Phone Call from a Stranger
by Jean Negulesco
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, Keenan Wynn, Michael Rennie, Shelley WintersDirector: Jean Negulesco
Brand: DAVIS,BETTE
Cinematographer: Milton R. Krasner
Editor: Hugh S. Fowler
Producer: Nunnally Johnson
Writer: Nunnally Johnson
Writer: I.A.R. Wylie
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Phone Call from a Stranger
Movie Review: fine motion picture with a stunning performance by Bette Davis
Summary: 5 Stars
Phone Call From A Stranger was far more powerful than I anticipated it would be. The plot moves along at a very good pace and the acting is extremely convincing. We get big name stars in this film, too: Keenan Wynn, Michael Rennie, Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, and Shelley Winters! The cinematography is pretty good although you can see that the plane is really just a miniature flying "in the air;" the cord holding the plane in mid-air is pretty visible. Sigh. However, the choreography is very well done.
When the film starts we quickly meet attorney David L. Trask (Gary Merrill) who's leaving his wife Jane because she was unfaithful to him. She begs him to stay but he can't forgive her and so he boards a plane board for California. As luck would have it, the plane is going to have to take off late because of a very intense rain storm; so it isn't long before we also meet three other people traveling on the same plane with David Trask: Binky Gay (Shelley Winters) is an armchair psychologist who worked as a stripper to make ends meet after her marriage started to have trouble and she wanted to be a star in the theater; and there's Dr. Robert Fortness (Michael Rennie) who has a long history of alcoholism and a very dark secret to hide from the police. We also meet traveling salesman and practical jokester Edmund Vincent 'Eddie' Hoke (Keenan Wynn).
David and the other three people meet and chat in the airport restaurant before leaving Chicago; and they continue to make fast friends on their trip westbound both onboard the plane and when they stop outside of Salt Lake City. They exchange each other's phone numbers with the exception of David Trask, who can't give information about his whereabouts in California because he's traveling there and doesn't know where he'll be staying yet. This turns out to be for the best, unfortunately, because the airplane crashes and David Trask is the sole survivor of the crash.
After some treatment for his wounds, David Trask is quite lucky in that he's fully ambulatory and just has a few scratches left to heal. David also decides to visit the family members of the now deceased friends he made on that flight so they can hear what their deceased relatives really and truly wanted them to know.
The plot can go anywhere from here; and there are more than just one or two surprises. David Trask must meet with family members who are bitter or who didn't really understand or know everything they really should have known about the departed. In addition, look for Bette Davis to steal the show with a stunning performance closer to the end of the picture.
The DVD has a few extras which include an example of how they cleaned up the film to make it digital; but I must confess I didn't see any major differences between the two copies of the print. We get a theatrical "teaser" and a theatrical trailer as well.
Phone Call From A Stranger packs a big punch and I highly recommend it for fans of the stars on this movie as well as people who enjoy classic movies that remain relevant in our times. The movie deals with the "double standard" of marital morality and that's very interesting, too.
Summary of Phone Call from a Stranger
A plane crash leads one grateful survivor to reclaim his lost love. Shelley Winters and Bette Davis star.Drama DVD Video
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