|
By
NICK ZEGARAC
"The Postman Always Rings
Twice" (1946) is a film noir classic about two
misguided lovers, Cora Smith (Lana Turner) and
Frank Chambers (John Garfield). Frank is a drifter
who accidentally stumbles onto a roadside diner
run by Cora's middle-aged hubby, Nick (Cecil
Kellaway). At first Frank is determined to keep
everything on the square. He is cool to Cora in a
flirtatious sort of way and she reciprocates that
coolness with all the frozen assets of an ice
princess. However, before long the two are bumping
and grinding behind the counter and taking off for
their nightly midnight swims. Cora soon decides to
run away with Frank while Nick is away on
business. But her threshold for the creature
comforts of life -- comforts that Nick has
provided but Frank cannot -- lead the two to
schlep back to the diner in a flurry of sexual
frustration before Nick gets home. A plan to
electrocute Nick in the bath tube is bungled and
Nick survives. But by now, District Attorney Kyle
Sackett (Leon Ames) is suspicious. Cora and Frank
liquor up Nick and take him for a drive. The plan
now is to drive the car over a cliff. However,
this too backfires, as the car with Nick's
unconscious body inside does not plunge down the
precipice. Instead, when Frank climbs to where the
car has become entangled in some underbrush, he
accidentally forces it over the edge with him
inside. Cora is apprehended by Sackett for the
murder of her husband and attempted murder of
Frank. Though she is exonerated of the charges the
illicit lovers continue to live under the constant
and microscopic scrutiny of Sackett.
Based on the novel by James M. Cain, this version
(for the sake of censorship), alters a few of
Cain's original concepts, but is considerably more
thrilling than the Jack Nicholson remake from the
1980's. Lana Turner -- as always -- is a vision.
John Garfield gives yet another solid performance
in his all too brief acting canon.
Warner Brothers gives us a beautiful looking DVD.
The gray scale is superb with rich blacks,
excellent contrast levels and minimal film grain
throughout. There is a hint of fine detail
shimmering. There are no aliasing or edge
enhancement effects for an image that is smooth,
crisp and fully realized in fine details. The
audio is mono and nicely presented. Extras include
the fantastic documentary, "The John Garfield
Story" narrated by his daughter, Julie and an
informative audio commentary. This is about as
good as vintage Hollywood film making gets. With a
gorgeous transfer to boot, this postman does
indeed ring twice! |
