MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR: Blu-ray (Warner Bros. 1958) Kino Lorber
Altering the
ending of Herman Wouk’s best seller – arguably for the better – and updating
the setting by a couple of decades, director, Irving Rapper’s Marjorie Morningstar (1958) is a
relatively faithful (at least by Hollywood’s standards) adaptation of Wouk’s
highly popular work of fiction, depicting the bittersweet May/December romance
between a pair of mismatched lovers. The novel would suggest its vivacious
title character, Marjorie Morningstar (a.k.a. Morgenstern and superbly realized
by Natalie Wood) is doomed to settle in marriage to Sidney Schwartz (never
depicted in the film), a man approved of by her rigid and match-making mother,
Rose (Claire Trevor); Marjorie, surrendering the last vestige of her own
identity (formidable and strong-willed throughout the rest of the story) to
actually become a wan ghost flower of her own mother. If the novel left its
female readership weeping upon publication in 1955 it was likely due to the
fact this winsome, bright-eyed and intelligent ingénue in which all of their
thoughts, ideals and daydreams had been embodied and doubly invested, suddenly
appeared unapologetic and willing to sell out her dreams for the quiet life.
Relocating the
novel’s premise from the 1930’s to the ‘more
progressive’ fifties allows screenwriter, Everett Freeman to explore an alternative
fate for our beloved heroine; coming to terms with her prolonged, if ill-fated
case of puppy love, matured too in her outlook on life as she steps away from
the past with renewed faith and promise in her own future; a brief glimpse of
old friend and popular playwright, Wally Wronkin (Martin Milner) in the
rearview mirror, meant to suggest a new chapter in Marjorie’s life, instead of
closing the book on her aspirations (both figuratively and literally) forever. Marjorie Morningstar is an almost
devotional recollection of a young girl’s impossible infatuation with an older
man. Wouk’s prose coaxes a ginger empathy to the surface for this misled girl.
If he fumbles the ball at the end, easing our winsome gal into the predictable
ending – marriage (happy conceived or otherwise, settled) – Wouk nevertheless
manages to generate a sense of compassion for Marjorie that keeps the embers of
her recalled love affair brightly burning even under the heavy clouds of conventional
acquiescence to the ‘part’ (or ‘a woman’s place’) she is expected to play.
On the wane
from his seemingly Teflon-coated career as a superlative musical/comedy star,
Gene Kelly proves again he can carry a dramatic role with as much emotional
intensity, understanding, frustrated dignity and polish, while his co-star,
Natalie Wood equally illustrates what a very fine young actress she had
blossomed into since her days as the astute child star of Miracle on 34th Street (1947). It really is the first ‘adult’ part for Wood
and she excels at it with an unanticipated dignity and wit. This wasn’t Kelly’s
first stab at melodrama. He had played the son of a slain Italian lawyer in
1950’s blistering melodrama, The Black Hand,
and exercised an air for the athletic and effervescent D’Artagnan in 1948’s
lithe Technicolor adaptation of The
Three Musketeers. Nevertheless, Kelly’s performance in Marjorie Morningstar as the unfulfilled and self-pitying Noel
Airman (a.k.a. ‘Ehrman’) only ever to attain notoriety as the summer stock
thespian/social director of the South Wind Playhouse, offers us a glimpse into
Kelly’s alter ego, or, the perfectionist defeated, or rather again and still;
ingeniously morphed into somebody else. I suppose it bodes well for Kelly that
his first ‘serious’ part allows him the opportunity to hint at the embers of his
former breezy self; the Kelly we expect to see – and do get in reserved fits
and flashes - Noel, as dancer, choreographer, star and director; far too
professional and accomplished for the modest theater company he keeps, even as
he briefly
hoofs, exercising his typically overt masculine bravura, and, even more
pleasingly warbles the movie’s sensual anthem: the Oscar-nominated, ‘A Very Precious Love. ’
Critics of the
day were quick to criticize Natalie Wood for remaining ‘competent’ in a ‘rarely glowing’
and ‘hardly complex’ part.
