Tiny Furniture – The Criterion Collection #597 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Lena Dunham’s award-winning independent film”Tiny Furniture” will be Criterion Collection’s first inclusion of mumblecore to their collection.  A slice of life type of film that is enjoyable but equally frustrating.  Nevertheless, showing promise for the filmmaking career of Lena Dunham.

Image courtesy of © 2010 IFC in Theatres, LLC. 2012 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Tiny Furniture – The Criterion Collection #597

MOVIE RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: 99 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio, 5.1 Surround

COMPANY: IFC Films/The Criterion Collection

RELEASE DATE: February4, 2012

Written and Directed by Lena Dunham

Produced by Kyle Martin, Alicia Van Couvering

Co-Produced by Alice Wang

Music by Teddy Blanks

Cinematography by Jody Lee Lopes

Edited by Lance Edmands

Art Direction by Jade Healy, Chris Trujillo

Starring:

Lena Dunham as Aura

Laurie Simmons as Siri

Grace Dunham as Nadine

Jemima Kirke as Charlotte

Alex Karpovsky as Jed

David Call as Keith

Merritt Wever as Frankie

Amy Seimetz as Ashlynn

Lena Dunham got her start making YouTube videos, but she emerged as a major talent thanks to the breakthrough success of this exceptionally sharp comedy, which garnered the twenty-four-year-old writer-director-actor comparisons to the likes of Woody Allen. Dunham plays Aura, a recent college graduate who returns to New York and moves back in with her mother and sister (played by the filmmaker’s real-life mother and sister). Though Aura is gripped by stasis and confusion about her future, Dunham locates endless sources of refreshing humor in her plight. As painfully confessional as it is amusing, Tiny Furniture is an authentic, incisive portrait of a young woman at a crossroads.

Mumblecore.  The definition of mumblecore is an “American independent film movement that arose at the turn of the 21st century”.

And I have watched a few of these low-budget independent films and while there have been good films and many bad, it has always been debated of whether these films should be held with a high regard.  Similar to what John Cassavetes was able to accomplish in in his career with his theater group and creating indie films that eventually had impact on filmmakers and are appreciated today.  Creating cinema with a micro-budget.  Can it be considered as cinema?

With the cost of DSLR’s and the popularity of these low-budget films on YouTube and other video streaming sites, I have read threads on various cinema sites if mumblecore should ever be featured on the Criterion Collection?

Even I had taken part in instigating such a discussion with a graphic I have made of Jay and Mark Duplas’ “Baghead” with a fake Criterion Cover.  But my intention was not to say that “Baghead” should be a Criterion Collection film but it was for people to acknowledge that with today’s technology, people are making movies may it be on high end equipment or affordable equipment on Canon 7D or an iPhone 4S.

We have seen American low budget films appear on the Criterion Collection before.  Sure, they may have been created decades ago but why not mumblecore?  And I’m sure there are cineaste who may be shaking their head about any mention of mumblecore being included in the Criterion Collection but in Feb. 2012, the Criterion Collection will include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture”.

Daughter of artist and photographer Laurie Simmons, Lena Dunham’s 2010 film was created on a low-budget of $50,000, premiered at South by Southwest and it won “Best Narrative Feature”.  The film was picked up by IFC films, given a theatrical release and not only has it made more than its money back, it also won “Best First Screenplay” at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards.

While the film does share many aspects to mumblecore in terms of being shot on a low-budget, using Lena’s mother and sister as major characters in the film and also starring herself as the main protagonist, Dunham doesn’t really consider this film to be mumblecore because it was written on a “tight script” that the actors were faithful to.

But if there is one thing that many critics have noticed with “Tiny Furniture” is its ode to Woody Allen and Dunham’s appreciation for the filmmaker.

To describe “Tiny Furniture”, it’s a film that probably is best experienced than explained because just writing about it, may not seem flattering at all.  In fact, it may seem like an average day of a college graduate trying to find out what to do with her life.

Lena Dunham plays the character of Aura, a liberal arts student with a film studies degree who just graduated and returns back to her home to see her family and decide on her future.

Lena is a student who is unsure about herself, about life in general, about what she wants to do for a living and just wants to live life day-by-day.  She likes making YouTube videos and feels confident about her body which is ridiculed via comments on YouTube for her being overweight and doesn’t mind walking around the house in her underwear.

