Uneven collection of "Twilight Zone"-like tales
Films with multiple stories have been a staple of Hollywood for years. With typically three or four separate segments, sometimes tied together by a common theme, these pictures offer audiences multi-faceted tales with an all-star cast.<br /><br />“Flesh and Fantasy” comfortably falls into this “omnibus” category. A follow-up to Julien Duvivier’s “Tales of Manhattan,” “Flesh and Fantasy” doesn’t boast as large a roster of stars as in “Tales…” Shot at Universal, the production is not as lavish, though it’s not without some big names, and offers an interesting collection of stories with supernatural and mystical elements.<br /><br />A framing device features Robert Benchley (“Foreign Correspondent”) being introduced to the stories by fellow gentlemen’s club member David Hoffman (the disembodied head who introduced the Inner Sanctum films).<br /><br />The first story is about a plain-looking, unloved young woman in despair, Henrietta (Betty Field, “Kings Row”). She is approached by a mysterious man who encourages her to wear a beautiful mask to Mardi Gras where, he promises, she will find romance. As she makes her way toward the revelers, she spies Michael (Robert Cummings, “Saboteur”) and the evening turns out as promised, but a supernatural twist awaits her.<br /><br />The second episode — and the best — stars Edward G. Robinson (“Little Caesar”) as a man obsessed with a fortune teller’s (Thomas Mitchell, “Gone With the Wind”)  prediction that he will commit murder. Based on an Oscar Wilde story, this sequence drips with atmosphere and suspense as Robinson’s increasingly desperate man is controlled by a driving force to an inevitable conclusion. Robinson is excellent at portraying a conflicted man with both decent and dark character traits. Duvivier builds tension with a brisk narrative and some classy special effects that allow us into the character’s state of mind.<br /><br />The final tale, and the longest, stars Charles Boyer (“Gaslight”) as the Great Gaspar, a tightrope-walking circus star who has a premonition that he will die by falling and a woman (Barbara Stanwyck, “Double Indemnity”) will witness his death. On a ship during a transatlantic crossing, he encounters the woman in his premonition and is extremely uneasy. The more he tries to get to know her and find out who she is, the more elusive she becomes. Though both Boyer and Stanwyck were huge stars at the time, this episode, though entertaining, doesn’t pack the dramatic punch of the other two. The “twist” ending is rather ho-hum and doesn’t stand up to the quality of the first two segments.<br /><br />The problem with this multi-story kind of film is that the episodes are seldom of equal caliber. One may be excellent, one disappointing, and another mediocre. With “Flesh and Fantasy,” Duvivier created two above-par tales, with the third not a total disappointment because of Stanwyck’s spirited performance. There were originally four episodes, but the studio wanted one cut to shorten running time. Some say the best episode was the one eliminated.<br /><br />The director is quite good at incorporating quality production values that add to overall mood. In Robinson’s episode, for instance, his character, seeing himself in reflections on windows, in mirrors, eyeglass lenses, and on desk tops, has conversations with his conscience. The Mardi Gras scenes feature lots of costumed extras jubilantly roaming the night streets. The final episode establishes the circus setting with caged animals, roustabouts, circus wagons, assorted performers, and lengthy scenes of Boyer’s stunt double walking the high wire.<br /><br />I was reminded of two TV shows as I watched “Flesh and Fantasy.” Both “The Twilight Zone” and “One Step Beyond” dealt with odd and unusual situations that often had their basis in the supernatural or the unexplained and had a surprise ending. It’s interesting that the film was produced by Universal, famous for its horror pictures. Though not technically horror, “Flesh and Fantasy” has an otherworldly, palpably creepy quality which adds to the drama.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the unrated Blu-ray release includes audio commentary, documentary on Julian Duvivier’;s career, theatrical trailer, and reversible sleeve artwork.<br /><br />“Flesh and Fantasy” is richly atmospheric, flirting with the supernatural as the characters become immersed in situations that have outcomes often pleasant, sometimes grim, and always unexpected. Director Julien Duvivier uses the anthology format to highlight diverse individuals who encounter forces that defy easy explanation. If all three episodes lived up to the standard of the Robinson episode, the film would likely be a classic.
The movie title "Flesh and Fantasy," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.3 from 43 reviewers. 
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The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"MPAA rating": "NR (Not Rated)", "Package Dimensions": "6.73 x 5.35 x 0.55 inches; 5.92 Ounces", "Director": "Julien Duvivier", "Media Format": "Restored, Blu-ray, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, Digital Sound", "Run time": "1 hour and 34 minutes", "Release date": "March 28, 2023", "Actors": "Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Field, Robert Cummings", "Producers": "Charles Boyer", "Studio": "Vinegar Syndrome", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : A trio of fantastic "twist ending" tales comprises this hauntingly memorable anthology. A plain woman (Betty Field) hopes a supposedly enchanted Mardi Gras mask can charm a handsome reveler (Robert Cummings); a socialite (Edward G. Robinson) who mocked a psychic (Thomas Mitchell) comes to rue a prediction of murder; and an aerialist (Charles Boyer) meets the woman of his dreams (Barbara Stanwyck)... but those dreams involve his death fall. Robert Benchley co-stars. 94 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary; featurette; video trailer..