Modern arthouse audiences may be familiar with Sofia Coppola’s critically-acclaimed adaptation of The Beguiled starring Nicole Kidman that was released a few years back. What they might not be quite as familiar with is the original adaptation of the 1966 novel of the same name (originally published as A Painted Devil) by Thomas P. Cullinan. Less than a year before they would hit it big with the tough-as-nails Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel joined forces in 1971 for the third time to take on the Southern Gothic novel that put the legendary actor at the center of a hotbed of lust and deception. The Beguiled proved to be something of a conundrum for Universal when it came to marketing it, as the typically uber-macho Eastwood was bedridden and helpless for the majority of the film. The film tanked upon release, but it has gained an audience over the years for being a stylistically adventurous sexual melodrama. As Kino Lorber continues its recent spate of Clint Eastwood titles, it is time to revisit this one to see how it fares through a modern lens.
It is 1863 in rural Mississippi as the Civil War rages on when 12-year-old Amy (Pamelyn Ferdin) discovers a critically wounded Union soldier, John McBurney (Clint Eastwood), who she brings back to her Seminary School for medical attention. Amy is a sweet and caring girl who has a place in her heart for all creatures big and small. Her passion for the well-being of others helps convince the prickly headmistress, Martha Farnsworth (Geraldine Page, The Sweet Bird of Youth), to restore John to full health before turning him over to Confederate soldiers. With all the men away fighting the war, this leaves one banged-up man in a house filled with sexually repressed women, and John is not the type to pass up an opportunity to help himself out of a jam. Although he is locked away in his room away from the school girls, he is more than happy to cast a spell on the woefully inexperienced Edwina (Elizabeth Hartman), a schoolteacher charged with his care. She is not the only one who becomes smitten with John; adventurous 17-year-old student Carol (Jo Ann Harris) finds her own creative ways to steal moments with him. As the women warm to John and let their guards down, he slithers his way into the good graces of every last one of them in different ways.
Eastwood is quite the sleazeball in this slightly exploitative flick. John is a man who can slip into a lie like one slips into comfortable pajamas. As he paints a vivid and sympathetic tale of his exploits prior to his injury, Siegel humorously displays just how much he is lying by showing the actual events underneath his story. Amy has a pet turtle that she loves, so John fabricates his own story of a beloved pet to curry favor with the young lady. Edwina is not knowledgeable in the ways of romance, and John knows exactly how to present himself to be her ideal man. As he winds up all of the women in the house, jealousy and deception starts running rampant as he sets back and awaits his best opportunity. Arrogance is oftentimes the downfall of man, and you can only stir up so much drama before it comes back to haunt you. The Beguiled is not a horror film exactly, but there are some thriller-lite moments and shocking revelations that keep it from being a straightforward drama. This is a film dripping with desire in the southern heat, and at the end of the day no one will be better off for it.
As a whole, The Beguiled is a bit of a mixed bag. The story itself is a compelling one and stylistically you could not ask for a more sufficiently moody atmosphere. These actors take to the melodrama of the situation well in a way that is often exciting. The problems reside in the problematic script that indulges in all of the misogynistic tropes of the era. The ladies themselves are not well defined outside of Ms. Farnsworth, who is harboring a doozy of a secret. Though even the impact of this is lessened in the way it foregoes ambiguity in favor of being painfully obvious. The character of the servant Hallie (Mae Mercer) is totally unnecessary and just allows the film to indulge in some gross depictions of African American women as props rather than important characters. This entire story is about a man you are designed to hate, and the film succeeds in that respect. There just seems to be some era-specific issues that are unintentionally cringeworthy. This film inspires such conflicting feelings; I appreciate the performances and the general creepy atmosphere throughout, but the execution is often quite clumsy. If you are an Eastwood fan or are less sensitive to unintentional misogyny, go ahead and check this one out; otherwise, stick with the newer Coppola version for a more nuanced take on the material and well-defined female characters.
Video Quality
The Beguiled comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 derived from a 2K remaster. The presentation is a pretty significant step up from the previously-released Blu-Ray from Universal for most of its runtime. Overall clarity and detail is very strong, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with crush not serving as an overwhelming issue. Unlike the previous release that was plagued by digital tinkering, this transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation. The grain occasionally skews more on the noisy side, but it is not a persistent issue. There is a scene that runs significantly on the softer side, but this is most likely due to limitations of the original source material. Colors are well saturated in a pleasing way, and instances of print damage have been cleaned up immensely with only the occasional specks and marks visible. This new presentation from Kino Classics is very impressive, which should please fans of the film.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that accurately preserves the intended sound of the film. Environmental sounds such as the chirping of the birds are rendered well alongside everything else. The mysterious score sounds very strong throughout the duration of the film, as it creates a sparse, menacing tone for the story. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. Kino Classics has given this film the perfectly preserved, faithful audio presentation it deserves.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film historian Kat Ellinger provides a commentary track for the film in which she discusses the odd place it occupies in Eastwood’s filmography, the way in which it is an anti-war film, histories of some of the performers, the way in which Siegel amplifies certain elements from the novel, why this film confused audiences, the gothic elements of film, the aspects of race in the film and more. This helps you appreciate certain elements of the story more, and she often makes certain valid points that conflict with my issues with the film.
- Interview with Actress Melody Thomas Scott: An 18-minute interview with Melody Thomas Scott (Abigail) in which she discusses how she gained weight to audition for the role, her experience working with Don Siegel, her very small part in Dirty Harry, her impression of her castmates, shares stories from the shoot and more. Scott had a relatively minor role in the film, but she has some very intriguing anecdotes to share.
- The Beguiled, Misty, Don and Clint: A six-minute archival featurette which details this period of Eastwood’s career, the friendship between Eastwood and Siegel and how it impacted his career moving forward. Without Eastwood taking risks early on, it is doubtful we would have gotten some of the classics we know and love from him.
- Trailers From Hell with John Landis: A three-minute featurette in which director John Landis (Coming to America) provides amusing commentary over the trailer for the film.
- Trailers: There are trailers on this disc for The Beguiled, Coogan’s Bluff, Two Mules for Sister Sara, The Duel at Silver Creek, The Gun Runners, Madigan, Charley Varrick and The Black WIndmill.
Final Thoughts
The Beguiled has a lot going for it including outstanding production design that establishes a very intense mood for the story. Clint Eastwood also delivers one of the more interesting performances of his career as he brings this nasty soul to vivid life. While I felt there were some shortcomings in regards to the female characters, this movie does more right than wrong. Kino Classics has delivered a gorgeous new Blu-Ray with an improved A/V presentation and some interesting special features. If you are an Eastwood fan and want to see him do something a little different, you should check this one out.
The Beguiled is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.
