{2jtab: Movie Review}
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By gum by golly, if The Bad Seed doesn’t still crackle with classic horror intensity. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy and nominated for four academy awards, this suburban thriller is as raw and refined as day one...especially in its blu-ray debut. Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) doesn’t like to be pawed over. She does; however, like to get her way. From self-made shoes to winning contests at school against Claude Daigle, Rhoda wants the world and, to quote Jim Morrison, she “wants it now” at any cost and at any loss because this precocious little girl will kill.
Because Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly) is married to the always-called-away Col. Kenneth Penmark (William Hopper), her daughter, Rhoda, is practically adopted by landlady Mrs. Breedlove (Evelyn Varden). She is both spoiled and encouraged by the two women in her life and, after committing her first “accidental” killing of classmate Daigle, weirdly twisted by an idyllic small town. Fearing her daughter might be traumatized by the “accident”, both Christine and Mrs. Breedlove walk on eggshells around the little girl. All Rhoda wants, though, is a peanut butter sandwich. Still she hops. Still she skips. She thinks the accident was exciting. After all, she got her way.
Thus, a little monster is born.
Written by John Lee Mahin, The Bad Seed takes aim at the type of idyllic life presented to America in the 1950s. Rhoda is polite; she bows and curtseys with well-mannered respect. It is quickly discovered by the teachers at school and witnesses on the wharf that Rhoda was the last to see Caude alive. They suspect all was not as accidental as it seems. After all, Rhoda wanted to win that gold metal of Miss Fern’s. Could it be possible? A little girl capable of murder? Surely not.
It’s those defined lines of social status and appropriateness that LeRoy’s film attempts to erase. They aren’t waters usually mudded which makes Mahin’s work so fiercely original and remarkable. Consider the era it was made. In 1954, America was presenting a whole different image to the world. Tales as dark as a child killing others for personal gain wasn’t exactly commonplace and I’m sure the censors had a field day with some of the accusatory material.
I will say that the characteristic staging and Act One, Act Two, Act Three locations suggest that the material was quickly brought from the stage to the screen. It feels a tad stilted and drags in moments appropriate for the stage but not the screen. Yet, The Bad Seed still delivers is particular brand of bad news with unmatched gusto. It’s less subversive than a Hitchcock delivery but doesn’t miss the target by much; the threat of that little girl is always hanging around, tugging at the scenes with pronounced weight.
No one but Mrs. Breedlove's mentally challenged handyman, Leroy (Henry Jones), can see her as the mean and rotten little girl that she is. There’s a statement if ever there was on for the 1950s. It seems all so very puritanical to never suspect rank foulness to explode from within the soul of a little girl. Innocence is lost and so is a bit of American charm.
The Bad Seed is an explosive bit of wide-eyed horror intensity and now, if you are willing to lose a bit of your faith in humanity and children, Rhoda and her conniving ways can be added to your Blu-ray collection. Just don’t be fooled by Rhoda’s polite curtsies.
{2jtab: Film Details}
MPAA Rating: This film has not been rated by the MPAA.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Writer: John Lee Mahin
Cast: Nancy Kelly; Patty McCormack; Henry Jones; Eileen Heckart; Evelyn Varden; William Hopper
Genre: Drama | Horror | Thriller
Tagline: "The Bad Seed" is the big shocker!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Children can be nasty, don't you think?"
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: September 12, 1956
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 11, 2011
Synopsis: An ideal housewife begins to suspect her loving eight-year-old daughter may be a heartless killer.
{2jtab: Blu-ray Details}
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Blu-ray Details:
Available on Blu-ray - October 11, 2011
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Warner’s 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer is a bit of headscratcher as it isn’t as solid as it appears that it could have been. The image is heavy with natural grain and the black levels are strong, but there is absolutely no detail in the images. The depth is a bit of a wash as the black levels seem to crush the picture and the while colors are unmatched to handle that brand of dominating heaviness. It’s not a bad transfer, but I’ve seen black-and-white films from the era handled much, much better. Perhaps the film was not stored appropriately and it simply hasn’t aged too well. The mono sound is presented in a lossless DTS track. Nothing terrible about the recording and it services Alex North’s weird and jazzy score with great care. It’s a little flat with dialogue and pick-ups in areas but certainly fitting for the picture’s needs.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- Interviewed by Charles Busch, actress Patty McCormack supplies the film’s feature-length commentary. There are a lot of questions and a lot of inside information supplied by Busch’s questions and McCormack’s answers. Lots of ground covered, too. The track covers her career and the amount of hard work she put in, both on the screen and the stage, in the title role of The Bad Seed. It’s long, a bit inclusive, but full of great information for fans of the era and the film.
Special Features:
I suppose we should feel blessed that the film even gets a blu-ray release. Still, there aren’t a lot of supplemental materials included on the disc. There is an extended interview (yes, another one) with McCormack about the film and a theatrical trailer. While the interview attempts to cover different ground, there are some moments where the commentary is repeated by her.
- Enfant Terrible: A Conversation with Patty McCormack (15 min)
- Theatrical Trailer
BD-Live Functionality
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