‘The Man I Love’ Blu-Ray Review – Ida Lupino Captivates In Overlooked Holiday Noir

Torch singer Petey Brown is beautiful and smart. The beautiful gets her in trouble. She’ll need all the smarts to get out of it in this bluesy, boozy noir salute to tough dames in tough times. On a holiday visit to her family in the waning days of World War II, Petey expects a merry Christmas. Instead, she gets a tangled web of mobsters, cheating wives, war-traumatized vets and the kind of love that grabs hold fast and goes wrong faster. Ida Lupino portrays Petey, scoring a triumph under the direction of Raoul Walsh, who helped put her on the road to stardom in the Bogart classic High Sierra. The Man I Love is also notable for its songbook of sophisticated standards and as one of the inspirations for Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York”. This new Blu-ray presentation restores 6 minutes cut from the film and unseen for nearly seven decades. Now, newly remastered the film can finally be experienced as first shown in its original theatrical release.

For thoughts on The Man I Love, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Warner Archive presents The Man I Love for the first time on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer sourced from a terrific 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative which reinforces the level of care you expect from the label. This is a remarkably natural and consistent transfer that is sure to please any fan who scoops it up. This black-and-white feature shot by Sidney Hickox is presented with the ideal layer of natural film grain throughout. You will be taken aback by the depth on display within all areas of the frame. The black levels avoid all signs of crush, and highlights never succumb to blooming. The transfer reveals a sterling amount of texture within the costumes and the production design. Print damage is never an issue with this transfer thanks to the careful cleanup. This transfer knocks it out of the park. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that renders faithfully. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear along with various sound effects and the score. There are a couple of bustling sequences at a nightclub which are a bit more prominent in the speakers. The music holds up confidently with only fleeting brashness in the upper registers. There does not appear to be any major damage to the track outside of the expected age-related wear and tear such as light hissing. Considering its vintage, this one sounds excellent overall. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Rabbit Transit: An eight-minute Looney Tunes short is provided featuring Bugs Bunny that puts a fun twist on the classic “The Tortoise and the Hare” story.  
• Crowing Pains: A seven-minute Looney Tunes short is provided featuring Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, and more than a little confusion about who is supposed to take care of an egg.  
• Original Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

The Man I Love is a layered drama that incorporates elements of film noir, romance, music, and more (you can even count it as a Christmas movie). Ida Lupino does a fantastic job of anchoring this narrative with a formidable lead performance, but she also has some help from a strong ensemble. There are a few different threads running parallel to one another, and all of them are intriguing on their own. This is a great rescue on behalf of Warner Archive, especially with the additional footage that has not been seen for a terribly long time. They have released a Blu-Ray featuring a gorgeous A/V presentation and some fun additional shorts. If you are a fan of the stars or the genre, don’t hesitate to add this to your collection. Recommended 

The Man I Love 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: 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.