Respectfully, I wholeheartedly disagree. While Marjorie’s misfired puppy love
for Noel does begin to wear a tad thin by the end of this story, Wood’s
heartfelt evocation of these deepest wellsprings of devotion, repeatedly
shattered by her lover’s philandering and bouts with alcoholism, are finely
brought to the core of this potent drama with a genuinely realized and sobering
epiphany all her own. Marjorie
Morningstar is a movie that, unlike others of its ilk and generation, has
not dated all that much since, chiefly because of the intelligence both Kelly
and Wood infuse into their performances. Each strikes at the iron of those
perennially diverging chords of affection that can generate the necessary spark
between two dissimilar, if impassioned people, though rarely – if ever – meant
for matrimony or even any sort of lasting happiness. Noel and Marjorie belong
to this ill-fated sect of lovers, able to sense the intensity of each other’s
fiery appetite at a glance; drawn, as moths, to its eternal flicker, only to
realize more third degree burns than warmth is probable from its smoldering
intensity. True to movie-land cliché, Noel and Marjorie’s fervor is depicted as
more of a disease than desirable; the antithesis of that fabled grand amour
Marjorie’s doe-eyed green girl clings to for far too long with wounded
disillusionment as these incremental misfires in her fairy tale mount into
abject, even monumental unhappiness.
It is fitting
that the first character we are introduced to in the movie version is a genuine
‘character’ in his own right: the
Morgenstern’s beloved Uncle Samson (Ed Wynn). Resisting the urge to play it
‘broad’ as was usually Wynn’s forte, herein the actor gives us a truer portrait
of the avuncular and benevolent family member we all wish we had watching our
backs; a sage, peppered in the wisdom of the ages and a thin treacle of good
humor – blessed and beloved by all who come to know him. Samson’s arrival to
the Morgenstern’s new and fashionable Manhattan apartment coincides with
Marjorie’s maturation into a young woman of qualities desirably to many suitors.
Most recently, it’s Sandy Lamm (Edward Byrnes); the son of a successful
businessman. Rose believes Sandy is a fine match. But Marjorie has no spark of
interest in pursuing him, much to her mother’s dismay. Instead, as a student of
the prestigious Hunter College, Marjorie elects to follow her girlfriend, the
somewhat boy-crazy, Marsha Zelenko (Carolyn Jones) to work at an all-girl’s
summer camp in the Adirondacks; a means to ‘find herself’. Marjorie’s father,
Arnold (Everett Sloane) is more forgiving of this idea.
By day,
Marjorie and Marsha dutifully fulfill their commitments as camp mentors. But by
night, they are lured to cross the lake by canoe to South Wind; a Borscht Belt
resort for adults only, managed by Maxwell Greech (George Tobias). Marsha meets
up with her much older beau at the resort’s dancehall, leaving Marjorie to
befriend aspiring playwright, Wally Wronkin. Wally is smitten with Marjorie at
a glance. But she is drawn to the resort’s much older social director, Noel
Airman. Caught by Greech, Marjorie is rescued by Noel’s quick thinking. He lies
to Greech about having invited Marjorie as his guest. In short order, Noel
offers Marjorie a job painting sets and hanging posters; the beginning of an
unrequited puppy love that quickly escalates into a full-blown affair. Noel is
worldly, but cynical. He refers to Marjorie as a ‘Shirley’ – just one in a long
line of easily made/and as easily laid seductions. But soon, Noel discovers how
different Marjorie is from all the others. She has touched his heart. Ashamed
of his own Jewish heritage (born Ehrman, not Airman), Noel rechristens his protégée,
Marjorie ‘Morningstar’ and gives her
a plum spot in his new ‘fiesta-styled’
show. Concerned for Marjorie’s welfare, Rose sends Uncle Samson to oversee this
brewing romance. And while Samson does play the part of the chaperone rather
well, he allows Marjorie and Noel their breathing space; a chance, perhaps, for
her to discover the misguided nature of these affections for this middle-aged
man in her own good time.
