F.B.I. Story (DVD)

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During the Second World War, we see Hardesty tracking Nazi and Japanese infiltrators, including a wholly unnecessary trek to Brazil; and then after the War we find him ferreting out Communist spies. The final crime chapter involves Hardesty in the surveillance of a Communist informer, a sequence that drags on for the final twenty minutes. It appears to me that the only thing it proves is how tedious the job of an FBI agent can be.

In between these various crime segments, we learn more than we could ever want to know about Hardesty's personal life, his wife, his kids, their growing up, their marriages, their tragedies, the grandkids, and the Christmas dinners. The action sequences play second fiddle to these domestic concerns.

Hoover was very proud of "The FBI Story." If you can stay awake through it, you might like it, too.

Video:
Warner Bros. present the picture in a 1.78:1 ratio, transferred to disc at a fairly high bit rate and enhanced for widescreen TVs. The print looks good in terms of wear and tear, with only a few age flecks and the occasional patch of grain. Still, the Technicolor has an oddly dull, muted appearance to it, which doesn't quite look natural. Facial colors, especially, seem not quite right, sometimes a bit too pink, sometimes too orange. Definition is fine, but not perfect.

Audio:
Stewart narrates throughout the movie, a smart move on the filmmakers' part since he had one of the most recognizable voices in the world. The Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural sound does a credible job reproducing his narration with clarity and ease. Otherwise, there isn't much to say. The soundtrack is quiet; even turned up, there is hardly a trace of background noise. But almost all the other things, like the frequency extremes and the dynamic contrasts, are ordinary.

Extras:
Perhaps Warner Bros. sensed that this would not be one of their best sellers, so they afforded it next to nothing in the way of extras. There are thirty-seven scene selections, but no chapter insert; a widescreen theatrical trailer; English only as the spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Parting Shots:
The filmmakers could have called this movie "The Family Hour" and nobody would have noticed the difference. Well over half the picture is devoted to agent Hardesty's family life, with his Bureau work tossed in at intervals to show us what a great job they were doing. There are a couple of interesting moments that combined might add up to a good half-hour television show. I'd say this one is strictly for James Stewart fans.

Warner Bros. have made "The FBI Story" available individually or in the box set "James Stewart: The Signature Collection." Here, you will also find "The Spirit of St. Louis," "The Naked Spur," "The Stratton Story," and a double-feature disc containing "The Cheyenne Social Club" and "Fire Creek."