Thoughtfully crafted, lavishly produced yet lethargically weighed down with a familiar, Hitchcock-like plot, 1964's Woman of Straw represented an opportunity for Sean Connery to alert moviegoers that he could do more than James Bond. With solid work from co-stars Gina Lollobrigida and Ralph Richardson, Woman of Straw gets an overdue U.S. disc release through Kino Lorber's Studio Classics repackaging of this title from the MGM/United Artists catalog.

Connery approaches the suave schemer he plays in Woman of Straw in a very James Bond-ish way, only with an undercurrent of menace. His character, Tony Richmond, is a wealthy playboy seething with resentment. The man has a tangled family history with his uncle, Charles (a vigorous Richardson), a flinty, ruthless tycoon who bullied Tony's father into suicide before marrying his widow. Forced to play nice with the cranky, bigoted old man, Tony grits his teeth and puts up with him as the next-in-line at inheriting his vast estate. Maria Marcello (Lollobrigida), an alluring Italian nurse, arrives to take care of Charles - although like his other nurses, she doesn't last long. Fed up by the old man's insensitive treatment of the African brothers who serve as household's butlers, Maria quits in a rage but is lured back by Tony, whom she's fallen for. Despite having no interest in Charlie's wealth, Maria gets persuaded by Tony to marry the cantankerous uncle (who has mellowed to like her) with the eventuality that Charlie's revised will places the estate in her hands. The characters' fates are solidified on a trip to Majorca, Spain aboard Charlie's luxury yacht - as it unfolds, Tony's scheme is greeted with hesitation from Maria (who begrudgingly developed a fondness for Charlie). That hesitation gradually becomes terror as Maria realizes that she's become a pawn in Tony's diabolical game.

Throughout Woman of Straw, my viewing partner kept repeating that, although nice and atmospheric, this film could've been hugely improved had Alfred Hitchcock directed it. I'd have to agree. When handled with a light touch, fake-Hitchcock can be fun (cf. Stanley Donen's Charade). As it plays out, however, Woman of Straw winds up being a turgid, seemingly endless grind. Director Basil Dearden (Victim; Khartoum) constructs this twisty story as a slow-building back-and-forth among the three main, strong-willed characters. Whatever weaknesses there are in the story and acting departments get elevated with evocative photography (from the lens of Otto Heller) and production design, with some excellent set pieces from Ken Adam (2001: A Space Odyssey) representing the chilly oppressiveness of the Richmond manor. As for the lead actors, Richardson's cranky-yet-inwardly-sensitive portrayal fares the best, although the movie loses some air at the halfway mark when Charlie ultimately meets his maker. Connery spends the entire time grimly trying to prove he can be anything but a carefree international spy. Meanwhile, Lollobrigida admirably gives her character some grit and determination, likely meant to counter the lady's "fiery Italian window dressing" screen image. The lack of fire between them makes this movie less sexy thriller and more murky drama of self-loathing characters trying to out-maneuver each other.

Woman of Straw's luxurious intrigue is competent enough to make it worth seeking out for a glimpse at what Connery was doing between 007 assignments. As far as the actor's '60s efforts go, this one is less nuanced than 1964's Marnie, and miles better than 1966's shrill, unfunny A Fine Madness.

The Blu Ray:

Kino Lorber's release of Woman of Straw comes in the same standard packaging as other Studio Classics discs. The cover design has been made more attractive by using the film's superior Italian-release poster art, with Connery nuzzling a seductive-looking Lollobrigida (not surprisingly, her character doesn't wear anything as revealing as the hot strapless number seen here).

Video

Woman of Straw sports a detailed yet lackluster 1.66:1 widescreen image. Compared with other Studio Classics discs of nicely preserved '60s-era films (like Taras Bulba), this release is sourced from a ragged-looking print showing a good amount of dirt, specks and damage. Detail is pretty sharp, although the color palette is underwhelming and the film grain is turned up to a distracting degree.

Audio

The mono soundtrack is a similarly aged track, its limited dynamics tending to sound hissy and distorted during louder passages. A ragged, yet decent, listen. No subtitle options are provided.

Extras

None.

Final Thoughts

A decent time-waster for Sean Connery fans, 1964's gothic drama Woman of Straw came as an unexpectedly ponderous vehicle for the then-current James Bond. Connery is merely okay as a duplicitous playboy using selfless, temperamental nurse Gina Lollobrigida as a pawn in a revenge scheme directed at his bigoted, greedy industrialist uncle, Ralph Richardson. In short: contains a few nice bits (production design and photography; Richardson's gusto), generally a drag. Rent It.

Matt Hinrichs is a designer, artist, film critic and jack-of-all-trades in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2000, he has been blogging at Scrubbles.net. 4 Color Cowboy is his repository of Western-kitsch imagery, while other films he's experienced are logged at Letterboxd. He also welcomes friends on Twitter @4colorcowboy.