Customer Reviews

Beat the Devil/That Uncertain Feeling

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Do not buy this DVD edition. Neither movie was digitally remastered as advertised, nor is the advertised bonus material on the DVD. The films look terrible, old prints dumped straight to DVD. The sound is equally bad. I am refering to the "Triton Video" edition that contains both Beat the Devil and That Uncertain Feeling. These are great movies that deserve better than than this poor quality DVD.

If you have never seen That Uncertain Feeling, an unusual little gem by master director Ernst Lubitsch, you are in for a real treat - especially if you buy this wonderful DVD edition of the film made available by the Roan Group.

Merle Oberon portrays Jill Baker, a beautiful socialite who is bored to distraction by her dull, insurance-peddling husband(Melvyn Douglas) and develops a case of nervous hiccups. Her psychiatrist (Alan Mowbray) tries to get at the root of Jill's problem by exploring every avenue - "especially Park Avenue." During one of Jill's visits she encounters an eccentric pianist (played to wonderful excess by Burgess Meredith) and that's when the fun begins. The film is not without the famed "Lubitsch Touches" including one delightful scene in which pianist Sebastian seduces Jill by tickling the ivories on her piano.

That Uncertain Feeling is often run on television, but the copies I have seen had such awful image and sound quality they were virtually unviewable! At last, thanks to the Roan Group's excellent restoration and transfer of the film to DVD, we can see the film as it should be seen. We can finally appreciate George Barnes' rich black and white photography with its dramatic interplays of light and shadow, creating a mood reminiscent of the film noir style of the period.

And the image quality of this DVD is so stunning you can almost feel the textures of the silk and lace in Merle Oberon's magnificent gowns by designer Irene. This DVD is also nicely packaged with original advertising art, and comes with extras including background information on the film and its stars, and chapter stops that allow you to jump to specific scenes.

A blithe screwball comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch about an "ideal" modern couple (known to their friends as "the Happy Bakers") whose marriage is on the rocks... Merle Oberon has a six-year itch; her husband (Melvyn Douglas) is a bit of a boob, an all right guy, but a bit obsessed with his work and at times inattentive. When Merle bumps into a free-thinking, artsy malcontent (a young Burgess Meredith, in a choice, juicy role), she falls in his arms and throws her marriage away. The story was originally filmed by Lubitsch in the silent era, but whether it's 1925 or 1941, the plot is still startlingly frank and modern: Douglas takes the affair and divorce in his stride, and even does a bit of fooling around on his own in a bid to get his wife back... The film features brisk, witty dialogue and a zippy start, and though it kind of loses a little steam midway through, it's still pretty fun. Several great character actors are in the cast, including Eve Arden and Sig Rumann... Maybe not the greatest Lubitsch film ever, but it's still a gas. Recommended!

I just want to clarify that the customer review of "That Uncertain Feeling" with a subject: Blatant rip-off, seems to be referring to the "Beat the Devil/That Uncertain Feeling" double feature DVD (ASIN: B00003ETNA) since both films are mentioned in the review.

The DVD that I reviewed is NOT this double-feature version, but the single-title release of "That Uncertain Feeling" by the Roan Group (ASIN: B00003RQNX).

I am confident that the Roan Group's release of the film is indeed from a restored 35mm print -- the quality is just too good not to be!

This love story is original by the level of humor it contains. A wife can get bored in her married life by the lack of unforeseen events, by the routine of her husband's money-earning lifestyle. She might get attracted by some marginal artist or personality that seems to shine and glow with an unforeseeable life. But this attraction is only superficial and it gets boring in its turn by the total unpredictability of the new man and the film implies woman wants some stability and regularity. So the love affair comes to an end because of this conflict of psychological interests in the woman. Well done and very funny in many ways, though rather anti-artistic and anti-modern art.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

This deadpan, low-key, even claustrophobic Lubitsch is one of the master's subtlest films, and his wisest parable on the precariousness of marriage, the ease with which it can descend into unthinking routine and boredom; the continual games, tricks, strategies, even violence needed to galvanise it into something approaching life.

