The film noir genre has rarely looked as sparkly and vibrant as it does in the 1958 Nicholas Ray feature Party Girl. Ray was coming off a series of difficult productions for his previous couple of independently-produced features, and the safety net of a studio feature was one he welcomed. With classics like Rebel Without A Cause and Johnny Guitar under his belt, he was hoping to have some sway with this MGM production, but he would soon learn that studio mandates would box him out of most creative input he wanted. Part gangster film, part musical, Party Girl was playing with a well-worn genre and Ray was trying to freshen up with some style in his restrained capacity. The result is visually dazzling with strong performances that slightly stumbles in regard to tone. The feature is enchanting to be sure, but with a singular vision behind the camera you can imagine how this story would have blended a bit more seamlessly. The film has never been widely regarded, but it is an engaging time for those who give it a chance.
The film stars the last two contract stars committed to MGM; Cyd Charisse (Silk Stockings) ends her fourteen years at the studio as chorus girl Vicki Gaye, a “party girl” who will go out to an event with you if the money is right. Robert Taylor (Quo Vadis) appears opposite of her as Thomas Farrell, an oily lawyer for the mob who often exploits his lame leg for sympathy in the courtroom. The pair meet one evening at the birthday of mob boss Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb, On The Waterfront), a Chicago gangster modeled in the style of Al Capone. Angelo is a particularly volatile character played with pleasing verve from Cobb, something which is exemplified from the first time we meet him and he shoots a picture of his favorite actress when he finds out she has gotten married. Vicki and Thomas are drawn into each other’s orbit, slightly disapproving of the life the other lives but intrigued by one another nonetheless. The romance that blooms between the two has an immense impact on their lives, but the criminal lifestyle is one difficult to leave behind.
Where narrative innovation is slight, the film supplements with dynamic performances from the entire ensemble. Cyd Charisse has the perfect allure of a woman set to survive in this world by any means necessary while also being believably vulnerable when she starts having romantic feelings. She plays the drama well, but equally important here are her musical moments at the nightclub. Tonally, this is one of the elements that Ray’s input could have helped smooth over a bit, as the old Hollywood ideal of what a musical number should be clashes with the darker undertone of the story. Charisse nails the exciting choreography, though, and makes the most of her moments which work better in a vacuum. Taylor meets Charisse capably in the romantic chemistry department, and possibly even better when it comes to committing to the physical challenges of his character. He is not quite as captivating as Charisse, but few people on the silver screen are.
For a film released in the still relatively buttoned-up time of the 1950s, there are some elements of the plot that are surprisingly mature such as suicide and some intense forms of intimidation that garners some genuine thrills. Don’t let the musical aspect of this fool you, this is a gangster tale through and through. Where the film makes missteps with the tone, Ray makes up for it with some truly eye-popping uses of color and framing. The world that is presented is gritty, but the visual spectacle is immense thanks to the combination of CinemaScope widescreen and Metrocolor. In the end, the film could have been tightened up by five or ten minutes, but compared to some features there is not a deal breaking amount of fat on this one. Even with some obvious areas for improvement, Party Girl remains a really engaging tale of crime and passion made buoyant with some dazzling dance numbers. Even a more minor Nicholas Ray effort is worth seeing.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents Party Girl with a beautiful new 1080p master transfer in 2.55:1 sourced from a 4K scan of preservation elements. Warner Archive always knocks it out of the park when they delve into their vaults, and this one is no exception. The film features some splendid colors within the costumes and 30s production design that pop off the screen with a great vibrancy. The film is practically pristine with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected here. The level of minute detail and clarity is stunning with a lovely amount of natural film grain intact. The black levels are incredibly deep with a pleasing stability throughout. Compression artifacts, banding and other such issues do not pop up as an issue in this transfer. This presentation is another instance of Warner Archive showing off their marvelous skills.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that is likewise very enjoyable. Dialogue and background noises are represented perfectly along with the score from Jeff Alexander. The songs performed by Cyd Charisse – well, Gloria Wood did the actual singing – are brought to vivid life with excellent fidelity. There is no discernible age related wear and tear to the track such as hissing or popping. No sounds ever overpower the dialogue that is being spoken here. While mostly dialogue driven throughout, the more kinetic moments are handled with ease and give the track a bit of punch, such as some of the gunfire. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Warner Archive has provided a disc that sounds fantastic in all respects.
Special Features
- Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here which has all of the characters discussing their role in the story.
Final Thoughts
Party Girl is a bit inconsistent with its tone, but it remains a really striking piece of filmmaking from Nicholas Ray. The use of bold colors and sumptuous camerawork in this film combined with impressive performances all around makes this one worthy of your time. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. This is one of those discs that shows off some of the great capabilities of the Blu-Ray format. Recommended
Party Girl can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers. The release will be available on November 30, 2021.
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.
