Because of Him (1946)

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General		Extras
Category	RomCom w Music	None
Rating
Year Of Production	1946
Running Time	84:05
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Richard Wallace
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Deanna Durbin Charles Laughton Franchot Tone Helen Broderick Donald Meek Stanley Ridges Charles Halton Bess Flowers
Case	Custom Packaging
RPI	Box	Music	Miklos Rosza Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart Tosti / Whyte / Melville

    Good news for those contemplating buying the nineteen disc set  Deanna Durbin : The Collection! Roadshow have announced an April price drop to $150 "for Mother's Day".

   

" You and I always seem to be going out of bedrooms facing photographers."

    Kim Walker (Deanna Durbin) is a stagestruck young woman currently working as a waitress in a New York restaurant. Aided by her co-worker friend, Nora (Helen Broderick), Kim tricks her idol, famous actor John Sheridan (Charles Laughton), into putting his signature to a letter she has written recommending her to Broadway producer Charles Gilbert (Stanley Ridges). Presenting herself at Ridge's office, Kim also meets playwright cum director Paul Taylor (Franchot Tone), who sees her as just another pushy, ruthless, aspiring young actress. While Sheridan is out of town on a fishing trip, with Nora's help and to the distress of the absent actor's manservant, Martin (Donald Meek), Kim holds a party in the actor's apartment to celebrate her casting in Sheridan's next venture. While the party is in progress Sheridan makes an unexpected return, but he saves Kim's face by going along with her deception. After walking her home Sheridan dashes Kim's hopes of immediate stardom in his new play. The next day newspapers carry an erroneous report that the aspiring actress has made a suicide attempt. Taylor and Sheridan both think that the twice rejected young wannabe has attempted to take her life "because of him". Sheridan, however, soon  recognizes the "ham" in Kim's emotional state, and softens towards her, finally urging her to try again "in a couple of years". While Sheridan is on the phone a dejected and rejected Kim gently sings Danny Boy. Sheridan's heart softens and she is in the play! Author/director Taylor incorrectly assumes that Sheridan has given Kim the role because of a romantic involvement. Rehearsals are tense, with Taylor constantly critical of the inexperienced leading lady. Sheridan is incensed and explodes, resulting in director Taylor's walking out. Before the play opens Taylor demands that his name be removed as author of the play. During rehearsals Sheridan falls in love with Kim, but then realises that it is Taylor that she really loves. Opening night sees Taylor in the wings to see Kim's triumph, realising his earlier folly. In an extremely silly and unrealistic on-stage ending, all is resolved.

    The screenplay was written by Edmund Beloin from his original story co-authored with Sig Herzog. Though not up to his script for Lady On a Train, Beloin has written a workmanlike backstage Broadway yarn about a stagestruck young actress, which is pretty familiar territory. There is nothing fresh or original in the Deanna Durbin and Francot Tone characters. Perhaps Durbin's Kim is a little more conscious of her own ruthlessness than is the norm in these light pieces, but Tone's character is totally without surprise and the same can be said for his performance. Perhaps by 1945 he had played too many of these roles. After a few offbeat parts, Miss Durbin is here in familiar territory and she brings her usual freshness and directness to everything she does. She  looks lovely, darker haired, after the glamorous blonde in Lady On A Train, and  beautifully photographed in extreme close-up for Danny Boy. Photographer here is Hal Mohr, new to a Durbin film. The three musical "numbers" have the soprano bursting into song for no apparent reason. Lover (Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart) has Durbin dueting prettily with her own recording and Goodbye (Tosti) is very awkwardly staged in a hotel corridor, elevator (Bess Flowers is one of the other passengers), lobby and, finally, revolving door. Though it is a bit incongruous Danny Boy is a treat, with Deanna at her most tender, sounding and looking wonderful, with a subdued Laughton as audience.

    Laughton does "steal" the film. His performance is pure ham but thoroughly enjoyable. He has some great scenes, most notably when he tutors Deanna Durbin in the art of fainting. There are also some nice moments shared with the always welcome Donald Meek, a man most appropriately named.

    Direction by Richard Wallace is fast paced and efficient, and production values are up to the usual standard of a Deanna Durbin feature. Mikos Rosza once again was responsible for the attractive music, which is lighter than his customary works, the main title theme being a little reminiscent of  Alfred Newman's  All About Eve opening.

    Because of Him is a light, generally forgettable backstage Broadway fairytale. It makes for pleasant enough entertainment, but there is little to distinguish it apart from the participation of Laughton and Durbin - and her performance of Danny Boy.

Video

    This release of  Because of Him provides a generally good print of the film, with a similar soundtrack.
     
    The image is presented in a 4x3 transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the original presentation having been 1.37:1.
    The print used appears to be undoctored, without any restoration, although there are no reel cues.
    

    The image is pleasingly sharp, the close ups looking particularly good, with almost undetectable grain.
    Shadow detail is good, notably in the evening New York street scene.
    The transfer reproduces the original picture very nicely. Blacks are deep and solid and the whites do not flare.
    The grey scale is very good and makes for a most attractive black and white image.
     
    Film to video effects were difficult to find, with just a few cases of low level noise noted.
    There is at times a very slight telecine wobble while aliasing was noted only once on Franchot Tone's jacket (48:28).
    

    Apart  from the occasional white fleck, there are a few instances of film damage.
    A quite distinct scratch appears for approximately one minute, starting at 07:00.
    There are further scratches, though more briefly, at 24:52, 43:28 and 62:15.
    There is evidence of damage and repair at 20:00, although the flow of image and sound is not disturbed.

    There are no subtitles and the disc is single layered.
    
   
    

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio on this unrestored print is very pleasing, with not one major problem.
    There is only one language, English, in a Dolby Digital 2.0 reproduction of the original mono Western Electric Noiseless Recording.
     Dialogue is clear and sharp, with every syllable distinct. There are no sync problems.
    
    
    There is a small amount of crackle throughout some scenes, while in others there is a total background "silence".
    No "pops" were heard, even at the reel changes.

    The clarity of the sound on this film is extremely pleasing. The human voice is produced sharply and cleanly - in dialogue and song. There is no trace of distortion.
    Miklos Rosza's  background orchestrations sound very impressive, full and detailed, with individual instruments clearly defined.
 

    There are no dropouts.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    The box set of nineteen movies on nineteen discs contains a Sixteen Page Souvenir Booklet.
    Apart from this booklet and the Stills Galleries on five of the titles,  there are no extras on the entire nineteen discs, not even a trailer.
    The inside of the cover slick for Because of Him has small reproductions of a poster and eight stills from the film.
    The picture disc reproduces the title's cover.
    There are no subtitles.

Menu    
   

    
    All menu screens are 4x3.
    

    The main menu design is extremely basic. The screen comprises one still from the film, with orchestral audio.
    The options are :
        Play Film
       Scene Index: Selecting this option gives a new screen with another still and a list of ten scenes. No thumbnails, no sound.
       Stills Gallery:  Selecting this option gives a new screen with a new still, with no sound. From this screen there is access to  a gallery of nine black and white publicity stills and one poster.

    

    There is no current release of Because of Him in Region 1.
    
    The nineteen titles box set is available in Region 2 where it is more than double the Australian price. Because of Him  is also available separately.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall