In her first role since starring as Margo Channing in the Academy Award®-winning All About Eve (Best Picture, 1950), Bette Davis plays mystery writer Janet Frobisher, a cold and conniving woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants — and what she wants at the moment is her secretary’s fiancé Larry (Anthony Steel).
But Janet’s plan hits a snag when her estranged husband shows up unannounced after attempting to rob a bank. Her husband’s partner in crime, George (played by real-life husband Gary Merrill), further complicates matters for Janet when he pays her a visit later the same day. Getting rid of one of them proved easy. The other, not so much.
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Video Quality
Another Man’s Poison makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to ClassicFlix with a 1080p master in its original 1.37:1 that is very striking throughout. The moody black-and-white photography shines in high definition with natural grain intact. This grain resolves well without ever spiking or getting clumpy outside of the odd optical dissolve. The transfer shows off a terrific amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Just take a look at the robust textures on the clothing and within the production design from scene to scene. The contrast remains stable throughout with deep black levels and white levels that do not veer into blooming. The presentation does not experience much in the way of black crush or compression artifacts. This was one of the first ClassicFlix Blu-Ray releases, and it still ranks as one of their best.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a mostly enjoyable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up well given the age of the source material. Dialogue and background noises are represented in balance with all competing elements as it maintains a nice fidelity. The score never really overpowers the dialogue or other important information. This track does present some amount of age related wear and tear and some slightly boxy sounding music at its peaks. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. ClassicFlix has provided as solid of a release as possible.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Another Man’s Poison provides Bette Davis with a truly delicious role that an actor of her caliber devours with glee. While her supporting ensemble is decent in their own ways, it is Davis who keeps you captivated throughout this narrative. There is a distinct undercurrent of darkness which allows the audience to group this within the film noir genre if they are feeling generous. The real co-star of Davis is the stylish cinematography which allows for an atmosphere that fits like a glove on Davis. ClassicFlix has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and nothing in terms of extra content. If you are a Bette Davis fan, you are not going to want to skip this. Recommended
Another Man’s Poison is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: ClassicFlix has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
