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Mister Roberts
R4 - Australia - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Shane Roberts (18th April 2008). |
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The Film
 Near the end of World War II, American cargo ship the USS Reluctant travels the safe areas of the Pacific that are miles from the combat zones. Frustrated at being kept away from the front lines that he feels he has a duty to fight on, Lt. Douglas Roberts (Henry Fonda) submits weekly letters to the ships Captain (James Cagney) requesting a transfer to a battleship. With his requests repeatedly turned down and the captain’s tyrannical behaviour destroying the crew’s morale, Mr. Roberts’ disillusionment turns to rebellion as a battle of wills develops between the two. Originally a novel by Thomas Heggen and then a successful play on Broadway which ran for three years and 1,157 performances from 1948 to 1951, "Mister Roberts" the film features not just a screenplay co-written by the original stage director Joshua Logan (along with Frank Nugent) but also its star Henry Fonda who won a Tony Award in 1948 for his portrayal of the title character. Known throughout his career for playing genuine, honorable and heroic everymen in films like "The Grapes Of Wrath" (1940) and "12 Angry Men" (1957) it’s no surprise that Fonda fits the part perfectly and that it’s became one of his most recognized roles and also his personal favourite. While he’s typically brilliant, he’s matched by all three of his co-stars in an ‘A’ grade cast that’s a mixture of established Hollywood legends (James Cagney and William Powell) and the breakout role for a legend to be (Jack Lemmon). The role of the petty and resentful Captain Morton was the last great role in Cagney’s career. His tough guy image was built on bad guy roles in gangster films like "The Public Enemy" (1931) and "White Heat" (1949) but this is something different. Morton isn’t just another arrogant cardboard cutout authority figure. His hatred of Roberts is because of resentment and jealousy (explained in a pivotal scene about halfway through) rather than his lack of respect for him as an officer or a man. Balancing out the drama is a hilarious performance by Jack Lemmon as the work shy and girl obsessed Ensign Pulver which deservedly won him his first Academy Award and introduced a comic brilliance that would see him nominated a further two times in the following five years for "Some Like It Hot" (1959) and "The Apartment" (1960) and would continue to make him a beloved star for the next 45 years. William Powell, whose career had stretched back to the early 20’s and included the popular "Thin Man"1934-1947) series and "My Man Godfrey" (1936) plays Doc. This turned out to be his final film before retiring…or rather retiring for the second time as he had already retired after "How To Marry A Millionaire" (1953) but was tempted back by the quality of this script. He’s excellent as the wise and caring father figure to Pulver and especially Mister Roberts. This type of character was fairly clichéd even then (Morgan Freeman) has made a career out of it in the last 20 years) but he brings such class and sophistication to his role that he steals most of the scenes he’s in. As well as some of the characters, the story itself may also seem predictable and unoriginal to some people. The lazy unmotivated youngster becoming a better person through the influence of the older heroic mentor has well and truly become a cliché and is still (over) used frequently now (e.g. "The Guardian" (2006) with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher…hardly a match for Fonda and Lemmon). Two things need to be taken into account though; 1) the age of the film - it was in this era that this type of story originated, using mainly the War, Western and Gangster genres as a back drop, and 2) the fact that this film is such a perfect example of just how moving it can be if it’s done right. The reviews and even packaging for the film is, I think, a little misleading as it’s usually categorized or described as a straight out comedy or even a comedy/drama putting the emphasis on the humor where it’s mostly a serious drama with a lighter tone running through it. That being said, both aspects succeed brilliantly without hindering the other and its four star reputation as a classic is well deserved.
Video
This film is criminally presented in a 1.33:1 full screen pan-and-scan transfer, it's been a long time since I've seen a pan-and-scan transfer, the norm is of course presenting a film in its original ratio. In "Mister Roberts" case that ratio would have been 2.35:1, the film begins in this ratio (non-anamorphic of course) but after the opening scene the frame opens up to full screen, the annoy aspect of this scan process is the unnatural movement within the frame. Warner Brothers automatically get a fail because the film is not presented as it was intended. The transfer quality is also patchy, the image is soft and zoomed in, there are compression artifacts and flaws present throughout. This is totally disappointing.
Audio
A single audio track is included in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono, this is probably the original soundtrack. The track feels flat and limited, I doubt it has been restored properly, which can account for a lot. Dialogue is easily heard, range is limited. Overall this track was rather unimpressive. Optional subtitles are included in English and English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Warner Brothers has not include a single extra on this release.
Packaging
Packaged in an amaray case housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
What a terrible release for such a classic film, This is nowhere near Warner Brothers' standard for catalogue titles. Hopefully this film will get much better treatment in the future...my question is why not simply port over the specs from the US R1 release which features the film in it's original widescreen presentation and includes some decent extras?
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