Merle Oberon is the seemingly enviable wife of a charming-but-dull insurance executive, whose inner dissatisfaction emerges in hiccups and insomnia. she is beguiled by a boorish, would-be idiosyncratic mediocre pianist, Burgess Meredith, with a penchant for dismissing everything as 'Phooey!' He introduces her to the world of art, especially modern painting; and, rapt with novelty, and a man who seems to take an interest in her as a person, rather than a trophy, she falls for him. To win her back, husband Melvyn Douglas must apply his salesman genius to his marriage.

'Feeling', like the films of his late years, is relatively muted Lubitsch - there are few of the visual conceits or accumulated comic hysterics we have come to expect from his 'touch'. The one major comic set-piece, a dinner given for Hungarian clients led by a man called Kafka (!), leads into strange, fragmented territory, and a beautiful, suspended eroticism.

Lubitsch is eminently fair-minded (or cynical!): both partners are liable to take the other for granted, and must learn to forgoe selfish power games in favour of a more satisfying equality - Meredith is a negative, very funny spanner in this process.

for a film that makes middlebrow fun of the excesses of modern art, 'That Uncertain Feeling' is a model example of modernism, Lubitsch's precise geometry of style, his use of frames (photos, paintings etc.) within tight compositions leading to the cool irony that complements the underlying, rarely stated emotion. Merle Oberon, as mysteriously expressive as one of Franju's doll-masks, is radiant.

The studio that puts this out is a little confusing. This double feature is from Triton/E-Realbiz.com. Also Slingshot is mentioned on the cover. I've been gobbling up these releases where I find them. For some reason Amazon is not stocking this.
Most of the reviews are a little old, but I'm still confused about their issues of quality. For the money it's pretty good. On "That Uncertain Feeling," I'd give the image a B- and the sound a B-. On Beat the Devil I'd give the image a B+ and the sound a B. Overall you get two intriuging, rewatchable and entertaining movies for a budget price.

This dvd looks like it was made by filming a tv set playing the movie. In several places there are glitchy snags that look like videotape damage. The image and sound are interrupted briefly and then come back. Overall, the image and sound are a bit blurry. Although it is watchable, I would not recommend buying this company's dvd. That Uncertain Feelling is a great movie, though - hopefully a better copy will be released by someone else soon.

Although the cover of this edition states that the films have been digitally remastered from archival material, this is nothing less than a blatant lie. "Beat the Devil" is mastered from the usual poor quality positive print, and picture quality on "That Uncertain Feeling" is simply awful - about the same you get on an EP mode VHS tape. I have never yet seen a DVD manufacturer sink so low. Do not believe the reviewer who raves about this edition, do not buy this, and do not buy anything released under the same label.

This is a review of the DVD of Beat the Devil/That Uncertain Feeling, not the other editions.

The prints are not great, but I found them quite watchable. The "bonus features" appear not to exist.

Still, this is a reasonably priced way to view these two delightful films. I was already familiar with "Beat the Devil" so I really got this for Lubitsch's "That Uncertain Feeling" and I was not disappointed - it's a delightful comedy with some interestingly suggestive moments ("When I come, they go" - hmmm, it would seem she needs to come more often..) and some great discussions of modern art and music. I wouldn't mind a better print of this film, but at present there only seem to be over-priced "imports" around.

"Beat the Devil" is a somewhat silly, but quite enjoyable film that plays off Bogart's established screen persona to good effect. Robert Morley and Peter Lorre are quite amusing and everyone has a good time. A rather slight film all things considered, but well worth watching.

Why the DVD producers called this "Comedy Noir" I couldn't tell you (Lubitsch certainly isn't noirish at all and I'm not really convinced that "Beat the Devil" counts as noir either, but maybe) nor why they belong on the same DVD (other than both being in the public domain).

Definitely worth a few bucks and let's hope someone issues more classic Lubitsch in a superior edition soon!