Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid [Blu-ray]

When you sift through old Hollywood material you are occasionally surprised to see expressionistic style films that were once passed off as realism to audiences that otherwise would have ignored the effort. "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" (1948) is a particularly noteworthy example. 1948 was the year of film mermaids as it also featured Glynis Johns in "Miranda", a comedy much closer to "Splash" (1984) in style and tone. "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" is a much darker film, with a mute mermaid (wonderfully played by a perfectly cast Ann Blyth), the manifestation of the protagonist's mid-life crisis fueled imagination.The hope that William Powell's "Thin Man" popularity would translate into a box office bonanza led to his unfortunate casting as the title character. Powell's actual performance is fine as is Irving Pichel's acting for the camera direction, but Powell brings way too much baggage with him to effectively sell this complex character. And the problem is exacerbated by a screenplay deviating from the source novel to create a "Thin Man" tone for much of the film. Imagine 30 minutes of Nick, Nora, and Asta renting a vacation villa on a Caribbean beach; with the standard light comedy and mildly eccentric supporting cast. Suddenly Nick hears the song of a mermaid and trips out on his personal "Peter Pan" exploration of the mysteries of middle age male discontent. While both styles work fine on their own, their lack of unity makes the film far less powerful than it might otherwise have been (insert source novel here).The 5' 2" Blyth was 19 when this was filmed while Powell was 56 and in poor health, which made him look a bit older and made their scenes together even more surreal. In the source novel: "Peabody baited and put out his line ... Close to the boat his quarry struggled weakly and succumbed. He pulled it in.... It was incredible but there it was, his catch, from the waist up, was a woman! Her little b.... ts were pointed and rosy tipped. On a small scale, she was maturely voluptuous!" The little mermaid revives when Peabody brings her back to the villa. She is mute and enjoys kissing him. He names her Lenore (Min in the book) and keeps her in a fish-pool beside his villa. Misunderstandings result when he tries to keep Lenore hidden from his wife. The island police believe that he has murdered someone after he returns Lenore to the sea.The comedy in the source novel came mostly from its satire of the tendency of mid-life crisis men to seek out unspoiled girls half their age (behavioral traits that once had significant genetic and evolutionary advantages) and land them. Some of this satire is in the film but one has to look hard to see it. Unlike the Jones' novel, the film is book-ended by Peabody's visit to his hometown psychiatrist, with his mermaid story told as a flashback story. And the film goes out with Peabody giving Lenore's comb to his wife, signifying that his crisis has passed, he has surrendered and is moving on with his life. The book's ending is less tidy.Oddly, just two years after this expressionistic effort Pichel would direct "Destination Moon", perhaps the most extreme example of Hollywood realism. You would be hard pressed to find a director who can boast effective examples of two such contrasting film styles.The underwater scenes were filmed at Weeki Wachee Springs Florida, now a state park. There has been a roadside attraction mermaid show there since the mid-1940's; in which mermaids perform synchronized ballet moves underwater while breathing through air hoses hidden in the scenery (like the film's undersea castle). These are still being held so stop by if you are ever in the area, it is an especially fun attraction if you have seen this film.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

The Facts..about this great classic DVD for $17.99...it has great picture quality and clarity. And the movie is complete..it is in ENGLISH only. And has no substitutes and no special features..the movie main menu says..PLAY AND CHAPTERS..ONLY.AND,.IT IS IN BLACK AND WHITE .It has great humorous moments..along with good drama..its truly a great classic movie..that will not disappoint..I only wish that the world have come out with a COLOR VERSIONof this classic film..so, there you have it..NO LONGER DRAWN OUT EXPLANATIONS OR STORYES ABOUT WHY OR WHO IT WAS PURCHASED FOR..THAT IS NOT A MOVIE REVIEW...( now that I have said my piece ).. my advice to you..would be to order this great classic movie while it's still available at this low price..and, this DVD WILL BE JUST AS GOOD AS A BLU-RAY COPY...Anyway..these are the Facts SO FAR..my friends..and it would be a great addition to your movie collection of which you will not be disappointed....so that's it my movie friends....enjoy..👍👍👍👍👍..OH..and P.S..this movie running time on the back of this DVD BOX..SAYS..99 MINUTES ANDASPECT RATIO FOR YOUR TV SCREEN IS 1.37:1..WHICH IS WIDE SCREEN FOR 1948..BUT THE BLU-RAY COPY SAYS ITS RUNNING TIME IS I32 MINUTES.SO THAT ISSOMETHING THAT I WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO..BECAUSE THAT..ISA LITTLE CONFUSING..to me..🤔🤔

This is a silly, cute and thought-provoking movie about a middle-aged man who want wants to find beauty, innocence, pureness and loyalty not to mention unconditional love. He finds it in a mermaid, but she is too clingy. He finally realizes that he can't run away and get that innocence back and live apart from society. He accepts this and is happy to continue to be with his wife who is loyal, realistic, well-balanced and good for him.

