Nora Prentiss - Warner Archive Collection

Femme fatales have led a steady stream of alpha males to their ruin in countless film noirs over the course of Hollywood history. Most of these felines are calculating, manipulative, and rotten to the core, but the titular character in Nora Prentiss is none of those things. Sure, she's sexy and alluring, but unlike her evil cinematic cousins, Nora (Ann Sheridan) tries to save her lover, who seems hell-bent on destroying himself. Rarely has a femme fatale wreaked such havoc without lifting a finger.

The film may be called Nora Prentiss, but it's really all about Dr. Richard Talbot (Kent Smith), a respected physician who's the very picture of propriety. Wealthy and sophisticated, with an elegant suburban home, two well-bred teenage children, and a perfect society wife, Richard has everything a man could want. His wife Lucy (Rosemary DeCamp) may be frosty, imperious, and more concerned with her social obligations than catering to the needs of her husband, but Richard is happy enough and doesn't even realize how dull and unfulfilling his life is until he provides medical treatment to the lovely Nora, a nightclub chanteuse, after she's hit by a car while crossing the street outside his office.

Nora ignites dormant desires inside Richard and as the two get to know each other better over time their mutual attraction evolves into an affair. When their clandestine relationship is exposed, Nora suggests they stop seeing each other, but the idea of losing her sends Richard into a psychological tailspin. He can't bear to ask his wife for a divorce, so he does what every man in his position surely would do instead - he fakes his own death! He and Nora (who doesn't know what he's done) relocate to San Francisco, but as the police begin to investigate Richard's "death," his life unravels even further.

Part romantic drama and part film noir, the preposterous yet entertaining Nora Prentiss borrows plot elements from several movies and novels. Classics fans will recognize allusions to Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie (filmed five years later as Carrie with Jennifer Jones and Laurence Olivier, who Kent Smith strikingly resembles), Back Street, Dark Passage, and Mildred Pierce. (The final shot of Nora Prentiss is practically identical to that of Mildred Pierce, and the movie's title was most likely a thinly veiled attempt by Warner Bros to ride the coattails of Mildred Pierce's success. The ploy worked; Nora Prentiss was a big hit.) The movie's ad campaign also promotes Nora as a treacherous mantrap, using Sheridan's former sex symbol status to sell the idea. Truth in advertising has never been Hollywood's strong suit, but Nora turns out to be far more dignified and sympathetic than the "Loving her once is once too often!" tagline makes her out to be.

Sheridan, along with Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck, benefited from Bette Davis' absence from Warner Bros due to maternity leave in 1947. Juicy parts that Davis might have snagged went to stars like Sheridan, who normally only would have gotten the queen of the lot's cast-off crumbs. Though she never exhibited much range in her films, Sheridan brought sincerity, elegance, and authenticity to every role played, and Nora Prentiss is no exception. With quiet intensity, she embraces the character and eschews histrionics in favor of a refreshing naturalness that makes the movie's hard-to-swallow plot easier to digest. She even sings for herself during the nightclub scenes...and darn well, too!

Smith never attained true Hollywood stardom, but appeared in a few high-profile pictures (Cat People, The Spiral Staircase, The Fountainhead, The Damned Don't Cry) during his heyday in the 1940s. As the henpecked husband who finally finds a woman he can relate to, Smith does what he can with a difficult assignment, at first projecting a melancholic sadness and later a tragic sense of desperation, both of which make us feel for him even when his character makes horrible decisions. As his suspicious medical partner, Bruce Bennett is given little to do, as is Robert Alda as Nora's nightclub boss who carries a torch for her. The real surprise is DeCamp (who many of us remember as Marlo Thomas' mom on the TV sitcom That Girl), who sheds her wholesome, perky image and brandishes some talons as Richard's icy, supercilious wife.

In between directing Bette Davis in two films and Joan Crawford in three, Vincent Sherman helmed two with Sheridan, both in 1947. (The other was The Unfaithful, a loose remake of The Letter.) Sherman brings out the best in his female stars, but unlike another woman's director, George Cukor, he laces his films with a hard edge that adds notes of realism to the melodramatic stories. He can't quite keep Nora Prentiss from going off the rails, but he hems in the tale as much as he can and the broad noir brushstrokes he applies pay off.

Nora Prentiss is no Mildred Pierce, but it remains an entertaining film that's worthy of a spin. It's nice to see Sheridan in the spotlight, and the performances and production values elevate this engrossing, over-the-top tale.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Nora Prentiss arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static with music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

A brand new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative produces a fabulous 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that showcases the gorgeous cinematography of the great James Wong Howe. Excellent clarity and contrast, lush blacks, bright, stable whites, and a healthy grayscale distinguish this high-quality effort. Faint grain preserves the feel of celluloid, clean lines accentuate the myriad shadows, and sharp close-ups showcase Sheridan's allure, Smith's stubble and mustache, and other fine facial features. Any imperfections have been repaired, resulting in an image that's as slick and seductive as the titular character.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track offers up full-bodied sound that enhances the drama on screen. The ultra-romantic music score by Franz Waxman sounds especially good, as do the brassy nightclub numbers. A wide dynamic scale embraces all their highs and lows with ease, and no distortion or age-related surface noise creep into the mix. Sonic accents like blaring boat horns and rumbling explosions are crisp; subtle atmospherics like chirping birds add ambience; and all the dialogue is clear and easy to comprehend. You can't ask for much more from an almost 80-year-old track.

Just a couple of extras are included on the disc.

• Vintage Short: So You Think You're a Nervous Wreck (SD, 10 minutes) - This amusing one-reeler, part of the long-running Joe McDoakes series, follows the hapless Joe (George O'Hanlon) as he struggles to overcome his crippling phobias and anxiety.
• Vintage Cartoon: The Big Snooze (HD, 7 minutes) - Fed up with all the abuse he takes from Bugs Bunny in all their cartoons, Elmer Fudd calls it quits, but a nightmare induced by some sleeping pills just might be worse than his real-life skirmishes with Bugs. This classic cartoon looks great in HD.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3 minutes) - The film's original preview promises "not since Mildred Pierce have you met such a woman!"

Ann Sheridan brings plenty of her patented oomph to Nora Prentiss, but it's not quite enough to overcome the film's far-fetched plot. Still, there's a lot to like about this slick romantic drama - fine performances, lush cinematography, and a stirring music score. A brand new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original camera negative showcases the fine production values, while the excellent remastered audio heightens the tension that pervades this intriguing, well-produced picture. Recommended.
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