A mere three months after releasing Gigi, a film that would go on to win nine Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, the prolific Vincente Minnelli released his second of three 1958 releases, The Reluctant Debutante. The amiable comedy was based on Douglas-Home’s play of the same name, and starred real-life married couple Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) and Kay Kendall, a mere year before her unfortunate passing at the age of 32 from leukemia. While not a household name these days, The Reluctant Debutante was quite popular in its initial release, and even served as the basis for the Amanda Bynes cinematic classic What A Girl Wants in 2003. Those who have never had the pleasure of checking out this witty tale are in for a treat, as Warner Archive has provided a lovely new presentation.
When 17-year-old Jane (Sandra Dee, Gidget) flies to London from America to live with her wealthy father, Jimmy (Rex Harrison), and his new wife, Sheila (Kay Kendall), the pressures of high society life are introduced quite quickly. Sheila is a well-meaning but aspirational member of the social scene, so she jumps into action when the opportunity presents itself for Jane to formally be introduced at the various debutante balls. Jane is paraded around a cavalcade of young men, including the much-discussed David Fenner (Peter Meyers), who possesses all the perfect credentials for a suitor on paper. He also happens to be dreadfully boring, with his most notable quality being his interest in traffic patterns. Instead, Jane is drawn to a different David, David Parkson (John Saxon, A Nightmare On Elm Street), a handsome drummer she meets at one of the balls. While being a drummer would not necessarily rule out his possibility as a suitor in Sheila’s eyes, the untoward rumors she hears from her friend, Mabel (Angela Lansbury), concerning him definitely does.
While this may have all of the elements of a fraught melodrama, this is not that kind of film. The film hilariously plays with the ruthless nature of high society courting with consistent witty repartee and gentle deception. Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall absolutely run away with the film in their juicy roles. With any other actress, Sheila’s single-minded pursuit to find Jane an appropriate match might be a bit too much to handle. Kendall thankfully injects a warmth and zaniness into Sheila that keeps her on the right side of endearing. Harrison likewise allows Jimmy to say so much with so little. His character is quicker to warm to the drummer, and the circuitous way in which he tries to get his wife on the right page in quite funny. Sandra Dee and John Saxon impeccably portray the young destined-to-be couple. From the first interaction, the two have an easy chemistry that lets you understand why they are drawn to one another. This is in spite of the fact that the idea that a girl this age feels she needs to get married immediately is quite antiquated. The performances are so endearing that modern quibbles like this can be set aside.
The basic through-line of The Reluctant Debutante is not altogether groundbreaking, but there are enough fun turns that things never feel stale. It also helps that the comedic dialogue is whip smart even when viewed through modern eyes. The film delivers a visually engaging production with intricate set designs and some fashion eye candy. You can tell that a self-assured director was behind the film, as nothing feels hastily thrown together or aimless at any point. The best thing that could be said about this film is that it is truly a lot of fun. Even if you can guess your final destination, you will feel completely satisfied by this finely constructed film once you reach it. We are all in need of some lighthearted entertainment, and Warner Archive has done audiences a solid by revisiting this film and giving it new life in its best form.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents The Reluctant Debutante with a new 2020 1080p master transfer that is very pleasing. The level of detail and clarity throughout is very impressive with a nice amount of film grain intact. The film is almost entirely free of dirt and damage, which makes it easy to admire. The film features some bright colors within the costumes and set design that pop off the screen, such as the ballroom attire. The black levels are also stable and deep throughout. There is an early moment in the film outside an airport that has a few shots that look a bit rougher than the rest of the film, but this is not a persistent problem. The presumption is this is an issue with the quality of the elements they had available, and it is a very minor issue in an otherwise excellent presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that is of the highest quality. Dialogue is the particular driving force of the movie, and everything comes through crystal clear from beginning to end. The track balances these vocals with numerous crowd scenes and the accompanying music with magnificent clarity. When David Parkson’s band plays, the music seems appropriately alive within the mix. There appears to be one cough-and-you-miss-it moment where the audio drops out while Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall are spying on Jane and David, but the moment is so brief that it’s almost not worth mentioning. Warner Archive has provided a great audio track mostly free of any damage that serves the movie well. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.
Special Features
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is presented in HD. It showcases a lot of the best moments from the film, so those who don’t want funny bits spoiled should avoid until after viewing the film.
Final Thoughts
The Reluctant Debutante is an immensely enjoyable comedy with some genuinely hilarious moments and delightful performances that cannot be beat. Warner Archive has brought us a Blu-Ray with an excellent A/V presentation that allows the film to look the best it ever has. Over sixty years after its release, the film continues to charm new audiences with its timeless production. Recommended
The Reluctant Debutante can be purchased directly through Warner Archive 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.
