The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Blu-ray Barbara Stanwyck

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Love Lies Bleeding" or "Meaningful Glances ')

directed by Lewis Milestone
USA 1946

"You may be through with the past, but it sure ain't through with you."

In Lewis Milestone's classic Film Noir we open in the rain - 1928, where a feisty young heiress named Martha Ivers is thwarted in her attempt to run off with her friend Sam Masterson - a street-smart kid from the wrong side of the tracks. Her forced return home and his fatal goodbye produce the inadvertent murder of her aunt covered up by Martha and her young gold-digging friend, Walter.

We bounce ahead 18 years where Walter (Kirk Douglas), now the D.A., and Martha (Barbara Stanwyk) live a loveless marriage - initiated by their perjured testimony that let an innocent man hang for their deed. Sam (Van Heflin in one of his best roles) returns to the small town and befriends honorable ex-con Toni (a fetching Lizabeth Scott), to unravel the dark convoluted past of his childhood friends.

Pure Film Noir that builds steam with each scene. Kept buoyant with excellent performances. Wonderful!

***

Three childhood friends, Martha, Walter and Sam, share a terrible secret. Over time, the ambitious Martha and the pusillanimous Walter have married. She is a cold businesswoman; he is the district attorney: a perfect combination to dominate the corrupt city of Iverstown at will. But the unexpected return of Sam, after years of absence, deeply disturbs the life of the odd couple.

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 24th, 1946

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:56:14.634
Video	1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 38,987,208,377 bytes Feature: 37,748,502,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.31 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1596 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1596 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 38,987,208,377 bytes Feature: 37,748,502,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.31 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Author/Film Historian Alan K. Rode • Trailers Blu-ray Release Date: September 20th, 2022 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (September 2022): Kino have transferred Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers to Blu-ray. It is cited as being "Remastered in HD by Paramount Pictures – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Fine Grain". Most importantly for Noir fans is how this compares to Imprint's 2022 1080P transfer of The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in their Essential Film Noir: Collection 3 Blu-ray boxset, reviewed HERE. That Australian edition was far ahead of the 2012 HD Cinema Blu-ray HERE. And the Kino is also ahead of the of Imprint. It's a small amount but with the same damage marks I wouldn't be surprised if the Imprint was a decent second generation source where the Kino is from a '4K Scan of the 35mm Fine Grain'. The improvement shows in the contrast, texture and when the HD presentation is in-motion rather than the static captures. There are examples when framing takes slight shifts -see the subtitle samples. The Kino Blu-ray has a higher bitrate - also on a dual-layered disc - and is the winner in terms of video. How negligible this is will depend on your system.

NOTE: We have added 56 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. There are minor examples of gunfire. The score for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is by the iconic Miklós Rózsa (The Green Cockatoo, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, The Killers, The Lost Weekend, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Double Indemnity) this includes the 'Strange Love' theme with lyrics by Edward Heyman. It sounds pleasing in the lossless. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a commentary by Alan K. Rode. It is the same one as found on the Essential Film Noir: Collection 3 Blu-ray boxset from earlier this month. He's always excellent covering noir and is enthusiastic about this title. He fills the time with specifics on the excellent cast, referencing of similar dark cinema efforts, production and more. There are 'dark cinema' trailers but not one for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

Comparatively the Imprint supplements had this commentary and more with Stanwyck documentaries and a video essay by Kat Ellinger etc..

"Whisper her name!". Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers was based on the short story "Love Lies Bleeding" by playwright John Patrick. It filled with flawed characters and stars noir legends Barbara Stanwyk, Van Heflin - who taught himself rolling a coin through his fingers, Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas in his film debut. It is an essential of the cycle. We've had many sloppy digital editions because in 1974, the film entered the public domain in the USA since the claimants, in the 28th year after publication, did not renew its copyright registration. Some may be interested that Blake Edwards (director of Days of Wine and Roses, Breakfast at Tiffany's etc.) had an uncredited bit part as the sailor who hitches a ride with Sam Masterson (Heflin), a 1/4 hour into the film. We can state that this Kino Blu-ray offers the best a/v and includes a commentary by one of the foremost noir experts. It is essential. Buy with confidence.