Tonight's Movie: Strange Bedfellows (1965) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida star in STRANGE BEDFELLOWS (1965), recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS was a reunion for the two stars, who had previously costarred in the highly enjoyable romantic comedy COME SEPTEMBER (1961).

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS has its moments but is not on a par with the leads' previous film together.

Rock and Gina play Carter and Toni, an American and Italian who "meet cute" in London. They wed within 24 hours but quickly separate when they discover they are incompatible outside the bedroom. Carter is a conservative oilman, while Toni is a temperamental bohemian artist given to throwing crockery when upset.

After a seven-year separation, Toni notifies Carter she wants a divorce...right as he's being considered for a big promotion. One of the requirements from Carter's boss (Howard St. John) is that the candidate is a respectable family man. Cue a possible reunion for the couple, who find they're still as passionate -- and incompatible -- as ever.

The leads are quite likeable, as is Gig Young as a company PR man, but the story is pretty flimsy stuff. Director Melvin Frank wrote the script with Michael Pertwee, based on a story by Frank and Norman Panama. It's a bit repetitive, with the lead characters going through cycles of making love and breaking up, while the story lurches forward verrrrry slowly.

I found STRANGE BEDFELLOWS entertaining enough to keep me watching for 98 minutes, thanks to its three stars, while at the same time I wished there were more to it. The two leads have excellent chemistry and look great -- Lollobrigida is gowned by Jean Louis -- but their fun and romantic scenes are mixed with a great deal of yelling and a number of wild London cab rides.

The fact the London-based movie was clearly shot in Hollywood doesn't help with the film's atmosphere. The movie was shot in widescreen Technicolor by Leo Tover.

The supporting cast includes familiar TV faces such as Nancy Kulp (THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES), Bernard Fox (BEWITCHED), and Peggy Rea (THE WALTONS).

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray print is very attractive and has excellent sound. Disc extras are the trailer; a four-film Rock Hudson trailer gallery; and a commentary track by Eddy Von Mueller.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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