William Powell is a favorite of mine. This whimsical tale of fantasy written with a lesson in life and marriage is still applicable with today's issues- the want of unconditional love, an ear without rebuff, and an escape from trivial matters that seem to destroy the day.This was a well made blueray of the movie, no subtitles, but clear audio. Beautifully filmed. Totally pleased.

My review of Olive Films (yes, thru Paramount) Blu-ray of Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid:The reason why I've not given this 5 stars is for those who skip 5-star reviews - I believe they should consider this.I purchased this Blu-ray primarily for the movie, and I'm very pleased.Movie Quality: very good - I'm definitely not complaining. I'm unsure that copy was made from the original negative, but the picture is very clear and pleasing, as is the sound. However, for those who expect a pristine copy re-mastered from the original negative - no: though the print (whether from negative or standard copy) of this 1948 b/w film is pleasing and clear, on close examination the movie has not been restored or cleansed of what I consider minor imperfections.Positives: Olive Films Blu-ray is produced thru Paramount. Menu opens directly to movie or scenes - No movie previews - No other menus. Title Repeat - Disk has title repeat! - great for continuous play or napping.Negatives: For the price, some may complain that the film has not been re-mastered. No special features - no commentary. Scene menu is miniature and does not appear to open in larger view. This is not boxed as a Blu-ray/DVD combo.One last positive - Paramount could have released this in only DVD-R format. I'm extremely thankful they didn't.Thank you, Olive/Paramount! for this long awaited release; thank you, Amazon! for speedy Prime delivery.

Maybe I'm just lucky. I've read a lot of the reviews and some were not too satisfactory. My copy was excellent. Not exactly Blu-ray quality but certainly close to HD. I am totally satisfied with it and have no complaints. 👍

Dated but good film about man having a mid-life crisis. Meets a mermaid who crushes on him. His wife thinks he's having a nervous breakdown and sends him to a psychiatrist. Good acting, some humor and drama. If you're a collector of mermaid films (like I am), you'll want this in your collection. Not sure if you want your kids to watch it, since it involves husband and wife flirting with affairs. It's more adult-themed but there's no nudity or implied sex.

Log before Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah in Splash you had William Powell and Ann Blyth. And it is worth talking a look at this one for it's a real tall "tail" about a married man turning 50 and a mermaid that doesn't say a word - but says a lot and gets the husband in a lot of "deep water" with his wife, I really like this one. Movies are great when you can enjoy them over and over again.

i've been dying to see this movie for ages, but it has never been available to buy. finally i landed a copy here on amazon from a marketplace seller. everywhere on the internet says that this movie lasts for 89 minutes (even the flipping dvd case), but the film on this dvd does not, it lasts a mere hour and ten minutes. but this is the official (and only) release, so im not sure if the original film has been destroyed in parts (which i guess is possible) or what has happened, but it doesnt seem that the full original movie of Mr Peabody and the Mermaid will ever be available to us. so if there are any collectors out there or people who really want this movie then buy it while you can, its the only copy available.now for the parts of the movie that are still there- this is a lovely film, its a true old fashioned gem, a light and fun mermaid movie! the plot is pretty basic, Mr. Peabody and his wife Polly decide to take a holidy in the Caribbean, but Peabody's 50th birthday is fast approaching, as is a full fledged mid life crisis. After hearing wordless singing echoing through the bay he sets out in a small fishing boat and reels in- a mermaid! he takes her back to his holiday home and puts her in the large fish pond, eventualy falling in love with her. however no one else can see the mermaid (whom he calls Lenore) except for the tip of her fishtail. the question goes throughout (and remains uanswered by the end of the film) was Lenore real or was Peabody suffering a severe mid life crisis to the point of hallucinating? Of course the mermaids who have graced our screen since 1948, like Darlyl Hannah in Splash or Sara Paxton in Aquamarine, kind of put Ann Blyth and her little tail to shame but its still worth a look, its a nice movie. there are two versions on this disc- the english language in black and white and the colurised version in Spanish. it sorta sucks that you cant watch the colour one in spanish as it looks good in colour- but oh well.

Despite the "product details" saying this was an English version with Spanish & English subtitles, my copy was a Spanish version with no subtitles.... so be wary unless you speak Spanish!?

Une superbe comédie romantique de 1948, en noir et blanc, pour amateurs de vieux classiques. Des acteurs dans le style de l'époque, pur plaisir.Attention pas de version française, ni sous-titres FR.