Instead,
Marjorie makes it known to her mother and father she intends to marry Noel as
soon as he asks her. Neither Rose nor Arnold is particularly pleased; less so,
when they witness first-hand Marjorie’s provocative dance during the fiesta as
part of South Wind’s entertainment. Uncle Samson offers to smooth out the
edges, but after a few spirited steps around the dance floor he excuses
himself, looking frail and careworn. Noel intrudes and professes his true love
for Marjorie. She accepts him with all her heart, but only moments later
discovers a crowd, including the resort’s kindly, Dr. David Harris (Martin
Balsam) huddled near Uncle Samson who has suffered a fatal heart attack. Perhaps
believing her acceptance of Noel has indirectly contributed to Samson’s demise,
Marjorie rejects Noel now and retreats back to college where she and Marsha
graduate with honors. In the meantime, Wally has become a very successful
playwright with a Broadway hit. His success breeds Noel’s envy. Despite having
landed a successful career as a Madison Ave. ad man, Noel resents having
sacrificed his own dreams of the theater to pursue Marjorie. After some
pre-marital jitters, Marsha marries the much older, Lou Michaelson (Jesse
White); one of the backers of Wally’s show.
When it comes
to the theater, Wally is blessed with the Midas touch. But Noel has Marjorie as
his muse. Encouraged by her, Noel proceeds to write ‘Princess Jones’ – an intellectual play where the emotional content
of the romantic couple being depicted on stage is expressed entirely through
the art of dance. The project has merit, or rather, prestige – a quality sure
to make it either the surprise sleeper hit of the season or a total flop. Noel
senses that Wally and Lou have been put up by Marsha and Marjorie to bring two
additional backers to help fund his dream project. He resents the implication
this is the only way he can succeed in life: propped up by someone else’s money
and faith in the talent he already knows he possesses. After a brief
admonishment of their motives, and a near outright rejection of his plan, Noel
recants his disgust and begs for everyone’s indulgence and forgiveness. Seeing
how fragile he is, Wally and Lou conspire to convince the backers to go on with
the show. Their investment is mislaid when ‘Princess
Jones’ bombs with the critics, who crucify its opening night.
Noel retreats
into self-pity and drink, picking up a B-girl, Imogene Norman (Ruta Lee) at a
jazz nightclub; Marjorie, discovering Imogene dressing the next morning in Noel’s
apartment, leading directly to their breakup. Marjorie is pursued by David,
whom she likes but does not love. Eventually, he marries another and Marjorie
is briefly reunited with Noel. Without
much explanation, Noel retreats to Europe – presumably to find himself. Wally
urges Marjorie not to follow him. But she still cannot believe their affair is
at an end. So she trails Noel to Paris, only to discover he is not there.
Instead, Wally resurfaces, explaining to Marjorie how Noel never left the
country and has actually gone back to South Wind; the only place where he will
ever be a success – even if it is only minor celebrity. Marjorie skulks off to
South Wind, determined to win Noel back. But then a funny thing occurs; as she
quietly observes Noel in rehearsals for a new show, Marjorie suddenly begins to
realize she is not the same naïve girl. Greech appears, suggesting she has
grown up quite a bit since the last time he saw her and, for the first time, Marjorie
agrees. She has grown up; the puppy
love, and desperation to be loved by Noel in return, all gone now. Marjorie
leaves South Wind without ever talking to Noel; boarding the bus back to New
York, only to discover Wally seated near the back, still hopeful Marjorie will
come around to him as a potential mate. While no words are spoken between them,
the bus pulling away from South Wind suggests for the first time Wally and
Marjorie’s interests are finally headed in the same direction.
