Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Revolt Of Mamie Stover (Twilight Time Releasing) Blu-ray Review

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Mark Tolch
    Senior Member

  • The Revolt Of Mamie Stover (Twilight Time Releasing) Blu-ray Review



    Released By: Twilight Time
    Released On: July 17, 2018.
    Director: Raoul Walsh
    Cast: Jane Russell, Richard Egan, Joan Leslie, Agnes Moorehead
    Year: 1956
    Purchase From Screen Archives


    The Revolt Of Mamie Stover - Movie Review:

    It's San Francisco, 1941, and bad apple Mamie Stover (Jane Russell) is being run out of town on a rail; or rather, a very large boat; by San Francisco's finest, who don't look kindly upon Mamie's prostitutin' ways. The former Mississippi beauty queen doesn't take long to draw the attentions of fellow passenger and author Jim Blair (Richard Egan), who is struck by Mamie's good looks and hard-as-nails attitude. As the ship steams slowly towards Honolulu, the two strike up first a curious friendship, then smouldering romance, made easy by the fact that they're the only two passengers. But Mamie wants a provider, a place in the elusive house on the hill, and cautious Jimmy is reluctant to be taken as a sucker.

    Jim has other reasons for turning down his saucy sea seductress, however, which become very apparent to Mamie when they dock in Hawaii to find Jimmy's live-in lady friend waiting to shower him with kisses and affection. Mamie brushes the sting off quickly, though, and heads to her destination; a room and employment at the Bungalow, a local house of ill repute. Guaranteed a place by an old friend, Mamie makes the acquaintances of the madame of the house, Bertha Parchman (Agnes Moorehead) and her enforcer, Harry (Michael Pate), and quickly settles down to the business of doing the business, or as much of the business as can be implied in a film from 1956.

    It isn't long before Jimmy decides to drop in on his recent flame, and the two continue their somewhat forbidden romance; taboo for Jimmy due to his woman, and completely out of bounds for Mamie, who has been forbidden seeing men outside of work; and they further work out an agreement in which Jim will take care of Mamie's growing earnings, occasionally sending cash back to Mamie's father. As Mamie's fortune grows larger, however, the differences between her and Jimmy are exacerbated, with Mamie trying desperately to explain to Jimmy how much money means when you come from nothing.

    The war complicates issues further, when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour, sending Jim off to active duty, and Mamie into town to capitalize on the sudden boom in empty real estate, but Jimmy takes a step toward what seems like a happy ending for the two when he offers her his loyalty...in exchange for her exclusivity. As Mamie's real estate holdings being to take off, she finds herself more immersed in the almighty dollar, and a shot at becoming the star earner of The Bungalow proves to be the ultimate temptation.

    Based on the book by William Bradford Huie, though toned down heavily for 50's movie audiences, there's a lot to like about The Revolt of Mamie Stover. Jane Russell shines in the lead role, even if hindsight has shown her to be a pretty stereotypical femme fatalish trope from that era, and Richard Egan is a solid enough Jimmy, even if he also suffers from the Jimmy Stewartisms that Hollywood leading men were required to possess at the time. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two of them is awkward at best, leading the viewer to wonder why they're continuously drawn toward one another, but hey, love is like that sometimes. A wonderful supporting cast are on hand to prop the picture up, including Agnes Moorehead as the butchy entrepreneur in charge of the Bungalow, and Michael Pate, who is quietly menacing as the man who slaps the women back in line.

    And while the story presented is mid-grade romance, the film offers a few other chestnuts, with beautiful Hawaiian scenery, prior to the island's hostile takeover by beachside resorts, and a pleasing score by Hugo Friedhofer. Raoul Walsh isn't pushing any boundaries with the Direction of The Revolt of Mamie Stover, but overall, it's a satisfactory viewing experience (if you don't count that cheesy song-and-dance number) where the sum is greater than the individual parts.

    The Revolt Of Mamie Stover - Blu-Ray Review:

    Twilight Time brings The Revolt of Mamie Stover to blu-ray with an AVC-encoded 2.35:1 transfer that looks great, typical of the quality of Twilight Time's work. Grain structure is decent, colours impress throughout, and a lack of dirt and debris provides for an optimal watch.

    I sampled all three tracks on the disc while watching the film, and found the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to be the most immersive, though the DTS-HD 2.0 track didn't grate on the ears as much during the Pearl Harbour scenes. Par for the course, Twilight Time has also included an Isolated Score track in DTS-HD MA 3.0, a nice way to check out Friedhofer's compositions. All three tracks do a fine job carrying the sound, again with the edge going to the 5.1.

    Extras for this release include the usual Twilight Time Interactive Catalogue, a booklet essay by Twilight Times' Julie Kirgo, and a very unrestored Theatrical Trailer.

    The Revolt Of Mamie Stover - The Final Word:

    It's not going to mess with my Top Ten list of classic films, but The Revolt of Mamie Stover is a fine way to kill 92 minutes, with Twilight Time's usual quality control guaranteeing a beautiful audio and video experience.

    Click on the images below for full sized The Revolt Of Mamie Stover Blu-ray screen caps!






















      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Severin Films
      Released on: April 30th, 2024.
      Director: Lee Frost
      Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
      Year: 1969
      Purchase From Amazon

      Hot Spur – Movie Review:

      Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
    • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Mondo Macabro
      Released on: April 9th, 2024.
      Director: Max Pecas
      Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
      Year: 1985
      Purchase From Amazon

      Death Squad – Movie Review:

      Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
    • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Quality X
      Released on: February 28th, 2024.
      Director: Chuck Vincent
      Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
      Year: 1982
      Purchase From Amazon

      Roommates – Movie Review:

      Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
    • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Blue Underground
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Jess Franco
      Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
      Year: 1970
      Purchase From Amazon

      Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

      Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
    • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Saul Bass
      Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
      Year: 1974
      Purchase From Amazon

      Phase IV – Movie Review:

      Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
    • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Radiance Films
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
      Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
      Year: 1969-1972
      Purchase From Amazon

      The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

      Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
      ...
      03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
    Working...
    X