St. Ives DVD: Review By Mushy

Charles Bronson plays Raymond St. Ives, a man who gambles, writes (although his novel remains unfinished) and lives life on his terms. When he crosses paths with Procane (John Houseman), St. Ives goes from being a "go between", to the man in the middle. Told with a deft amount of wit and street savvy, I found St. Ives to be highly entertaining. This movie isn't a big production. Or, I should say, it doesn't make a big production out of it's subject matter. Basically, it is the tale of a man trying to keep his head above water, while putting together pieces of a puzzle. Not knowing who to trust, but seemingly having friends in all directions, it is just plain enjoyable seeing Charles Bronson work this character.

Behind the Scenes Featurette

Actually titled "Bronson St. Ives", this piece looks at the international star that Charles Bronson was. What is most interesting to me about this piece is that it was made in 1976. Since this was before the advent of DVD, who knew that extra features such as this would be so valuable? We get to see a general portrait of the man that Charles Bronson was, and it seems like St. Ives was made at the height of his popularity. Although, he did have a very good run in the 1980s and I remember watching quite a few of this films on cable and VHS.

Widescreen Version presented in a "matted' widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of it's original theatrical exhibition. Enhanced for widescreen TVs. I really took to the easiness of this film. Bronson's character seems unshakable. While not a typical Hollywood leading man, he really seems to imbue his characters with another kind of attractiveness. The coolness. The ability to get into any situation and know that he is going to able to surmount it. This movie has that look and feel and as a result it is an easy pill to swallow.

Dolby Digital. English & French - Mono. I almost didn't notice any of the ambient sounds, which means that I was that focused on the dialogue that drives this film. I love that this movie didn't seem to go out of it's way to beat us over the head with information. The story was told in the classy-cool style of it's main character. The music was light and obviously from that time. I don't know why but these films just seem stronger then a lot of the similar films that came after them. I wish more movies today could be this comfortable with a minimal sound design.

Bronson and the elegantly, lovely Jacqueline Bisset grace the front cover. In fact, it isn't even a picture of them, but a well rendered artist's sketch. The back cover features 3 more pictures from the movie (of which Bisset and Bronson share two), a description of the film (which I found to be kind of confusing), and a special features listing and cast list. The look of this packaging perfectly captures the mood and idea behind this film. Charles Bronson enthusiasts will be happy.

St. Ives is a classically told potboiler. Made in 1976, it seems to be reveling in the look and feel of that time. I think what is the most interesting thing about this movie, believe it or not, is the mood that is evoked by Director J. Lee Thompson. I just love the easiness that this story has. How we see Bronson's character get himself into situation after situation, and at no time does the tone really change. Yes, there are moments of action and suspense, but this film is really a performance piece and as a result I feel that that elevated this movie as a whole.