STREET SCENE (1931)
Blu-ray & DVD
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 79 Minutes 37 Seconds
The King Vidor (Duel in the Sun) directed Street Scene (1931) is a pre-code drama based on Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name; Rice also wrote the screenplay for the film. This day-in-the-life story takes place over the course of Twenty-four on the stoop of a NYC Hell's Kitchen tenement, offering a whitebread microcosm of the American melting pot during a sweat-drenched heatwave.
Audio/Video: Street Scene (1931) arrives on Blu-ray from VCI Entertainment in 1080p HD framed in the original 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio, sourced from a restoration provided by The Mary Pickford Collection at the Library of Congress with additional clean-up and restoration carried out by VCI's Tiffany Clayton. The black and white image looks wonderful, fine grain is well-managed, black levels and grayscale look wonderful, and contrast impresses. This is a gorgeous restoration and it looks terrific in HD.
Duration: 79 Minutes 37 Seconds
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono (Blu-ray), Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual-Mono (DVD) with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: King Vidor
Cast: Sylvia Sidney, William Collier Jr., Estelle Taylor, Beulah Bondi, David Landau, Matt McHugh, Russell Hopton, Greta Granstedt, Eleanor Wesselhoeft, Nora Cecil, Margaret Robertson, Walter James, Max Montor, Walter Miller, T.H. Manning, Conway Washburne, John Qualen, Ann Kostant, Adele Watson, Lambert Rogers, George Humbert, Helen Lovett, Richard Powell, Jane Mercer, Monte Carter, Harry Wallace
The King Vidor (Duel in the Sun) directed Street Scene (1931) is a pre-code drama based on Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name; Rice also wrote the screenplay for the film. This day-in-the-life story takes place over the course of Twenty-four on the stoop of a NYC Hell's Kitchen tenement, offering a whitebread microcosm of the American melting pot during a sweat-drenched heatwave.
Staying true to it's stage play origins the film is shot on a backlot set of a tenement building, we never go inside, all the action takes place on the stoop and along the street directly in front of the building. Inventice camera set-ups prevent this novelty from ever becoming a handicap, as do some very fine performances that paint a pastiche of city life at the time, a melting pot that occasionally boils over.
The parade of working class family include the Maurrant,
father Frank (David Landau, Horse Feathers), mother Anna (Estelle Taylor, Cimarron) and 20-something working-girl daughter Rose (Sylvia Sidney, Mars Attacks), as well as Jewish neighbors the Kaplans, and their son Sam (William Collier, Jr.) who oftens shares his hopes, dreams and disenchantments with young Rose, and are often the targets of discrimination from other tenants. Of course we have the building's nosy busybody Mrs. Jones (Beulah Bondi, It's A Wonderful Life) who often makes mention of the fact that Mrs. Maurrant seems to be be seeking affection from another man named Sankey (Russell Hopton, Zombies on Broadway), which is a real point of contention, leading to a murderous that closes out the film, with a spectacular crowd scene that is mighty impressive.
This is quite a discovery for me, the pre-code drama is a true gem, and it feels surprisingly contemporary which is a credit to the filmmakers and cast. Also, Sylvia Sidney is so good here, she's sort of the heart of it all, and she's terrific. I remember seeing her as an old lady years later in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks, and only years later looking into her past and realizing what an utter beauty she was in her prime! That beauty is well served here, and she gives a truly wonderful performance.
Truly a gem worth seeking out, this new restoration dazzles and the film is an absolute winner; chock full of tenement gossip, sharp dialogue, Depression-era melodrama, misogyny and racism. I did find it a bit odd that there's not one brown or black person to be see from the POV of this stoop though, all we get are white people of various origins, and even they can't seem to get along all that well, some things never change.
Audio/Video: Street Scene (1931) arrives on Blu-ray from VCI Entertainment in 1080p HD framed in the original 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio, sourced from a restoration provided by The Mary Pickford Collection at the Library of Congress with additional clean-up and restoration carried out by VCI's Tiffany Clayton. The black and white image looks wonderful, fine grain is well-managed, black levels and grayscale look wonderful, and contrast impresses. This is a gorgeous restoration and it looks terrific in HD.
Audio comes by way of English PCM 2.0 dual-mono on the Blu-ray and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 dual-mono on the DVD, both with Optional English Subtitles. The tracks have a subtle hiss in the background, not surprising considering the age of the film, but it's never intrusive. Dialogue by way of conversations and gossip on the tenement stoops sounds fine, as do the sounds of vehicles, trains, and passerbys, and the score by Alfred Newman (All About Eve).
Disc extras include a wonderful Audio Commentary With Film Critic/Author Mick LaSalle; an extensive 7-min Poster & Photo Gallery, and Trailers and Promos for Rain, Tonight or Never, and Stella Maris.
The 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD dual-format release arrives in a clear Viva ELite keepcase with a two-sided non-reversible sleeve of artwork, the interior featuring an image from the film's climax. Inside there's a 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with Liner Notes by Writer/Historian/Commentator Eric Hoyt that delves intot he original play, how it compares to the film adaptation, some Hayes Code shenanigans, and the casting of the film. This might be the classiest VCI packaging I have ever encountered, the clear keepcase and slick-looking artwork/packaging bringing to mind a Twilight Time release.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Film Critic/Author Mick LaSalle
- 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with Liner Notes by Writer/Historian/Commentator Eric Hoyt
- Poster & Photo Gallery (6:48)
- Rain Trailer (2:43)
- Tonight or Never Promo (2:11)
- Stella Maris Promo (1:34)
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