Aura’s mother Siri (played by Dunham’s real mother, Laurie Simmons) is a photographer of tiny furniture, while her sister Nadine (played by Grace Dunham) is the opposite of Aura and the two are often bickering at each other.  Although, Laurie looks at Nadine much more positively because of her intelligence and her achievements.  For Nadine, she is often disgusted by her sister’s lifestyle, especially how she posts videos of herself on YouTube which she thinks is her way of Aura craving attention.

One day, Aura discovers her mother’s diary and starts to see a side of her mother that she never knew.  Learning how her successful mother also had uncertainties about life when she was younger.

Having had a failed relationship back in college and not knowing what to do, she takes a job as a hostess at a restaurant (a job in which she keeps coming late), she befriends a YouTube star named Jed (played by Alex Karpovsky).

Jed is an absolute stranger that Aura knows nothing about but because her mom and sister are going away for a little while, she allows Jed to stay at her home for a shortwhile.  Meanwhile at work, she starts to fancy the chef named Keith (played by David Call) who tends to flirt with her.

Keith constantly talks about his on-and-off relationship with his girlfriend and for Aura, having a Jed stay at her place and now striking a friendship with Keith, she wonders if she has a chance with either of them.

Her best friend is Charlotte, a free spirit that loves to have fun and listens to Aura when she complains about life.

“Tiny Furniture” is a film about a young woman who is in the crossroad of her life, wondering what she will do next after graduating college.  Take on odd jobs?  Work for the money?  Or pursue a passion towards filmmaking?

VIDEO:

“Tiny Furniture” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 Aspect Ratio).  For a low-budget film, Dunham worked with cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes and both decided to use the prosumer Canon 7D DSLR.  The film was shot via 1080p High Definition, ISO 200 was used for the exterior and 400 ISO for interior nights while night exteriors were shot at ISO 600-2000 and shot in 24fps.

According to an article featured on the Filmmaker Magazine blog, Lipes learned the limitations of the DSLR while using prime lenses but converted the camera’s h.264 files to Apple Pro Res and edited on Final Cut Pro and from there on, Technicolor would create an up-res the Pro Res Quicktime to a 10-bit uncompressed 4:2:2 Quicktime and record it to HDcam SR.  Color correcting the HDcam SR to HDcam SR using a Davinci 2K Plus system.  And the master was used for exhibition, while Quicktime was used for electronic distribution.

The film was shot digitally while not having that digital-look that people stray away from. The colors are actually very good and goes to show how spending the extra money on having Technicolor doing the color correcting makes a pretty big difference from the original digital recording.  I didn’t notice any high level noise during the night shots or any compression and for the most part, I was pretty content with the overall look of the film.

While Criterion does say it was shot with a Canon 5D (the 5D Mark II is a better camera), it was actually shot with a 7D according to Lipes in the Filmmaker interview.  According to the Criterion collection, the final color-corrected DPX files were output to rec. 709 high-definition color space for BD and DVD release.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Tiny Furniture” is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.    Dialogue is crisp and clear, the music sounds great and according to the Criterion Collection, the film was master at 24-bit from the original digital audio master files using Pro Tools HD.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tiny Furniture  – The Criterion Collection #597″ on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

• Nora Ephron and Lena Dunham  - (30:29) Nora Ephron and Lena Dunham talk about “Tiny Furniture” and discuss cinema, Woody Allen and shooting on a low budget.
• Paul Schrader on Dunham – (7:41) film critic Paul Schrader talkes about mumblecore and the people who hate on “Tiny Furniture” and what he enjoyed about the film.
• Introduction to Creative Nonfiction – (8:14) An introduction by Lena Dunham of the making of “Creative Nonfiction” and what she learned from that first experience.
• Creative Nonfiction – (58:26) Lena Dunham’s first feature shot when she was a film student at Oberlin College.
• Short Films – Featuring four short films by Lena Dunham:

- Pressure – (2006, 4:00) Three students and friends talk about having an orgasm in the school library.

- Open the Door – (2007, 4:54) – An improvised short film about a girl trying to have her mother say something on an intercom.

- Hooker on Campus – (2007, 4:47) A girl goes on college campus and tries to solicit herself for sex.

