Tonight's Movie: Dear Heart (1964) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

It's been a very hectic time here since returning from the TCM Classic Cruise last week, but hopefully things are now starting to settle down!

I have many fun things to share about my recent film-related travels, including the Lone Pine Film Festival and the TCM Classic Cruise, as well as pending film and book reviews.

As a segue into this review, one of the movies I most enjoyed on the TCM Classic Cruise was a screening of NIGHT CROSSING (1982), which I hadn't seen since a theatrical viewing on first release. Based on a true incident, it's the compelling story of two families who successfully escape East Germany via a hot air balloon.

NIGHT CROSSING was one of the last few projects directed by Delbert Mann, so it was rather nice timing to come home to a new Blu-ray screener of DEAR HEART (1964), which he directed close to two decades previously.

I first saw DEAR HEART when I reviewed its Warner Archive DVD release in 2020. It's an unusual yet ultimately charming romance, sensitively directed by Mann, and I enjoyed returning to it after a few years.

As often happens when I revisit a film, I looked at it through different eyes, and this time around I saw Glenn Ford's character in a new light, which made seeing the film again all the more interesting. More on that below.

In DEAR HEART, written by Tad Mosel from his own story, a small-town postmistress named Evie Jackson (Geraldine Page) is in New York City for a convention.

Evie chances to meet Harry (Ford), a greeting card salesman from Altoona, who's planning to marry Phyllis (Angela Lansbury), a widow.

The viewer quickly realizes that both Evie and Harry are lonely people longing for connections. The quirky Edie takes this to excess at times, almost overly eager to be on a first-name basis with everyone she meets, but at the same time she has standards, refusing to have a fling with a married convention attendee (Charles Drake).

I love that Edie is a fully formed human being, sometimes coming on too strongly or being awkward in a crowd, but also delighting in life's small joys and showing thoughtfulness to all she meets. Edie is the type of person who genuinely tries to improve the lives of those around her through small kindnesses. Harry recognizes this in Edie and is not put off by her eccentricities, which is refreshing.

I described Ford's character in my prior DVD review as a playboy type ready to settle down, but on this viewing I realized I didn't have him quite right. Those aspects may be true, but Harry is every bit as awkward and uncertain in his own way as Edie -- past occasional flings with his glamorous colleague "Mitchell" (Patricia Barry) to the contrary. Harry is lonely and looking for someone who genuinely cares, and he's increasingly charmed that Edie clearly has feelings for him.

Harry has been so eager to be embraced by a family that he's proposed to Phyllis without actually knowing her and her goals or even meeting her son Patrick (Michael Anderson Jr.). Getting to know Patrick, and realizing that he and Phyllis have completely different expectations regarding their marriage, comes as a shock to Harry. Among other things, Phyllis wants to give up homemaking and turn over the challenges of parenting Patrick to Harry.

Most importantly, it's clear Phyllis doesn't love Harry at all, she's simply using him.

DEAR HEART is an unusual film which grows on the viewer as it goes along; it provides both sentiment and a handful of "laugh out loud funny" moments. My only real complaint is the way the filmmakers were a little too cute with the ending, cutting it off without allowing us to actually see the ending; we simply know it's happening.

The deep supporting cast is topped by Barbara Nichols, very funny as a magazine stand clerk. Viewers will enjoy recognizing many faces including Richard Deacon, Sandra Gould, Alice Pearce, Mary Wickes, and Ruth McDevitt.

For anyone wanting to dig deeper into the film, I shared additional thoughts in my 2010 review.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. There's nothing especially flashy about the black and white widescreen cinematography of Russell Harlan, but the print is sharp, with excellent sound. Fans will be pleased.

The disc extras are fairly minimal, consisting of the trailer plus the cartoons HAWAIIAN AYE AYE (1964) and THE ICEMAN DUCKETH (1964). Optional English-language subtitles are provided.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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