Melinda

Summary

“If you have to die for me to live…. then you die!’” 

Over the years Warner Archive has become a haven for enthusiasts of blaxploitation cinema through their numerous releases from the Warner Vault. I have picked up pretty much every release from Warner in that genre, because I find those films to be comfort food that I enjoy. Recently, Warner released the crime-mystery film Melinda starring Calvin Lockhart, Rockne Tarkington, Vonetta McGee, and Rosalind Cash. I had never seen the picture, but that is not unusual for this line of releases. I happily checked out the film the other night.

Frankie J. “is for Joy” Parker (Calvin Lockhart) is a radio DJ for a popular radio station. He lives well and drives a beautiful brown 1971 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. He practices karate at a dojo run by John (Jim Kelly.) John wants Frankie to make an announcement on his radio show about some unfair practices by his landlord, but Frankie has no plan to do lose his job over John’s concerns. After work one day Frank goes to a jazz club. He meets Melinda Lewis (Vonetta McGee.) She heard his show that morning. He comes onto her but she seems nonplussed by his advances. He invites her to a party held by a former football player turned record maker named Tank (Rockne Tarkington.) She agrees to go. The party is on Tank’s boat. Melinda and Frank hit it off. Tank pulls Frank aside to ask why he refused his gift. Frank explains that he did not want to arouse questions from the FCC. Frank also sees his ex-flame Terry (Rosalind Cash.) Terry shows her jealousy that Frank is taking Melinda home with him. Frank and Melinda head to his apartment. Without realizing it, they have been followed. In Frank’s apartment, Frank and Melinda make love by the fireplace while the mysterious man looks through a keyhole. Frank and Melinda begin to see one another. It is obvious that her past is somewhat checkered, but they feel something deep for each other. She calls him at work and he explains he has some things he has to do that night. Afterwards, Frank shows up at his apartment carrying roses for her. His apartment is ransacked, his radio is playing loudly, and Melinda is dead. She is stabbed to death on his bed. As he looks on in horror, police show up and cuff him. They ask her name. He says, “Melinda Lewis.” They say her ID shows a different name. As the key suspect in her death, Frank must unravel the mystery of who killed Melinda and why?

Melinda is almost a great movie. The first half of the movie shows a lot of promise, but the second half has some pacing issues once the main villian is introduced. It’s a shame because even though the first half moves at a slow burn pace, it holds attention. The last forty five minutes moves too slowly for what it is attempting to accomplish. The slow burn pace of the first half is replaced by slow parts that also feel unnecessary. Some judicious trimming of the screenplay would have helped. On top of those issues, I won’t spoil the finale, but the film basically jumps the shark in its final moments. While it is entertaining and tips the film into the blaxploitation genre (whereas it was more of a traditional crime-mystery film before,) the ending is ridiculous. 

Melinda was directed by Hugh A. Robertson in 1972. He was given the directing job based on his excellent editing skills on the smash hit Shaft from 1971. His editing skills definitely show in the first half of the picture, but the second half could have used trimming. I think he fell into the trap of falling too in love with what he shot, which caused the film to become bloated. That said, the movie is shot pretty well and the acting is enjoyable (although I am not sure that I buy that Calvin Lockhart could actually kick Rockne Tarkington’s ass.) 

Calvin Lockhart is an enjoyable leading man. He would later have some solid supporting roles in films ranging from Wild at Heart to Coming to America in which he always made an impression onscreen. Vonetta McGee was quite a beauty and was well cast as Melinda. Paul Stevens is perfectly capable of playing the obligatory evil white guy. Rockne Tarkington is great as Tank, even if his acting skills slip when he cowtows to the diminutive Lockhart. Jim Kelly appears in his very first onscreen role as a karate master named John a full year before Enter the Dragon introduced him to the world. Interestingly, Rockne Tarkington was originally meant to play that role in Enter the Dragon! Rosalind Cash is a decent actress, but I don’t find her quite dynamic enough to take on a role as a love interest.

Overall – I enjoyed Melinda despite the fact that the first hour is far superior to the last forty minutes. If you are a fan of this genre, you should probably check it out, but you may want to rent before you purchase, because I can see opinions varying wildly on this movie.

Video

Warner have done a terrific job on the restoration of Melinda working from a new 4K scan from the original camera negatives. Presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p with an MPEG-4 AVC encode, the film could not look any better on Blu-ray than it does here. There is a fine level of grain. Fine detail is handled well. Warner’s team did a wonderful job of bringing the best out of the elements of the film, and unless we are treated to a 4K UHD someday, this will be the definitive way to view the movie.

Audio

Warner have provided a great DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that presents the original Mono track in split channels. Dialogue is very clear. There are no issues with sound levels. I did not detect any notable hiss or distortion. The score sounds crisp and clean. Speaking of which, I feel like music in some of the more quiet moments could have helped some of those scenes feel a little more dynamic. That said, everything that is presented here sounds great. Overall, it is another winning track from Warner.

Supplements:

Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – .5/5

Overall – 3.5/5

Melinda is a crime-mystery film from 1972 that will appeal to connoisseurs of the Blaxploitation genre. Directed by Hugh A. Robertson, the picture has a great slow-burn first half, and a fairly ridiculous and plodding second half. I still enjoyed watching the film, but I can’t help but think of how great it could have been. Central performances are enjoyable with likable turns by Calvin Lockhart, Rockne Tarkington, and Vonetta McGee. Warner Archive has done a very good job on the technical specs as per usual. Fans of the genre will probably want to check out Melinda, but a rental prior to purchase is recommended.