Houseboat (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Feb 27, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Melville ShavelsonRelease Date(s)
1958 (January 28, 2025)Studio(s)
Paramount Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Cary Grant and Sophia Loren epitomized “Movie Star” in the 1950s and 60s, when their careers were at their peak. It was inevitable that they would be teamed. They co-starred in The Pride and the Passion and a year later were teamed again in the romantic comedy Houseboat.
Grant (Charade) plays government attorney Tom Winters, returning from Europe to Washington, D.C. to care for his three young children following his estranged wife’s death in a car accident. The kids hardly know him and initially are cold and remote. The youngest, Robert (Charles Herbert, 13 Ghosts) runs away and winds up at an amusement park where he meets Cinzia (Loren, Arabesque), the daughter of visiting Italian conductor Arturo Zaccardi (Eduardo Ciannelli, Helen of Troy). Cinzia is tired of her father’s strong opinions and stringent rules so she, too, has “run away” to have some fun.
Cinzia tells the little boy to go home, but Robert attaches himself to her. She empathizes with him, keeps him company, and ultimately spends the rest of her night on the town searching for his father. Meanwhile, Tom is beside himself with fear about his missing child and worry about how he can possibly balance his career with caring for his children. So when Cinzia shows up at his door with a sleeping Robert in her arms, Tom tries to hire her as housekeeper. Tom’s other kids, David (Paul Petersen, TV’s The Donna Reed Show) and Elizabeth (Mimi Gibson, The Buccaneer) also take to this charming young woman. Cinzia has several reasons for accepting the job despite having no idea how to cook, clean, or do any household chores.
Tom’s apartment is too small for his expanded family. While seeking larger quarters, he stumbles into an unusual series of circumstances that induces him to buy a houseboat. Cinzia’s beauty and obvious ineptitude at ordinary chores cause speculation among Tom’s friends that Cinzia is more than a housekeeper.
The screenplay by Melville Shavelson and Jack Rose capitalizes on the chemistry between Grant and Loren and the three endearing kids. The situation does seem contrived and the premise an excuse to get the family onto the dilapidated houseboat, but there are references to living quarters in Washington being in short supply. The film is reflective of the period. It’s a mildly suggestive comedy with just enough conflict to be resolved before the end credits. Since Grant’s Tom is a widower, and Loren’s Cinzia is single, the characters are set up to eventually fall, chastely, into each other’s arms, but with two such luminous stars, it’s inevitable.
Grant is playing a version of his screen persona—handsome, debonair, witty, and charming—but his character’s new responsibility for young, resentful kids throws him off-kilter and upsets his routine. Often dismissive of their problems, he treats them more as adults and fails to offer them compassion. This was very unusual for Grant, and he never quite convinces us that he’s that blind to his kids’ need for affection and understanding. He’s fine in the comic moments and in his romantic scenes with Loren. Grant knew his strengths as a leading man and would likely not have taken the role had Tom not been transformed by Cinzia’s gentle influence into a doting dad.
Houseboat is Loren’s picture all the way. She accomplishes the amazing task of upstaging Grant through her sheer beauty, touching portrayal of the rich girl mistaken for a servant, and inherent sense of decency. With piercing eyes and an expression that can register pure joy, as when she sings a silly song, to sadness when she witnesses how Tom speaks to his children, she conveys compassion and motherly concern.
Director Melville Shavelson deftly balances comedy, romance, and conflict is Houseboat. With its lush VistaVision cinematography, costumes by Edith Head, and picturesque Washington settings, the film is a visual treat. The script is typical of mid-20th century comedies in its family-friendly content. Apart from one segment that depicts a masher and another that shows a drunken character acting rudely, the picture steers away from “adult” subject matter, and it’s made clear that, though Tom and Cinzia are both living on the Houseboat, they’re not “living together.”
Houseboat was shot by director of photography Ray June on 35 mm Technicolor film with VistaVision cameras, processed photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. On the Blu-ray, the brand new HD master prepared by Paramount is taken from a 6K scan of the original 35mm VistaVision camera negative. Clarity and contrast are exceptional. Color palette is bright for the most part, with Loren’s elegant Edith Head-designed clothes, the repainted houseboat, and an elaborate country club party looking especially lush. Rich primary hues and softer pastels dominate.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Dialogue is clear and distinct. Loren speaks with a slight Italian accent but is easily understood. The score by George Duning is light and upbeat. Sophia Loren sings the tune Bing! Bang! Bong! with the children, and Sam Cooke is heard (but not seen) singing the Best Song nominee Almost In Your Arms by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.
Bonus materials on the Region A Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include the following:
- Audio Commentary by Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff
- Trailer #1 (2:21)
- Trailer #2 (1:25)
- The Eagle and the Hawk Trailer (1:40)
- I’m No Angel Trailer (1:58)
- Five Miles to Midnight Trailer (3:19)
- Arabesque Trailer (3:30)
- My Man Godfrey Trailer (2:16)
- Some Like It Hot Trailer (2:23)
- Has Anybody Seen My Gal Trailer (2:33)
- Teacher’s Pet Trailer (2:16)
Audio Commentary – Film historian/writer Julie Kirgo and writer/filmmaker Peter Hankoff refer to Houseboat as a “dark romantic comedy” because Grant’s character has a bit of brutality, disguised by his wit. Cary Grant was on his third marriage, to Betsy Drake, who was also a writer. She wrote a screenplay based on one of her unpublished short stories and that became the basis of Houseboat. It was intended as a project for both her and Grant to star. During pre-production, Grant was in Europe making The Pride and the Passion with Sophia Loren, who was beginning to become popular in America, and suggested that she be his co-star in Houseboat. Mel Shavelson rewrote the script, making the female lead the wealthy daughter of an Italian conductor. Shavelson was a gag writer for Bob Hope, a screen writer, a director and a producer. He also created the TV series Make Room for Daddy. Grant asked Loren to marry him despite a thirty-year difference in their ages, but she declined his proposal and married her mentor, Carlo Ponti. Grant had two periods of “superstardom”—the screwball era of the 1930s into the 1940s and the Hitchcock era of the 1950s. Hitchcock saw in Grant an idealized version of himself. The commentary offers career overviews of supporting players Martha Hyer, Harry Guardino, and Kathleen Freeman. There’s also an appreciation of song writers Jay Livingston and Ray Evans who, in addition to writing two songs for Houseboat, composed the Theme From Bonanza, Tammy, Buttons and Bows, Que Sera Sera, and Silver Bells. This period was highly successful for Grant, who not only made pictures with director Alfred Hitchcock but also co-starred in the Doris Day comedy That Touch of Mink and the perennial favorite An Affair to Remember. Houseboat is “just full of nice little touches.”
Early on, Houseboat becomes predictable. As with many 1950s romantic comedies, there’s no big surprise waiting. It’s clear that Grant’s character will wind up with Loren’s after a series of misunderstandings, assumptions, distractions, and bullheadedness. Yet because of the two leads, we tend to overlook script inconsistencies, convenient coincidences, and a lack of suspense. This is not a film with an edge. But if you want to see how stars can elevate routine material, Houseboat is a prime example.
- Dennis Seuling