In the late 1960s, few actors were in as good of a place in their careers as Paul Newman, who broke out a decade earlier in roles such as Somebody Up There Likes Me and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Newman had a rare breed of on-screen magnetism which conjured butterflies inside audience members of all sorts. Coming off of his Oscar-nominated role in Cool Hand Luke, Newman presumably could have chosen to act in anything, yet he chose to step away from appearing on screen to try his hand at directing.
Actors-turned-directors are not exactly uncommon, especially these days, but it is slightly surprising when you see what he chose as his first project; author Margaret Laurence published A Jest Of God in 1966, telling the story of a small-town teacher in her mid-30s who begins to break free of her mundane life and strive for independence. This novel was adapted into Rachel, Rachel in 1968, and the project allowed Newman to direct Academy Award-winner Joanne Woodward (The Three Faces of Eve). The prospect of this would be appealing for most directors, and doubly so since the two were married. Rather than tackling a large scale production with various moving parts, Newman stayed true to his knowledge of acting and brought to life an intimate drama which would eventually be recognized with a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. The film is not one often listed among his great achievements, but it is one that you are not soon to forget if you take the time to watch it.
Woodward plays Rachel Cameron, an unassuming educator of 35 who acts as a caretaker to her all-too-comfortable widowed, invalid mother in the apartment they share above the funeral home that previously belonged to her father. The proximity to death her entire life is not surprising given the glimpses of the life that we see; one of the first images of the film is a sleeping Rachel that looks more corpse-like than is comfortable. It is obvious imagery to indicate that Rachel is lacking that essential essence of life, but it is effective nonetheless. Somewhere between the unconventional childhood and passively abusive mother (Kate Harrington), Rachel learned to internalize her emotions and simmer with repression for the remainder of her life. The depths of her discomfort are explored in some of the film’s most dynamic sequences; scenes depicting her fantasies are often a bit manic or nightmarish in tone, usually showing her to be the outcast she feels she is – never brave enough in real life to challenge anyone’s expectations.
Yet, the Rachel we find in this film is experiencing an awakening of sorts. As school lets out for summer vacation, the expected dull break is upended on a couple of fronts. The typical game-changer is potential romance, which in this case comes in the form of a former classmate Nick (James Olson) who is in town for a short break from teaching in the inner cities of New York. There is also her acquiescence to attending a tent revival with her best friend, Calla (Estelle Parsons, Bonnie and Clyde). This does not turn the doubting Rachel into a full-blown believer, but she does experience something that puts her emotionally off-balance. We follow Rachel as she attempts to experience the self-discovery that was denied to her in her youth. Who is she, and what does she desire? Could she possibly know love? These questions and many others are explored with a decent amount of sensitivity and some sadness.
While the basic script is perfectly solid, there is no doubt that Woodward elevates this material tenfold. She brings a gentle, longing intensity to the character who projects a respectable image but simply wants to break free from her emotional shackles. The character is too believable to go fully hysterical to underline the emotions at play, which means that casual observers may not understand how difficult it is to dial into the specific frequency. Every hopeful glance breaks your heart a little bit further. You sympathize with this character and want for her to be able to experience what it really means to be alive. The remainder of the ensemble holds up admirably alongside her, but Woodward is in rarified air. The film may not be as subversive or shocking as it once was, but it retains the raw power of the central narrative. Newman keeps things intimate and only moderately flashy when it comes to cinematic techniques since there is faith that the narrative can sustain itself. It would have been refreshing to see a woman have a chance to shape this material at this time, but the sensitivity that is brought to this telling is a good consolation prize.
Video Quality
Rachel, Rachel debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer sourced from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative which is stunning. The transfer retains the perfect amount of well resolved natural film grain, which allows for detailed textures in the production design and clothing. Skin tones look natural throughout this transfer in all lighting. The content that takes place at night is accompanied by stable black levels free of any crush. The transfer brings this small town life to the screen in a way that is stunning. While not a film absolutely bursting with color, there are some elements in the environments that radiate off the screen quite nicely. The image throughout the disc is pretty much entirely free from dirt or print damage, as well as pesky digital anomalies such as compression artifacting or banding. Warner Archive has really knocked it out of the park, which is par for the course with this label. This is sure to be a major improvement over the older DVD.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that perfectly suits this narrative. The film showcases a great number of environmental details that make the world feel more three dimensional in the speakers. The dialogue always comes through crisp and clear even when characters speak in an uncertain manner. None of the sound effects or the score from Jerome Moross ever overpowers the dialogue on this release. Kinetic sequences are in short supply here, but there are a handful of sequences that stand out in the mix. There does not appear to be any damage or age related wear to the track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc for those who need it. Overall, this is an excellent audio presentation that suits the material really well.
Special Features
- A Jest Of God: A two-minute silent piece is provided here which shows some footage of Newman directing the film along with clips under the title A Jest Of God.
- Theatrical Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided for the film.
Final Thoughts
Rachel, Rachel is a thoroughly compelling drama which would seem to be an unexpected choice for the directorial debut from Paul Newman until you realize that it provides him a chance to work with one of the best actresses in the business, who also happens to be his wife. The themes could likely be tackled with a bit more nuance under the direction of a woman, but star Joanne Woodward is so marvelous that you can forgive a bit of clumsiness. The film packs an emotional wallop that sticks with long after the story has concluded. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a 5-star A/V presentation and a sparse array of special features. If you enjoy character-driven dramas, do not pass this one up. Recommended
Rachel, Rachel 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.