Tonight's Movie: You and Me (1938) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

YOU AND ME (1938), directed and produced by Fritz Lang for Paramount Pictures, was recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

Morris Department Store is a lovely Art Deco shopping palace owned by benevolent Mr. Morris (Harry Carey Sr.).

Mr. Morris has hired several ex-cons to work in the store, believing it's important for them to have jobs as part of their rehabilitation.

Two of those ex-cons are Joe (George Raft) and Helen (Sylvia Sidney). Helen is aware of Joe's past, but he doesn't realize she also spent time in prison...which she keeps secret when they decide to marry.

Helen isn't supposed to marry until after her parole concludes, and Joe has also expressed negative feelings about women who were in jail. Naturally this leads to complications as Joe becomes suspicious and eventually learns the truth.

Meanwhile Joe is pressured by old "colleagues" into participating in the robbery of the department store...

This is a film with a lot of good -- even unusual -- moments, and it's often quite charming.

My biggest negative issue regarding the movie is that for most of the film's 94 minutes Helen is hiding her secret from Joe, or dealing with the ramifications when he learns the truth. That made it difficult to truly relax and enjoy the movie, constantly in anticipation of the next negative shoe to drop.

Would I like it more on a second viewing, knowing at the outset how the plot will unfold and not being as stressed by it? I'm not sure, but it's possible.

Unusually, the film veers close to being a musical. It opens with "Song of the Cash Register," a chanting tune about having to pay for everything you want in life, and has a couple other musical moments including a torch song sung by Carol Paige. The score was by Kurt Weill and Sam Coslow.

My favorite bit, perhaps because it's lighter in tone, comes when Helen (Sidney) uses a chalkboard and shows a gang of crooks that "crime doesn't pay" in dollars and cents. It's a delightful sequence.

The film was written by Virginia Van Upp, based on a story by Norman Krasna; each has contributed to many films I like. The film was shot in black and white by Charles Lang.

The leads are sympathetic and surrounded by an excellent cast. Some of the ex-cons are played by great faces like Robert Cummings, Roscoe Karns, Jack Pennick, Warren Hymer, and George E. Stone. It's hard to go wrong with a cast like that!

The cast includes Barton MacLane, Cecil Cunningham, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Vera Gordon, Egon Brecher, Joyce Compton, and Juanita Quigley. Bit roles are said to have been played by Ellen Drew and Richard Denning, but I didn't spot them.

The print is from a new 2K master. While much of the film looks excellent, there are a few very noticeable moments when large scratches go by, and a couple of scenes are on the soft side. I assume the flaws may be inherent to the material.

There are no dialogue skips, and the rest of the film looks and sounds very good. I have no hesitation in recommending this Blu-ray, it just should be noted up front that it's not pristine.

Disc extras consist of a commentary track by Simon Abrams; a trailer; and a gallery of four additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

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

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