Finally! Ryan has returned to writing about his favorite blu-rays! After taking a couple of years off and regrouping at the Smackdown Hotel, which is on the corner of Know Your Role Boulevard and Jabroni Drive, I am ready to share with you my 24 favorite physical media releases of 2024.
24. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) from Warner Archive Collection
Alfred Hitchcock steps into the wonderful world of screwball comedies and brings along Hollywood’s finest leading lady in such pictures, Carole Lombard. This would be Lombard’s last film to be released in her lifetime, as she was killed in an airline accident in January of 1942.
Somewhat happily married couple Ann (Lombard) and David Smith (Robert Montgomery) have disagreements lasting for days. Their latest is a doozy. Ann asks David if he would marry her again. He replies that he loves Ann very much, but he would not marry her again, and he would not marry anyone else because he loves his freedom.
In a plot twist that can only happen in screwball comedies, David is informed by Harry Deever (Charles Halton) that his marriage to Ann is not valid due to a mishap in Idaho. Deever, being a friend of Ann, tells her as well.
Ann hopes that when David gets home, he will say that he wants to marry her again. This does not happen. And after a dinner at the previously romantic restaurant that Ann and David went to before they were married, David never brings it up. This leads to Ann confronting him, accusing him of not wanting to marry her. David snaps back that he was going to ask her, but she was too impatient to wait. Ann kicks David out of their home and soon takes up a romance with Jeff Custer (Gene Raymond)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is often referred to as a lesser Hitchcock film. And while the film never reaches the height of North by Northwest in terms of comedy, it is still a winning picture. Lombard almost can’t be touched when it comes to being a comedic actor. Her timing and presence are rightfully a thing of legend. She fully commits to the role and elevates every scene that she is in.
Robert Montgomery plays David a little too safe. He never quite matches Lombard, but he is easy to like and, honestly, almost everybody plays second fiddle to Carole Lombard when it comes to comedy.
Hitchcock does not stretch himself too much in the film, either. He plays it safe as well, not with his usual deft touch and clever camera tricks. I do appreciate, though, that Hitchcock knows what kind of film Mr. and Mrs. Smith is opting to play straight.
Grade: B+
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Video Quality
Warner Archive touts the Mr. and Mrs. Smith comes from a new 4k scan of “the best available presentation elements.” And to the surprise of no one, it looks fantastic. I also own the DVD and the difference between the releases is nothing short of astounding. The depth of the picture is deeper and clearer. The details pop and I could only see a couple of shots that seemed to suffer from years of print neglect.
Grade: A
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Audio Quality
Not to take a back seat to the video quality, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is heard crystal clear with its DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio. Dialogue sounds crisp with no pop. The whole film is expertly balanced, and although the film is 83 years old, only occasionally does an age-related hiss make its way through the speakers.
Grade: A
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Special Features
Mr. Hitchcock Meets the Smiths: Is a nice, nearly 20 minute long featurette that dives into the making of the film with some special guests like TMC’s Robert Osborne.
Classic Looney Tunes: Two fun cartoons, Holiday Highlights, Stage Fright
Cinderella’s Feller: A lavish short from 1940, that uses Technicolor three-strip and some pretty impressive special effects. Not as groundbreaking as Disney’s cartoon, but a nice addition to the blu-ray.
Two Radio Plays
Lux Radio Theater Broadcast: Carole Lombard reprises her role as Ann, the bug surprise is Bob Hope takes the role of David, which in my opinion works better.
Screen Director’s Playhouse Broadcast: Hitchcock gives a fun intro to this broadcast.
Grade: A
Mr. and Mrs. Smith might not be Hitchcock at his best, but it is fun. Carole Lombard elevates nearly every picture she is in, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith is no exception. The slight misstep with Robert Montgomery, not necessarily because of him, but how his character is written, holds Mr. and Mrs. Smith from the upper echelon of Hollywood screwball classics. Warner Archive’s disc, however, is a shining example of how a film should be preserved and enjoyed. With first-rate video and audio, not to mention a healthy assortment of entertaining extras, make this a must-buy.