Review: The Lady is Willing
Blu-ray: The Lady is Willing (1942)
The Lady is Willing stars Marlene Dietrich; yes you can hear her sing now can’t you? Or is it…. Madeleine Kahn in Blazing Saddles? (best impersonation ever).
As her star fell she moved from Paramount to the then unknown ‘bargain basement’ Columbia Pictures. She hadn’t had a hit for 3 years and now the whole world was at war.
Definitely against her normal sultry type, Dietrich plays Liza Madden, a Broadway actress who, when she is asked to hold an abandoned baby, takes it home with her. Unfortunately, even in 1942 you couldn’t do that, unless you’re married and rich. Liza is neither, because she gives most of her money away to relatives and ‘needy people’.
When the baby becomes ill, Dr. Corey McBain (Fred MacMurray), a child-hating Doctor visits, and Liza has a brilliant plan, if he marries her, allowing her to keep the baby, she will finance him to study pneumonia and rabbits.
I hate to say I’m not a fan of Dietrich, but she’s a bit of a surprise in this film, genuinely warm and funny. Oh but we don’t escape her singing … Yes I’m thinking of Lily Von Schtupp again….
This is actually a very sweet film and I did tear up a bit at the end.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historian Adrian Martin (2024)
- Performance of Innocence (2024, 27 mins): the academic and author Richard Dyer discusses The Lady Is Willing and Marlene Dietrich’s work in comedy
- Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Lady Is Willing’(1943, 52 mins): radio play adaptation of the film’s screenplay, starring George Brent and Kay Francis
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Iris Veysey, an archival interview with Marlene Dietrich, an archival profile of director Mitchell Leisen, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.
