Conflict (1945) Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

One of my favorite actors in Hollywood history is Humphrey Bogart. I love his performance in The African Queen, no wonder he won the Oscar for that film. But probably most people remember him from the films Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon. In those two films he had an amazing co-star the great Sydney Greenstreet. They worked together a total of 5 times.

In 1945 Bogart and Greenstreet worked along with Alexis Smith to bring the cinematic universe a film noir entitled Conflict. We are approaching the 80th anniversary of this films theatrical release. Warner Archive Collection have restored and released this classic on Blu-ray!

Synopsis: Richard Mason (Bogart) is frustratingly stuck in an unhappy marriage to his critical wife Katheryn (Rose Hobart). To further complicate matters, he falls in love with her sister Evelyn (Alexis Smith). When Katheryn refuses to grant Richard a divorce, he decides to do away with her. But when Richard starts see her after her 'disappearance' family friend and psychoanalyst Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet) wants to 'help' Richard as he is seeming to lose his grip on reality.

While Conflict is not the strongest of the Bogart/Greenstreet films, the film is an entertaining film noir, with great performances. The only downside with this film is there is a lot of psychological dialogue. This does drag the film a bit, but it is still a really nice film noir, with great cinematography.

Warner Archive has transferred Conflict to Blu-ray in 1080p and it is presented in 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The audio is an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio. There is the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. 

This is no ordinary Blu-ray transfer. This features a brand new 4K restoration of this film from the original camera negative. What gorgeous 4K restoration this is. Bogart, Greenstreet and Smith look fabulous in HD! This film is crisp and clean with no digital artifacts and the audio is clear for no signs of hiss or pops. This film looks so great it looks as if it was shot yesterday. Simply Amazing for a film almost 80 years old.

But a miraculous looking restoration is not all this Blu-ray release has going for it. Warner Archive added some very cool 1945 bonus features. take a look at what has been include on this disc. 

* Classic 1945 WB Cartoons
 - LIFE WITH FEATHERS (1945) A despondent lovebird tries to get Sylvester to eat him.
 - TRAP HAPPY PORKY (1945) Porky deals with noisy and invasive mice.

* PEEKS AT HOLLYWOOD (1945) In this short subject two young starlets use the Griffith Observatory telescope to find stars in Hollywood.

* ARE ANIMALS ACTORS? (1945) A short film that looks at various animal acts training and working in Hollywood.

* Theater of Romance radio broadcast (9/11/1945) a radio adaption of Conflict starring Humphrey Bogart

* Original Theatrical Trailer

I simply adore when Warner Archive Collection adds bonus cartoons and short subjects. So often the short subjects are just forgotten in this generation, and that is a shame as these mini-features are entertaining and informative. I am so glad Warner Archive is allowing these short subjects to live on for a whole new generation to discover. Finally, the addition of the radio drama Conflict based on this film, that is a great bonus.

Warner Archive Collection really went above and beyond with this release and produced a must own Blu-ray for film noir fans. So, if you enjoy Humphrey Bogart films of film noirs as much as I do, you will want to order a copy of Conflict for yourself. Head over to MovieZyng and order your copy today.



Out of 4 Films Reels (4 being the best) Warner Archive's Blu-ray of Conflict recieves.....