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Three Secrets [Blu-ray]
(Robert Wise, 1950)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Warner Bros.- First National Picture Video: Olive Films
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:38:56.930 Disc Size: 16,349,760,559 bytes Feature Size: 16,289,611,776 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.00 Mbps Chapters: 8 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: October 16th, 2012
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 816 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 816 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles: • None
Extras: • None
Bitrate:
Description: Three Secrets is a darker variation of a theme first explored in A Letter to Three Wives. A plane crashes in the mountains of California; the only survivor is a five-year-old boy, who hovers between life and death. It is discovered that the boys was traveling with his now deceased adoptive parents. Susan Chase (Eleanor Parker), Phyllis Horn (Patricia Neal) and Ann Lawrence (Ruth Roman) wait in agony years earlier, each of the three women had given up a baby son for adoption, with the same birth date as the injured child. Could it be that the little boy on the mountain is actually the son of one of the three women? And if so, how many painful secrets will be revealed in the next few hours? Directed by the great Robert Wise (West Side Story) and beautifully shot by Sidney Hickox (The Big Sleep).
The Film:
The plight of a 5-year-old boy stranded on a California mountain top as
sole survivor of a plane wreck in which his foster parents have been
killed is the circumstance which brings together the separate dramas of
three women's lives in Warner Brothers' "Three Secrets," the new
picture at the Strand. And although it is incidental to the rather
mawkish stories of the dames, this desperate situation of the youngster
makes for the most affecting drama in the film. When an airplane crashes on a mountain near Bishop, California, the only survivor is a five-year old boy. Hardin, a reporter, learns that the now-orphaned boy, Johnny Peterson, was adopted as a baby from a shelter. Three boys listed with the same birthday as Johnny's were placed by the shelter, but the matron refuses to reveal the names of their mothers. One of those women, Susan Chase, is now married to Bill, a lawyer, but has never told him about the child she gave birth to five years earlier. When she learns that the injured boy stranded on the mountain was adopted, she becomes convinced that the child is hers. After Bill leaves on a business trip, Susan drives all night to the site of the rescue effort. During the drive she reflects on the events that led to the birth of her son: During the war, Susan falls in love with Paul Radin, a Marine. Before he is shipped out, he tells Susan that he is still in love with a woman back home, whom he has known since childhood. Later, a pregnant Susan tries to kill herself, but her mother calls a doctor and, after the baby is born, convinces Susan to give him up and put the past behind her. Two other women are at the shelter that day. One of them, Phyllis Horn, a reporter, is also watching the rescue effort. Excerpt from TCM located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Three Secrets has a standard, unrestored, Blu-ray transfer from Olive Films. This is only single-layered but contrast looks quite strong. We can assume the source still retains decent density. It has a few more speckles and under-the-surface scratches than usual but it didn't detract from the presentation. Detail is healthier than it would appear on SD and the Blu-ray supplied me with a solid presentation.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :The original mono track has been transferred using a DTS-HD Master at a modest 816 kbps. David Buttolph's score seems out of place at times but rendered authentically by the lossless. Moments export some notable depth. There are no subtitles and m y Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : No supplements - not even a trailer which is the bare-bones route that Olive are going with their releases.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze October 12th, 2012 |
About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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