Portrait In Black/Madame X
YEAY, HOORAY! This week Universal released these two movies together under one cover. I consider them part of Lana's "menopausal melodrama" period, along with "Peyton Place", "Imitation of Life", and "By Love Possessed". I really never thought we's ever see these on DVD, and when I ordered them, I was afraid both movies were going to be on one disc. Uh-uh, two movies, two discs in one sleeve. Ther transfers are decent, with no extras but trailers and subtitles, but they are in their original widescreen format. However, what a treat for Lana fans. Someone once said that the best thing in any Lana Turner movie is Lana Turner, and that's pretty true, but in the case of these two movies there are additional attractions.
************************SPOILERS AHEAD******************************
"Portrait" has long been a favorite of mine, and I recently transferred my well worn pan and scan VHS version, taped from AMC in the 90s, onto DVD. For those of you who have seen it, it has one of my all-time favorite movie lines: "David, I can't drive!" It features Lana in THE dress, the only kind appropriate for a murder scene, skin tight black sequin sheeth, with Lana corseted within an inch of her life (I'm not kidding; you could bounce a quarter off her butt!). Later, in the attempted murder scene, she wears the OTHER dress, the claret velvet with the full skirt and scopp neck, showing her world famous bosom to good advantage.
What I've never understood is why she entertains Richard Baseharts character, who she detests, in a revealing negligee. I guess because she's Lana Turner! If I come off being flip here, I don't intend to be; this movie is one of the great, lush romantic-murder-melodramas of all time, right up there with Ross Hunter's other classic, "Midnight Lace" (Universal, when we will get that on DVD?????). I love this movie, and if you're a Lana fan, you need to order this two disc set immediately. I'll post more about "Portrait" and "Madame" later, but I'll bet many of you have plenty to say in the meantime.
"Don't worry. I'm not on the side of the saints yet."