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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (November 2022): Kino have transferred Harry Keller's The Unguarded Moment to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Brand New 2K Master!" We've compared this 1080P to TCM's Women in Danger DVD boxset, reviewed HERE. This HD presentation is a dramatic upgrade from the 2012 SD transfer. The higher resolution handles the bold Technicolor far more adeptly. The image is very thick and textured - with the colors showing a strong intensity to the point of saturation, overwhelming detail. Contrast and every visual facet improve in this highly pleasing image quality. 

NOTE: We have added 64 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Unguarded Moment has few aggressive moments but liveliness in the score by Herman Stein (Love Slaves of the Amazon, Horizons West, Six Bridges to Cross, Son of Ali Baba, Man in the Shadow, Female on the Beach, This Island Earth, It Came From Outer Space, War Arrow, Tarantula, There's Always Tomorrow)  sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers two new commentaries. The first is by favorites David Del Valle and David DeCoteau. They discuss how Roslind Russel had written The Unguarded Moment a vehicle for herself, DoP William H. Daniels - a rare color picture for him, a role that Williams could really show some range, David has read Esther Williams' The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography and talks about some of those details - sexual harassment from Johnny Weissmuller, a connection of the film to the TV show Leave it to Beaver, plenty on the cast and crew plus and much more... The second commentary is by film scholar Jason A. Ney. He talks about the how the film sets up with a serial killing although that plotline becomes more of an afterthought throughout the film, in some ways the film is decades ahead of its time, yet in other ways it is a product of its times, he talks about how the film handles the sexual assault crimes, he explains why the story enfolds as it does, who wrote it, when they wrote it, how it operates within the context of other films from the later 40's and early 50s dealing with sexual assault. He also talks about how it fits into the careers of the people who made it - notably Esther Williams - how it was a sharp departure from the water-based movies she had made before The Unguarded Moment - and much more. There are also some trailers including one for The Unguarded Moment.

The story idea for The Unguarded Moment came from writer Larry Marcus and, notable actress Rosalind Russell. The screenplay was finished 5 years before production - penned by Marcus and Russell (under the pseudonym C.A. McKnight, her mother's maiden name.) Russell stated 'I wrote the part for me, but I got too old.' Olivia de Havilland, Loretta Young and Teresa Wright were discussed as potentials for the lead that went to 35-year old Esther Williams as the stalked and assaulted teacher. Highly recognizable character actor, Edward Andrews gives a career performance.  The Unguarded Moment is a vibrant feature ripe a double feature night with another noir-ish color effort, Allan Dwan's Slightly Scarlet.  Great to see this via the Kino Blu-ray that sports two new commentaries and the vastly improved (over SD) presentation. Noirists should indulge.  

Gary Tooze