Whenever we have a chance, we at GVN like to shine a spotlight on the classic cinema that shaped the way movies are made today. June 10, 2022 marks the centennial of the one and only Judy Garland, a singular performer whose presence is still keenly felt to this day. In honor of this milestone, throughout the month we are going to take the opportunity to explore beyond her most popular titles such as The Wizard of Oz and A Star Is Born and reflect back on some of our lesser-known favorites from the Warner Archive.
Check out our previous entries on Strike Up The Band, Ziegfeld Girl and For Me And My Gal.
As we last left off with Judy Garland, she was making the necessary transition into the adult roles which more closely aligned with the worldly life she was living off screen beginning with For Me and My Gal. The following few years would be particularly notable for the young actress; Garland’s longtime partnership with Mickey Rooney would conclude in 1943 with their final co-starring feature, Girl Crazy. Garland would also score one of her biggest hits yet in 1944’s classic musical Meet Me In St. Louis under the direction for the first time of future-husband Vincente Minnelli (Ziegfeld Follies). The heat she got from this phenomenon gave her the leverage to make another big step in her career; Garland wanted a chance to sink into a dramatic role without the tiring schedule of being in a musical. In 1945, she teamed up for the second time with Minnelli for The Clock, a stirring romantic drama that marked her first starring role where she did not sing. The film falls in the shadow of St. Louis, but it is a real gem of her filmography waiting to be rediscovered.
Appearing opposite Garland is the terrific Robert Walker (Madame Curie) as the wide-eyed soldier Joe Allen, a country mouse on a 48-hour leave for the first time in the sprawling metropolis of New York City. While the mild-mannered boy gets physically jostled around upon his arrival at the crowded Penn Station, a greater emotional upheaval comes in the form of Alice Mayberry (Garland), a modest young woman who almost literally falls into his life. A fateful broken heel serves as the mechanism for a meet-cute that plays out somewhat like Before Sunrise on pep pills. Alice is a former small-town girl herself, but she has been in the city long enough to indulge in showing him some of the landmarks briefly before she has to get along with her day. After all, Joe is giving off a “lost puppy” energy in a way that does not feel manipulative. The romance that blooms quickly-yet-believably is not terribly different from other stories about a soldier and a girl, yet this one is imbued with a tenderness that makes it one of the best from that genre.
The movie does conjure up some conflict throughout, but considering the looming nature of Joe’s temporary leave, everything else feels minor in comparison. This is a narrative that survives on the strength of the characters rather than the thrills of the plot mechanics. Sure, Alice already has a date scheduled the day she meets Joe, a development that any other time would evolve into an awkward, lightly-humorous set piece where Alice realizes her feelings mid-crab cake before leaving her date before dessert. Yet, in this more considered version of the story, all of the conflicting emotions Alice has about whether or not she is the type of person who would act so impulsively are solitary and internal. Further obstacles like flat tires and losing each other in a crowd only aid in learning more about these two and how they fit together with one another. The timeline for falling in love is obviously compressed, but the chemistry between the two is so sweet that you allow yourself permission to accept the “movie magic” of such an unlikely love story.
The main draw for this film is the knockout performance from Garland, who amply proves she does not need to sing to command the screen. Still, there is some obvious competency from behind the camera that allows this story to be the best version of itself. Minnelli’s eye for design is used to perfection here as he replicates a version of New York that feels as vital to the action as any character. While you obviously know this was created on a set, Minnelli hides the seams really well and conjures the illusion of a lived-in city. His influence also comes through in the way he shoots Garland, capturing her in a way that accentuates all of her best qualities that is recognized by someone who loves her. All of this combined with the perfect 90-minute runtime adds up to a movie romance that still mostly stands up to this very day. When you have a voice such as Garland’s you long to hear it sing beautiful words, but The Clock proves she could have had a very promising career even if she had left singing and dancing behind altogether. This is top-tier Judy Garland.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents The Clock for the first time on Blu-Ray with 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the best surviving protection elements. While this title has never been treated as the crown jewel of the Garland catalog, this new transfer will surely dazzle newcomers with its majesty. The picture has a supreme amount of depth to it even in the nighttime sequences where there remains no evidence of any black crush. This disc displays no trace of digital anomalies such as sharpening or compression artifacts, always running at a high bit rate. This black and white feature has the ideal amount of natural film grain throughout that provides a stunning amount of detail to the image. The gain field does not spike or become chunky even during the foggy sequences. Print damage never comes into view throughout the presentation. Warner Archive should be proud of what they accomplished here.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that works perfectly for this intimate narrative. Dialogue is the lifeforce of this film which comes through clearly even with the distinct cadence of the delivery. There are moments of hustle and bustle in the busy train station when things become a bit chaotic, but this track keeps the dialogue crisp and clear alongside the well-defined environmental sounds. While this may not be a musical, the George Bassman score is still critical to conjuring a meaningful mood, and this track executes it with flawless fidelity. The track is adept at making sure each sonic element comes through without issue. Warner Archive has provided a standout audio presentation that shows no signs of age-related wear-and-tear. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.
Special Features
- Pete Smith Specialty Short – Hollywood Scout: An eight-minute short from 1945 in which Pete’s poor assistant has to scout for talented canines for his short films.
- Classic Tex Avery Cartoon – The Screwy Truant: A seven-minute Screwy Squirrel short from 1945 the famed rodent skipping out on school and being pursued by the truant officer pup who aims to bring him to justice. This is presented in beautiful HD.
- Audio-Only Lux Radio Theater Adaptation with John Hodiak and Judy Garland: A 47-minute radio show version of the story featuring Judy Garland and John Hodiak as a stand-in for Robert Walker.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Clock is a charming and emotional tale which finds Judy Garland transfixing her audience even without the aid of her singing. The chemistry she has with Robert Walker is something quite special that sweeps you away from your problems in the real world for 90 minutes. There are narrative cliches that some may find difficult to overcome if they prefer a more grounded story, but those who love old-fashioned movie romance will eat this one up. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a tremendous A/V presentation and a decent collection of special features. This is worth seeking out even if you just want to see Garland’s strength outside of musicals. Recommended
The Clock can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive 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.