Screen legend Sydney Greenstreet and the iconic Humphrey Bogart appeared together in five films. Only one of those films had Bogart playing a villainous role, with Greenstreet playing a noble character and that film is the classic Warner Brothers Film Noir, Curtis Bernhardt’s Conflict.

In addition to being a Film Noir, Conflict it is also kind of a haunting ghost story. In this picture, Richard Mason (Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep) and his wife Kathryn (Rose Hobart, Tower of London, The Soul of a Monster) have been an unhappily married couple for around five years. Richard, who has fallen in love with his wife’s younger sister Evelyn (Alexis Smith, Of Human Bondage, The Two Mrs. Carrolls), admits his feelings toward Evelyn to his wife, but she refuses to give him a divorce; she proceeds to tell him trying to court her is a waste of time and he will be humiliated!  Figuring he had no other way to be rid of Kathryn, he then plans to murder her, and he goes through with it with an automotive “accident”. Shortly thereafter, Richard begins to feel both conflicted (hence, the title of the film!) and haunted that Kathryn might not have died in his planned accident after all. Strange happenings begin to occur in Richard’s life that convinces him that Kathryn might still be alive! The fact that she still might be alive causes conflicts with the family friend and psychoanalyst Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet, Ruthless, The Verdict, Flamingo Road), Evelyn herself, and Professor Norman Holsworth (Charles Drake, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Gunsmoke) who is interested in marrying Evelyn! They all try to help Richard with his conflict as his guilt mounts, but he continues to be tormented!

Warner Archive has released Conflict on Blu-ray much to the delight of its fans. Presented in its original 1.37:1 original theatrical aspect ratio in 1080p and given a 4K restoration, the film looks marvellous and is easily an upgrade over the DVD. Much of the black and white film is sharp and clear, however there were a couple of spots where the movie looked a little soft but nothing major. Blacks and shadow details look good, while crisp whites and a consistently balanced grayscale make the picture quality for this release superb. Details to the scenery are top-notch where it’s the misty shots outside or an indoor setting! Merritt B. Gerstad’s brilliant cinematography absolutely shines here!

For their Blu-ray, Warner has gone with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono sound mix which has a good, solid level of fidelity. Dialogue is consistently rich and clear, as it is with the atmospheric score of Frederick Hollander and the various sound effects such as cars driving and doors shutting. There are no issues with age-related anomalies like hiss, crackle, pops, and flutter that I detected. Optional English SDH subtitles are also included.

There are a few extras for this release.

There are a pair of 1945 Animated Shorts in HD which are Life with Feathers and Trap Happy Porky.

Also in the supplements department are two Live Action Shorts:  Peeks at Hollywood and Are Animals Actors?

Theater of Romance, a 1945 radio adaptation of Conflict and a theatrical railer which is presented in SD, rounds out the extras.

I really love this release, not just as a reviewer but as a fan of Conflict as well. With the excellent audio and video presentation to go with the extras, this is a thumbs way up recommended release!

Conflict

Director – Curtis Bernhardt

Cast- Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet

Country of Origin-USA

Distributor – Warner Brothers

Number of Discs –1

Reviewed by – David Steigman

Date –10/5/2024