One of the great stage-to-screen adaptations of the early sound film era, STREET SCENE (1931) presents a New York City tenement melting pot, boiling over with summer heat, resentment, and longing. Independent producer Samuel Goldwyn acquired the rights of the Pulitzer Prize-winning and hit Broadway play by Elmer Rice, who also penned the screenplay.
Under the direction of King Vidor, the relatively simple set (building, sidewalk, street) becomes a canvas of human emotion, achieved through dynamic camerawork and powerhouse performances by Sylvia Sidney, Estelle Taylor, and Beulah Bondi–a member of the original Broadway cast who made her film debut as the busybody Mrs. Jones. Composer Alfred Newman’s score offers musical cues carefully timed to character dialogue, along with a Gershwin-esque theme that Newman reused during his long career at 20th Century Fox. The film’s restoration allows us to fully experience the power of STREET SCENE, seeing and hearing in vivid clarity as Anna Maurrant (Taylor), her daughter Rose (Sidney), and neighbor Sam Kaplan (William Collier, Jr.) open their hearts and crash against the limitations of their environment.
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Video Quality
Street Scene makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to VCI Entertainment with a fetching 4K restoration effort. The nitrate materials were photochemically restored by the Library of Congress from their Mary Pickford Collection with additional restoration work provided by VCI. Thanks to this presentation, the original credits have been restored to the film for the first time since 1931. The film is over 90 years old, so you can expect some age-related limitations, but this restoration is quite admirable with only minor downturns to keep it from being perfect.
The film resolves the rich natural grain well with no excessive fluctuations in quality. You might be surprised by the amount of detail present with vital textures on the clothing and within the confined locale thanks to the enhanced resolution. Black levels present with some welcome depth and no serious occurrence of black crush or artifacts. With such a brief runtime at play, there is no concern about compression issues or anything of that sort. The contrast is favorably defined, but even after the restoration, there are some fleeting nicks and specks. VCI Entertainment has treated this one well.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set presents the film with an LPCM 2.0 lossless audio track that holds up respectably for an early sound endeavor. The dialogue is slightly gauzy at points, but you can always understand the words that are spoken. The lovely Alfred Newman score has been restored to the opening credits, and the music comes through fairly well. It has a bit of a hollow quality to it, but overall you cannot fault the fidelity. It is not as strong as pictures with less age under their belt, but it works well for its spot in history.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historian Mick LaSalle provides a very informative commentary track in which he discusses the adaptation of this play for the screen, the direction of King Vidor, the background of the performers, the motivations behind this film, and much more that gives great context to the feature.
- Photo Gallery: A seven-minute slideshow of photographs from the production is provided here.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Rain, Tonight or Never, and Stella Maris.
- Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring restoration notes, contemporary audience reactions, and background on the adaptation is provided.
Final Thoughts
Street Scene is a palpable Pre-Code drama that captures the feeling of sweltering heat in the city with effective accuracy. The enmeshed community of this apartment building can be a bit draining with every semblance of privacy shattered, but it pays off narratively as the slow simmer boils over into an explosive finale. The performances are strong across the board, but it is Sylvia Sidney who catches our eye the most. VCI Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and a couple of fine supplemental features. Vintage film fans should be sure to give this a chance. Recommended
Street Scene is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: VCI Entertainment 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.
