Corinth. Harry offers to show her around town, and they quickly become an item. When Harry gets around to introducing Deborah to his sisters, it starts off well enough but it quickly becomes apparent that Lettie does not approve of the budding romance. "We feel we know what's best for Harry," she informs Deborah. Lettie goes on about how there are gossips in Corinth who might misinterpret it if they happen to see Harry leaving Deborah's hotel late at night. "I'm so glad we had this little talk," says Lettie. "You're such a sensible girl. I'm sure that we're going to be very good friends, now that we understand each other." With a wry smile, Deborah stuns Lettie by responding, "We understand each other. But if Harry wishes to stop by my hotel at any time, I'll always be glad to see him."

When Deborah considers traveling to Europe with the owner of the mill, Harry realizes how much he cares for her and they become engaged. It is agreed that Harry and Deborah will live in the Quincey house and Harry's sisters will find a new place to live. However, weeks turn into months as Lettie finds something objectionable about every available house in Corinth. Deborah sees through Lettie's machinations, but Harry is blinded by his devotion to his sister.

George Sanders does a fine job as the mild-mannered Harry. Ella Raines is wonderful as Deborah, giving a performance which kept making me think of Lauren Bacall (notice the way she sits in her chair while having her conversation with Lettie). Geraldine Fitzgerald is equally good as the sly and manipulative Lettie, who at times almost seems to be trying to seduce her brother. Fans of the old Burns and Allen television program will immediately recognize Harry von Zell as the town pharmacist, a minor but key figure in how the story plays out.

The relationship between Harry and Lettie takes some twists and turns, but what should have been a shocking conclusion has been muted by the demands of the censors. It has been reported that five different endings of The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry were screened for the Hays Office, and producer Joan Harrison temporarily quit Universal Studios for RKO in disgust when she saw which of the proposed endings had to be used to satisfy the censors. It seems unlikely that those other endings still exist, but it would be fascinating to see them.



Video Rating: 3.5/5  3D Rating: NA

This black & white film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and has been encoded with the AVC codec. The image is pleasingly sharp with good contrast, solid black levels, and very good shadow detail. The picture quality is diminished somewhat by periodic speckling and some minor reel wear, but it is not terribly distracting and for the most part the picture is in very good shape. I would have given it a 4.5 rating if it had been cleaned up more thoroughly. Most of the film was shot at Universal Studios, but on location exteriors were filmed in New Hampshire. The Universal logo at the beginning of the film looks a bit ragged but it clears up when the opening credits roll. There are no subtitles.



Audio Rating: 2.5/5

The DTS HD-MA 2.0 audio is mostly satisfactory, but my rating is downgraded because of volume fluctuations. The fluctuations are not frequent enough to be a major problem, but they are noticeable. Apart from that, the soundtrack is free of noise and other age-related anomalies, and dialogue is consistently clear and understandable. The score is nothing special, but it works reasonably well in the more dramatic sequences.



Special Features Rating: 0/5

There are no extras on this Blu-ray release.



Overall Rating: 3.5/5

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry is a fairly solid Blu-ray from Olive Films. Although it has a bit of speckling and some inconsistent audio, it is quite watchable and is by far the best version of the film I have seen. I do not much care for the cover art. I would have much preferred it if Olive had used the original poster art.

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Reviewed By: Richard Gallagher


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Dr Griffin

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I've never seen this one, but want to. I enjoy Sanders in anything; he had the most appealing way of conveying even the darkest characters. His amiability even carried through in his suicide note - partial quote: "I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck."
 

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