Review of Barbara Stanwyck (Box Set)

Introduction

Universal`s Screen Goddess sets can be a little on the pick `n mix side. You get some good ones, some bad ones and some in-between. One thing is certain, you`ll find yourself watching different types of films when you follow a particular star of the Hollywood Golden Era.

Barbara Stanwyck started out as plain Ruby Stevens back in 1907. Four times nominated for Academy Awards® and ultimately a recipient of a special honorary award in 1981 "for superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting", Stanwyck had a screen career than spanned five decades. Like many of the screen greats of the 1930s and 40s, she could handle comedy and drama with equal aplomb, and two of her finest moments (The Lady Eve and Double Indemnity) are included in the set.

First in the set is "The Miracle Woman" (1931), directed by Frank Capra. She stars as charismatic Sister Faith Fallon, leader of a group of Pentecostalists. John Carson (David Manners) is a blind man whose life is affected by Faith`s sermon. Unfortunately, she and a con-man are faking miracles to boost the collection and John has to find a way to bring her back to the straight and narrow.

"The Bitter Tea of General Yen" is a second Capra movie from 1933. Megan Davis (Stanwyck) is caught up in a Chinese rebellion and is rescued - or rather taken captive - by bandit General Yen. When she discovers she is a captive, she begins undermining the General, although her biggest problem is her growing attraction for her captor.

"Golden Boy" sees her entry in the Golden Year of Hollywood - 1939 - in a boxing melodrama directed by Rouben Mamoulian.

Two years later, Stanwyck starred opposite Henry Fonda in the wonderful screwball comedy "The Lady Eve", directed by Preston Sturges. In the movie, she plays con artist Jean Harrington who falls for hapless brewery heir Charles Pike (Fonda), or rather he falls for her as she trips him up to introduce herself. He is immediately smitten with her, but the romance is short-lived as her true initial intent is revealed to him by interested parties. Dumped, Jean hatches a plot to get even and reinvents herself as Lady Eve Sidwich (complete with English accent) to reel chump Pike in again.

Of the set, only "The Lady Eve" and "Double Indemnity" were provided by Universal for review, but they are undoubtedly the highlights. The former is a deliciously screwy comedy in the same sort of vein as "Bringing Up Baby" - boy meets girl, girl destroys boy`s life, boy doesn`t mind. The latter is the very epitome of the "film noir" genre, and curiously enough follows a similar if less romantic sort of course - boy meets girl, girl destroys boy`s life, boy ends up dead.

Directed by Billy Wilder in 1944, "Double Indemnity" is an adaptation by Wilder and Raymond Chandler of the novel by James M Cain. Fred MacMurray (yes, the original Absent Minded Professor and Disney regular in later life) stars as Walter Neff, and insurance salesman who crosses paths with the beautiful and thoroughly wicked Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck as a blonde). She has a plan for them to kill her husband and make off together with the insurance money. She also has another plan that doesn`t include Walter. Stanwyck`s turn as Phyllis earned her an Oscar nomination.

"All I Desire" (1953) is a melodrama directed by Douglas Sirk. Stanwyck plays Naomi Murdock, who walked out on her family to seek fame and fortune as an actress. Returning in the hopes of taking up her old life again, she finds much has changed.

Video

All the movies are presented in their original aspect ratio, which means 4:3. The prints sourced for the transfers are of a technically high standard, although whether they come from brand new postives struck from camera negatives is a secret that only the goblins of the Universal Vaults know. The movies look good for sixty years plus.

Audio

Movies of this vintage are inevitably mono, and with restricted frequency ranges. The soundtracks are reproduced in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono.

Features

Extras are few and far between in this set. Some, but not all of the movies have subtitles, Double Indemnity comes with a collector`s booklet.

Conclusion

The Lady Eve alone makes this set worth picking up, but as that is also available in the Preston Sturges box set, you have to weigh up the pros and cons. Double Indemnity tips the balance if you`re into film noir, but frankly none of the movies are out-and-out duds. Unless you`re monochromophobic, in which case you might be better off buying the latest MTV-edit blockbuster, but you`d be missing proper movies.