While Sam has no genuine interest in Martha or Walter, he finds himself forcibly pulled into their web of lies and deception. The principal performers all give strong performances, especially Barbara Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas, whom made his screen debut with this film. This 1946 production predates wide screen, and the full screen black and white transfer is a very good representation of its theatrical framing. There are some shots within the body of film that seemed to have been replaced with either very good 16mm inserts or 35mm materials that are several generations off the original negative. The transfer provides a modestly good level of sharpness and detail.
Film grain is noticeable in a numbers of places, as are early signs of nitrate decomposition.
However, other signs of age, like scratches and blemishes are relatively minor. Blacks are very accurate on most of the film, but there are places where they lean towards gray. Contrast is decent, although the whites appear somewhat blown out at various points throughout the film. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack doesn't have many flaws considering that this movie was not carefully preserved. There are some mild fluctuations in the volume and a tiny bit of distortion, however the dialogue remains intelligible and the track will take a fair amount of amplification for those who would like hear the terrific Mikl s R zsa score.