Though most famous for musicals such as his Oscar-winning flicks An American in Paris and Gigi, director Vincente Minnelli didn’t always stick with that genre. For a look at a Minnelli flick in a different domain, we go to 1955’s The Cobweb.

Dr. Stewart McIver (Richard Widmark) takes over the operations of an exclusive private psychiatric hospital from long-time medical director Dr. Douglas Devanal (Charles Boyer). This means he needs to care for people with a slew of psychological issues.

That includes the employees, as it’s not just the patients who suffer from a mix of problems. Facility staff tensions come to a head when the library needs new drapes.

Yeah, that last sentence is for real. Cobweb offers a tale in which much of the drama revolves around arguments connected to what kind of curtains to use.

Granted, real life often works that way. I know from personal relationships that some of worst fights stemmed from apparently trivial issues, as those topics simply trigger the expression of other underlying tensions.

Still, the battle over the drapes feels contrived here, as does pretty much the rest of the movie. Essentially a soap opera at heart, Cobweb immerses us in the lives of staff and patients with the hope we’ll invest in their issues.

Good luck with that! Admittedly, Cobweb comes with a tall task given how many characters it involves.

The film throws a lot of lives our way and 124 minutes doesn’t seem like nearly enough time to explore them all. Of course, some receive more time than others, especially related to Dr. McIver and his semi-neglected wife Karen (Gloria Grahame).

However, even that situation feels poorly sketched. Cobweb adapts William Gibson’s novel, and I imagine the printed page offers a lot more space to develop all these roles.

As seen in the film, though, Cobweb just becomes a jumble of lives and issues. We simply fail to spend enough time with any of the roles to invest in them.

Perhaps to compensate for this lack of breathing room, Minnelli ratchets the movie’s melodrama to the hilt. Everything here gets played to its ultimate level of urgency, and that constantly overwrought tone wears out its welcome quickly.

In theory, the movie’s cast provides a positive. We get a slew of “names”, as in addition to Widmark, Boyer and Grahame, we find Lauren Bacall, Lillian Gish, Oscar Levant, Susan Strasberg and even Fay Wray in a small role.

However, all that talent just reinforces what a mess Cobweb is, as it turns depressing to see so many good actors stuck in such a silly project. Nothing more than overbaked soap opera, the film flops.

The Cobweb appears in an aspect ratio of 2.55:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. We got a fine presentation.

Overall sharpness worked well. Some softness inevitably accompanied transitions, and a few shots became oddly “off”, but the majority of the film looked accurate and well-defined.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects appeared, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt natural and the image lacked print flaws.

Colors tended toward a reasonably natural palette, albeit with a slightly blue cast. The hues felt pretty full and rich.

Blacks seemed dark and dense, while low-light shots came across as clear and smooth. Expect appealing visuals here.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio, the soundfield largely accentuated music. Effects and dialogue largely remained centered, with only occasional instances of those elements from other channels.

On the other hand, music boasted fine stereo separation throughout the film. The score turned into the most involving aspect of the mix.

Audio quality seemed fine given the movie’s vintage. Dialogue remained intelligible and reasonably concise, without edginess or other concerns.

Effects lacked great dimensionality, but they nonetheless came across with decent accuracy and clarity. Given the nature of the narrative, these elements didn’t play a major role in the proceedings anyway.

Music demonstrated above-average range for a 70-year-old track and became a highlight. This felt like a pretty good mix for its era.

Along with the film’s trailer, we get Salute to the Theaters. Hosted by George Murphy, the 17-minute, 10-second short also features appearances from Cobweb novelist William Gibson and actors Esther Williams, Steve Forrest, Jane Powell, Gene Kelly, Richard Widmark, Charles Boyer, Lillian Gish, Lauren Bacall, Oscar Levant, John Kerr, Jarma Lewis, Susan Strasberg and Paul Stewart.

A promo reel, Salute essentially acts as a collection of scenes from MGM movies of the era, albeit with those occasional interludes from the actors I named. It could be seen as an interesting archival piece, but it’s not especially compelling beyond those brief visits with Hollywood stars.

We also find a Cinemascope Tom and Jerry short. The Egg and Jerry forces the mouse to defend a newly-hatched bird against Tom’s predatory instincts.

Nothing about Egg thrills. Still, it comes with enough laughs to merit a look.

Blessed with a terrific cast and a legendary director, The Cobweb felt primed to provide cinematic excellence. Instead, it gives us tedious and overdone melodrama that makes its 124 minutes feel twice as long. The Blu-ray comes with solid picture and audio but it offers only minor bonus materials. Expect a major waste of talent from this dud.