In an opulent New England community, an Ivy Leaguer causes a stir with what seem to be mysterious curative abilities. Theophilus North (Anthony Edwards) takes a teaching job in Newport, R.I., where he befriends wealthy local Mr. Bosworth (Robert Mitchum). Theophilus has a biological quirk that enables him to emanate electrical charges, which appear to heal various ills. Though Persis (Anjelica Huston), Mr. Bosworth’s granddaughter, has his back, his unique talent isn’t without complications.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/XVdHVOn5xZ0?si=7Lumfmj6RM3kYBsM&t=3860]

Video Quality

Mr. North debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 which appears to be from a decent older master from MGM. This continues a recent trend of the company dumping out old masters from an eclectic slate of movies with seemingly no rhyme or reason. While we would love a bit more care put into it, these discs have typically held up well enough. The transfer avoids obvious signs of damage and digital manipulation. You may encounter a few specks of damage throughout, but we have experienced far worse.

The picture retains its natural film grain with not much in the way of density fluctuations. The transfer is fairly well defined with nice clarity when it comes to unlocking detail. Colors are pleasantly saturated with a welcome vibrancy within articles of clothing, the production design, and the landscapes. Black levels are passable when it comes to depth, as only some of the nighttime scenes call out for more clarity. Highlights are kept in line without any obvious blooming at play. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies do not betray the image. We are glad MGM took a chance to release this one even without a new master.

Audio Quality

MGM brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that accomplishes what it needs to. Dialogue comes through clearly without succumbing to the presence of any competing element. The environmental effects allow the town to have a welcoming personality, even if nothing too complicated is asked of the soundscape. The sound effects are not too heavy-handed, but they add some weight to the mix. The score establishes the atmosphere of the narrative, and it radiates out with a fortunate fidelity. MGM has done a good job with this one. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on the disc.

Final Thoughts

Mr. North is a mostly charming small-town tale about the power of connection and belief. The central performance from Anthony Edwards is nothing earth-shattering, but he proves to be a solid lead among an inviting ensemble of great performers. The tone of this one feels like a warm blanket, so those looking for something generally pleasant should check this out. MGM has brought this film to Blu-Ray with a good A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. Recommended

Mr. North can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MGM 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.