Play Misty for Me (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Dec 02, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date(s)

1971 (November 19, 2024)

Studio(s)

The Malpaso Company/Universal Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

Film/Program Grade: B-
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A-
Extras Grade: A

Review

After working under a number of filmmakers in film and television and learning the trade, Clint Eastwood stepped behind the camera to direct his first film, Play Misty for Me, released in 1971. It was a project he had been aware of, but it took some time to finally get around to it, having been granted a three-picture deal complete artistic control by Universal Pictures. It was also a change of pace as he had mostly been appearing in action-oriented stories. Play Misty for Me not only allowed him the chance to be more creative, but to also be a more sensitive and complicated leading character. The film’s crowning jewel is a breakthrough performance by Jessica Walter, who had been around but hadn’t had the chance yet to shine. Also in the cast was soap opera veteran Donna Mills as Eastwood’s love interest, and his friend and mentor, Don Siegel. Choosing to shoot the film mostly in and around Carmel-by-the-sea, it was a smooth experience for the cast and crew who recognized that Eastwood had a talent for directing. Making an effective and well-received psychological thriller on par with Hitchcock, Play Misty for Me was a big success upon release and remains a career highlight for those involved.

Jazz radio disc jockey Dave Garver (Eastwood) is a single man leading a swinging lifestyle, bouncing from lady to lady but “hung up” on one in particular, Tobie (Donna Mills). One night after a broadcast, he heads to a bar to chat with his bartender friend Murphy (Don Siegel). Alone at the bar is Evelyn (Jessica Walter), who reveals that she’s the one who calls into his radio show regularly with one request: “play Misty for me.” They hit it off and decide to have a no-strings-attached sexual relationship, but after their initial tryst, Evelyn gets more and more involved in Dave’s life without his consent, displaying full-on schizophrenic behavior. After reconnecting with Tobie and attempting to keep a highly unstable, suicidal, and destructive Evelyn out of his life, he becomes concerned for his own safety and Tobie’s, ultimately leading to a deadly confrontation.

Play Misty for Me was shot by cinematographer Bruce Surtees on 35mm film using Panavision Reflex (Panaflex) and Arriflex IIC cameras with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a 4K scan of the original camera negative, newly-graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. It certainly improves upon Kino’s previous Blu-ray release, which was an excellent-looking 2K scan of the interpositive, and holds up well. This a very grainy film, but it’s far more refined here than the Blu-ray with elevated levels of fine detail, and only the opening and closing titles appearing softer than the rest of the material. Bitrates sit primarily between 70 and 80Mbps, and everything appears crisp and organic to its celluloid source. The color palette is also boosted due to the new HDR passes, soaking up detail in the shadows and improving flesh tones. This is also a slightly darker presentation, but doesn’t appear to be crushed, and there are no leftover artifacts to be seen. The image is clean and stable, aside from a minor frame bounce at the 84:33 mark, which is easily missed, and nothing more than a drop in the bucket for what is a fantastic and nuanced presentation.

The audio is included in English 2.0 mono and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English. The 5.1 is a new addition, which spaces out the original soundtrack without altering it, while giving the music and the score a little more push in the surrounds. The original mono is fairly narrow, though the music selection, including the title song by Erroll Garner and a rendition of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack, offer the most depth. Dialogue exchanges are clear and precise, even whispers. Sound effects have a dated quality at times, but come through with relative ease. Dee Barton’s score has decent impact, as well. Both tracks are clean and free of any leftover hiss or distortion.

The 4K Ultra HD of Play Misty for Me sits in a standard black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray, which is the same Kino Blu-ray disc from 2021, sporting a 2K master taken from an interpositive. This UHD package contains reversible artwork, featuring the original US theatrical poster art on the front and the original UK theatrical poster art on the back. Everything is housed inside a slipcover featuring the same US poster art. The following extras are included:

DISC ONE: UHD

NEW Audio Commentary with Alan Spencer
Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas

DISC TWO: BD

Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
Misty Memories with Donna Mills (HD – 11:31)
Split/Screen: Clint Eastwood, Play Misty for Me & the Feminine Abstraction (HD – 73:24)
Play It Again... A Look Back at Play Misty for Me (SD – 49:22)
The Beguiled, Misty, Don & Clint (SD – 6:13)
Trailers from Hell with Adam Rifkin (HD and SD – 2:08)
Stills Montage (SD – 46 in all – 3:54)
Clint Eastwood Directs and Acts Photo Montage (SD – 24 in all – 2:03)
The Evolution of a Poster Photo Montage (SD – 31 in all – 2:37)
TV Spots (HD – 2 in all – 1:03)
Teaser (HD – :53)
Trailer (HD – 1:53)
High Plains Drifter Trailer (HD – 2:31)
Breezy Trailer (HD – 2:27)
The Eiger Sanction Trailer (HD – 2:50)

New to this release is an audio commentary with screenwriter and producer Alan Spencer, which is a more ironic approach to delving into many aspects of the production, which he does dutifully. This track is also exclusive to the UHD disc. In the second audio commentary with film historian Tim Lucas, he exhaustively covers all aspects of the genesis and making of the film, as well as its various cast and crew members. He examines the film’s content, the titular song and how it relates to the film, and the film’s artistic visuals.

In the Donna Mills interview Misty Memories, she talks about getting her part after a recommendation from Burt Reynolds, shooting on location, Don Siegel’s influence on Clint and his shooting style, her wardrobe, working with and later becoming friends with Jessica Walter, her unscripted love scene, the Monterey Jazz Festival scene, and going to the premiere. In film historian Howard S. Berger’s video essay Split/Screen, he delves mightily into the content, themes, and connective tissues of Play Misty for Me. In Laurent Bouzereau’s documentary Play It Again, we hear retrospectively from Eastwood, producer Robert Daley, screenwriter Dean Riesner, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, and film historian and critic Richard Schickel about the making of the film. The Beguiled, Misty, Don & Clint is a short featurette showcasing Schickel, Eastwood, and Daley who speak about Eastwood’s work as an actor, as well as other characters he portrayed at that time. In the Trailers from Hell segment, filmmaker Adam Rifkin briefly encapsulates the making of and history of the film with the trailer playing in the background.

The three still galleries (Stills Montage, Clint Eastwood Directs and Acts Photo Montage, and The Evolution of a Poster Photo Montage) are carried over from the original DVD release and include a total of 101 images of wardrobe tests, promotional stills, behind-the-scenes photos, poster concepts, and posters. The rest of the extras consist of 2 TV spots, a teaser, and a trailer for the film, as well as other Clint Eastwood-related trailers for other releases by Kino Lorber.

Not included from the original DVD release is a set of production notes and the short but dated featurette Clint Eastwood on DVD, in which he talks about how much he appreciates the format. Also worth noting is that the UK Blu-ray from Final Cut Entertainment included three recent interviews: Playing the Game: Clint Eastwood and His Early A-List Success with Marc Eliot, She’s Behind You!: Play Misty for Me in Context with film critic Kim Newman, and Misty Memories: Revisiting a Clint Eastwood Classic with magazine editor Allan Bryce.

This 4K Ultra HD release of Play Misty for Me bests its 1080p counterpart, providing a much sharper and more detailed presentation with an excellent selection of bonus materials, making it another essential purchase for longtime fans of Clint Eastwood.

- Tim Salmons

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