(aka 'Obsessions' or 'Six Destinies')
Directed by
Julien Duvivier
USA 1943
Three tales of the supernatural, rather tiresomely linked by reflections on superstition from Benchley and his clubmen friends. A wonderfully atmospheric shot, with Mardi Gras revellers huddling on the riverbank, suddenly hushed as the body of a drowned girl is retrieved from the water, introduces the charming but slightly icky tale of a plain and embittered Cinderella (Field) who is given a mask of beauty to wear at the ball by a mysterious old man in a novelty shop, thereby precariously ensnaring the heart of the student prince (Cummings) who has hitherto ignored her. The second and best episode adapts Wilde's Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, with Robinson as the distraught man told by a fortune-teller (Mitchell) that he's going to commit murder, deciding to get it over with, and finding that fate is not so easily cheated. Superb throughout, the camerawork (Paul Ivano and Stanley Cortez) excels itself here. The third tale (Boyer as a tightrope walker haunted by visions of Stanwyck) is negligible, despite excellent performances.
Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
Poster
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Theatrical Release: October 29th, 1943
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DVD Review: Universal Pictures (Europe) - Region 2 - PAL
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NOTE: the cover on Amazon.FR is currently incorrect - the image to the left is the correct one. |
| Distribution | Universal Pictures (Europe) - Region 2 - PAL | |
| Runtime | 1:29:36 (4% PAL speedup) | |
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.22 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | French, None | |
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Release Information: Edition Details: • none |
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| Comments: |
An acceptable progressive transfer on a single-layered DVD from Universal Europe - coded for region 2 in the PAL standard. Details isn't bad, certainly not Criterion level, and contrast is a bit weak but overall it is quite watchable. It has a typical 'thick' appearance that we often see in PAL releases. No excessive damage but occasional speckles are present. The audio was fairly consistent without noticeable flaws and the French subtitles are removable (Hoorah!).
There are no supplements which makes the price a shade high, but the film is marvelous - one I really enjoyed. It was dripping with noirish atmosphere from New Orleans to cruise ships to circus big tops and I'll gladly see just about anything with Barb Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. |
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Subtitle Sample
NOTE: French subtitles ARE removable!
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
NOTE: the cover on Amazon.FR is currently incorrect - the image to the left is the correct one. |
| Distribution | Universal Pictures (Europe) - Region 2 - PAL | |
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Gary Tooze
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