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By
NICK ZEGARAC
In retrospect George
Steven's production of "I Remember Mama" is the
high watermark in 1940s family life melodrama. Set
at the turn of the last century in San Francisco,
the film stars the usually scatterbrained Irene
Dunne -- on this occasion as the tender yet
determined matriarch, Martha Hanson. Together with
her husband, Lars (Philip Dorn) and extended
family (buttressed by a stellar cast including
Barbara Bel Geddes, Cedric Hardwicke, Ellen Corby,
Rudy Vallee, Edgar Bergan and Florence Bates) the
Norwegian clan weathers some hard knocks and
poignant moments with grace and charm.
This is one of those elegant little "jabs of
pleasure" that American cinema used to dole out en
masse during its golden age, but now seems in
exceedingly short supply. Based on John Van
Druten's hit play (derived from Kathryn Forbes's
autobiographical memoir), the film is a veritable
feast for the heart and mind, a richly textured
and moving experience, not to be missed.
Unfortunately more could have been done to clean
up this print before rushing it out to DVD.
Warner's transfer is marred by a considerable
amount of age-related artifacts. Though the
grayscale is nicely balanced at times, the image
often tends to exhibit an overly soft quality that
is more blurry than evocative of mood or style.
There is also a considerable amount of film grain
present in most scenes. Otherwise, black and
contrast levels on the whole tend to be deep and
nicely balanced. There are no digital anomalies.
The audio is mono and suffers at times from a
muffled characteristic. Background hiss is
detected in quiescent scenes. A brief introduction
by the director's son, George Steven Jr. is all
the extras you get. Bottom line: this film still
gets my recommendation for a must have Christmas
stocking stuffer. It may not be presented here in
its optimal condition but regardless, is sure to
warm the heart throughout the holidays and beyond. |