Marjorie Morningstar remains a poignant reflection on
a young girl’s infatuation with an older man. Co-stars Gene Kelly and Natalie
Wood strike indelible impressions in this bittersweet tale of love found, lost,
briefly rekindled, but eventually surrendered to the passage of time. Irving
Rapper’s direction is fairly uneven, if not in its pacing, then definitely in
its narrative time line. Lest we forget, Rapper is the fellow who gave us Bette
Davis’ most memorable three hanky weepie, Now
Voyager (1942). And while Rapper is in ‘familiar territory’ with Marjorie Morningstar he seems incapable
of linking its passages with anything more promising than a fade out. Whole
excerpts from Wouk’s novel are omitted – as, arguably, they must be for time
constraints. But Rapper’s direction lacks finesse as he arbitrarily moves the
narrative along to the ‘next big scene’.
In and of themselves these work splendidly because the acting in them is very
good indeed. But the causal relationship between them is missing; suggesting
more a vignette or Trip Tik through ‘the
seasons’ of Marjorie’s turbulent love affair with Noel that lacks a satisfying
emotional arc to their story.
We have Kelly
and Wood to thank for whatever expressive wellsprings stir between these
characters. Kelly’s Noel is a womanizing cad, but an empathetic one nonetheless.
Wood’s Marjorie is a bit more difficult to decipher, since she continues to
carry the torch for this mostly one-sided grand amour long after the audience
already has recognized it is tragically hopeless to daydream it into existence.
The real magic in Wood’s pining pirouette comes almost at the end; the way she manages
to take all its wounded desire and suddenly, without the benefit of dialogue,
translate it into the substance of a real ‘reel’ woman of quality; Marjorie’s
awakening, both edifying and astute. In
the end, Marjorie Morningstar is a
movie well worth revisiting because it continues to resonate with sobering
sparks about the troubled affaire de coeur most of us can thoroughly relate to with
genuine understanding. Marjorie and Noel are not to be. That makes them true to
life; truer still to the precepts of all great romances where he said that he
loved her. She said that she loved him. Then, they both decided to go their
separate ways. Ah me, amour!
Kino Lorber’s
newly minted Blu-ray is not quite as deserving of our breathless sighs. First off, it is light years ahead of what
this movie has ever looked like on home video for decades; produced by Warner
Brothers but long-since in public domain and presently advertised on Kino’s
back packaging as under a licensing agreement with Paramount Home Video. Odd.
Whatever the case, this new to Blu master, and in 4K no less, appears to have
been sourced from original separation masters; albeit, plagued by the muddy
grain and inconsistently rendered hues of WarnerColor; arguably, one of the
worst color processes introduced in the early fifties to (choke) challenge
Technicolor’s supremacy. The fluctuations in color density are wholly the
result of WarnerColor’s inferiority – not any flaw in this mastering effort.
When the elements are properly aligned, most of Marjorie Morningstar looks as it should. Some of it looks very good
indeed.
However, at
about 38 minutes into this presentation we get some really ugly ghosting
(misalignment). Spread throughout is a considerable amount of age-related wear
and tear – dirt, scratches, tears, etc. that have been built into these
elements over time. A digital clean-up would have likely corrected virtually all
of these anomalies…except that no one took the time to care. Personally, I do
not see the point in advertising this release (much less doing all of the scan
work on it) in 4K if even basic digital restoration is not applied. As
originally stated, what’s here is far superior to what Marjorie Morningstar has ever looked like on home video. But it is
also light years behind the level of perfection currently possible with a
little time, care and money properly spent. Disappointing to see such a
half-ass job in 2017! We are not at the infancy of Blu-ray mastering, folks.
High time we started expecting more from our distributors and their licensors. The DTS mono audio is adequately reproduced
for this presentation with no hiss or pop. Apart from a few trailers tacked on
to advertise other Kino Lorber classics available, there are NO extras. Bottom
line: Marjorie Morningstar is
memorable. This Blu-ray is better than previous home video incarnations, but
nowhere near the level of quality possible in high def. Regrets.
FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
3
EXTRAS
0
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