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Released by: Twilight Time
Released on: December 8, 2015
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Leora Dana, Karl Swenson
Year: 1958
Purchase From Screen Archives
The Movie:
Toward the end of World War II, an Allied reconnaissance unit is ensconced outside an unnamed Nazi-occupied village in southern France. When the unit's radio man is killed, new arrival Britt Harris (Tony Curtis)—a corporal with a wealthy background and a shady past—is assigned the duty by Lieutenant Sam Loggins (Frank Sinatra). As time passes and the Allies and Nazis maintain what is basically a stalemate, the unit's commanding officer (Karl Swenson) takes to breaking the monotony by issuing his men occasional weekend passes to the French Riviera. On one such trip, Sam meets a beautiful woman named Monique (Natalie Wood), who was raised in France by American parents. Her father has passed away, and she shares a large and stunning home with her widowed mother (Leora Dana). Sam falls in love with Monique, who breaks his heart with her insistence on keeping things in the friend zone. When he persists his courtship to a degree that becomes uncomfortable, she and her mother gently explain that her reluctance is largely due to the fact that her late father was "a n****r" (both the word and the situation a jarring reminder of how different things were not all that long ago). Sam drops his pursuit but maintains a friendship with her. Then, at a jazz club one evening, the platonic chums run into Harris, who immediately falls head-over-heels for Monique. He proposes marriage, her mixed parentage not the deal-breaker for him that it is for Sam… Or is it?
Kings Go Forth is a reasonably engrossing slice of cinema with high production values, good performances (Sinatra is particularly well-cast), and an engaging premise (albeit one that seems a bit absurd in its execution; the notion that lily-white Natalie Wood might be "found out" as half-black stretches credulity to the breaking point). The film premiered in Monte Carlo (near Nice, where much of it had been filmed) on June 14, 1958. A wide U.S. release followed two weeks later. It was neither a flop nor a resounding success and is largely forgotten today. Producer Frank Ross, better known for 1939's Of Mice and Men and the 1953 pseudo-Biblical melodrama The Robe, attempted to both exploit and disavow its then-edgy content. While maintaining that dramatic integrity necessitated the casting of a white woman as the half-black Monique, he also approved (or at the very least did nothing to block) such lurid ad copy as "Last night, her skin was white enough for you."
Kings was marketed to both European and African Americas, with Sinatra recording publicity spots aimed specifically at the latter. The studio (United Artists) also engaged A.S. Young, the first black press agent ever to work on a Hollywood film, to coordinate publicity in large urban areas in both northern and southern parts of the country.
Despite the presence of an A-list cast and crew (including composer Elmer Bernstein, who had gone from working on Robot Monster in 1953 to such fare as 1955's The Man with the Golden Arm and The Ten Commandments the following year), the film did not receive a single Academy Award nomination. It was, however, given the 1958 Los Angeles Urban League Award for its promotion of "better race relations and understanding." Too bad, then, that there's an element of condescension on the part of the producers toward the very minorities they sought to exploit. Regardless, it's an engaging film with good performances and offers a window into how White America viewed the issue of race in the late 1950s, and for that reason alone it's worthy of viewing.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Twilight Time has placed this MGM-leased property on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition with an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The aspect ratio reflects the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1. Spread across a 50GB disc, Kings Go Forth is one of the better offerings from MGM on a visual level. While the company's catalog of hi-def transfers vacillates between hit or miss, Kings Go Forth is an undeniable hit. At times the detail practically sparkles, particularly in outdoor locations with a great deal of foliage or stony European structures exposed by a vibrant sun. Not that indoor locales suffer; they don't, and to see just how resplendent the detail can be, one need only look at Frank Sinatra's face or Natalie Wood's clothing for sharpness and clarity. Black levels are also nice, with the darker areas of the frame suffering from little to no crush and the brighter areas not exhibiting any serious issues with washout. There's minor dirt and debris in spots, but this only adds to the filmic experience, which is boosted by an organic grain structure that is neither too evident nor impossibly absent.
The film's primary track is slightly more problematic. Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, the sound is mostly clean and free of hiss or distortion, though it falters slightly during a couple of noisier moments (this is, after all, a film set during World War II). Dialogue suffers no such issues and is generally easy to understand. The track does well by Elmer Bernstein's score, which is given better treatment on an isolated track featuring DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. That track also features some sound effects. For viewers who are deaf or hearing impaired, English subtitles are provided.
There are relatively few extras to be had, including the film's original theatrical trailer (3:00) and an MGM 90th anniversary trailer (2:06), the latter apparently a legal requirement for distributors leasing the studio's films for DVD and Blu-ray release. (The trailer comes across as equal parts social plea and a bid for Sinatra to receive an Oscar nomination.) And last but not least, film historian Julie Kirgo supplies liner notes in an eight-page booklet, beginning with Sinatra the Legend before launching into a discussion of the film, its place in history, and its cast and crew.
Kings Go Forth is a limited edition of 3,000 units.
The Final Word:
Kings Go Forth is by no means a great film, but it isn't a terrible one either, and it does offer strong performances, nice location photography, and an interesting script that provides a window into the prevailing majority's views on race at a time when the Civil Rights Movement was the dominating social issue. Twilight Time's release is nicely organic and highly detailed, with solid sound. Trailers and a score round out what proves overall to be a nice package
Christopher Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Volume 2 of that series (covering the 1930s) is currently available from Midnight Marquee Press, Inc.
