Random Harvest (DVD)

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The years go by. With a wife and child Ranier does not know exist, he plans to marry a young woman who has had a crush on him for years, Kitty Chilcet (Susan Peters). Meanwhile, Paula struggles first to find her missing husband and then to decide what to do if she does find him. Will he recognize her? Will he still love her? Will he think she's only after him now for his money? Her decisions and pains will surprise and frustrate and possibly exasperate you. But you will not go away sorry you came in.

Having never seen this film before and knowing it only by reputation, I was fully prepared to write it off as just another outmoded relic of my parents' era. I was more than a little surprised to find myself glued to the set for the duration, my eyes welling up in the final minutes despite my best efforts to ward off the sentimentality. "Random Harvest" plays with our emotions, teases us, and manipulates us, and we find ourselves encouraging everyone involved to keep it going. I wound up loving the thing.

Video:
The screen image is presented in something close to the 1.37:1 ratio Academy standard of the day, here rendered at 1.33:1. It's in black-and-white, of course, and the print Warner Bros. had available was apparently in excellent condition. It does not appear to have been restored, particularly, but it shows very little evidence of age, almost no flecks, lines, blemishes, or scratches at all. The B&W contrasts are fine, if not always the strongest, and detail and definition are quite good for the print's age. There are a few instances of jittery lines, mostly in plaid clothing, but it's of little concern. Overall, this is a fine transfer of a well-preserved print.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital audio reproduction goes a long way in helping to clarify the film's monaural sound. It's got a commendably wide dynamic range and a generally well-balanced frequency response. There is a touch of background noise, however, that seems to increase toward the middle of the picture and disappear toward the end. It's really only noticeable in quieter scenes and should, in any case, be of no cause for alarm. I'd say this is as good a mono soundtrack as one could reasonably expect from a sixty-plus year old film.

Extras:
I liked the selection of bonus materials Warner Brothers assembled for this disc. It starts with two vintage shorts from 1942. The first is a segment of the "Crime Does Not Pay" series called "Don't Talk," a twenty-one minute FBI propaganda film starring Don Douglas and Barry Nelson. The second short subject is an eight-minute Marine Corps propaganda film, "Marines in the Making," filmed on location at various military bases around the country. Next, there's an audio-only presentation of the Lux Radio Theater adaptation of "Random Harvest," starring Mr. Colman and Ms. Garson. It's fifty-five minutes long and introduced by its producer, Cecil B. De Mille. Unfortunately, it cannot be fast forwarded or reversed, and there are no chapter stops. After that is a gallery of Greer Garson trailers, one each for "Random Harvest," "Mrs. Miniver," and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips." There is also a trailer for "The Aviator" that begins upon start-up but cannot be otherwise accessed. The extras conclude with a generous thirty scene selections; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Parting Thoughts:
How complicated life can be. Who can say what our lives would be like today if one or two key elements had been different. A chance meeting, a lucky break, a guiding word? "Random Harvest" is a weeper, and I don't mind saying it worked for me. Corny? Perhaps. It's a melodrama of exaggeration, to be sure, but of the best kind. Not only is the romance touching, the tension is keen. "Random Harvest" is a remarkable story of love and devotion, patience and endurance, an original and fascinating motion picture.

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