- The Fountain – (2007, 6:01)  A girl uses the campus fountain to wash herself and brush her teeth but is confronted by police.

• Trailer – The original theatrical trailer for “Tiny Furniture”.

EXTRAS:

“Tiny Furniture  – The Criterion Collection #597″ comes with a 5-fold essay “Out There” by Phillip Logan.

Everyone has their start before making a major movie.  Some are lucky to transition from film school to making a big budget film but many start out with an independent film and hopes it gets bought by a company for theatrical distribution and video.

Call her film a mumblecore film or a very good low-budget film or perhaps even lucky.  The fact that “Tiny Furniture” has made it into the Criterion Collection is quite amazing and surprising!

“Tiny Furniture” is a film which I enjoyed for its quirkiness and while it is a slice-of-life film, I know many people like Aura who have graduated from college and are unsure about their lives during these tough economic times.

While the character of Aura may seem a bit unusual and awkward, may it be letting a stranger live with her while her family is away for a week or having sex with a guy inside a pipe, while watching this film, I appreciated Dunham’s witty style of acting but as far as the character goes, I was disturbed by her choices that she makes in her life.

Lena Dunham talked about how her passion for Woody Allen made her feel inspired in making “Tiny Furniture” but with Woody Allen films, there is a sense where the characters come full circle with the decisions they have made.  For the main protagonist of Aura, while we do get witty banter, we are not entirely sure where her character is headed and the film’s focus on “uncertainty”.    Woody Allen characters accept their choices, good or bad.  In the case of “Tiny Furniture”, while there positive aspects that are learned from the film between mother and daughter, we are unsure what is wrong with Aura? Everyone has fears about life after college but for Aura, she has a way of thinking about her decisions (or lack of thinking).

And as mentioned, I’ve know people like Aura, who walk on the beat of their own drum, wanting to experience things no matter what people say.  It’s just their way of living, no matter how frustrating it may be to others. And those people frustrate me in reality, so to watch a film of a character that frustrates me by her choices, while watching the film…all that went through my mind is, I hope there is some sort of resolution to her character, may it be happy or sad.

And as far as being a viewer, I’m sure there are some who will laugh at her misery.  May it be her wearing her tight spanx to a guy she likes telling her how she sweats so much on the bed.    I was not laughing, I was more on the side of…I hope something good happens to her because her lack of ambition was becoming a bit depressing.

Still, I do like the fact that this film kept things real.  And the fact that she was able to get her mother and sister to be part of her film, the chemistry between the three is realistic and I enjoyed their constant banter.

As for the Blu-ray release, I felt that it was interesting to have this exclusive interview between Dunham and Nora Ephron discussing filmmaking and women making films.  Also, seeing film critic Paul Schrader defending the film from the haters and you also have four Dunham shorts and Dunham’s first feature “Creative Nonfiction”.

Overall, I’m sure that “Tiny Furniture” will be hotly debated on whether or not this film should have been included in the Criterion Collection but for modern independent filmmakers and those who create mumblecore films, the inclusion of “Tiny Furniture” is quite significant.

For me, it’s great to see another female filmmaker featured in the collection featured but at the same time, would love to see more films from female filmmakers such as Chantal Akerman (who did receive Criterion’s Eclipse treatment), Maya Deren, Alice Guy-Blaché, Leni Riefenstahl, Jane Campion and Sofia Coppola be given the Criterion Collection treatment as well.

“Tiny Furniture” is an amazing step forward for the career of Lena Dunham.  While I found the film to be good, I will say that I was surprised that it did receive the Criterion Collection recognition, but by saying that, I do look forward to seeing how her career progresses from the success and recognition from “Tiny Furniture” and that her next feature film is even better.

Anonymous (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Roland Emmerich’s “Anonymous” is compelling, beautiful and thought-provoking. 

Images courtesy of © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Beverly Blvd LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Anonymous

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 93 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English and French 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital English – Audio Description Track , Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (Some Violence and Sexual Content)

RELEASE DATE: February 7, 2012

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Written by John Orloff

Produced by Roland Emmerich, Larry J. Franco, Robert Leger

Executive Producer: Voker Engel, Larry J. Franco, Robert Leger

Line Producer: Marcus Loges

Co-Producer: Christoph Fisser, Kirstin Winkler, Charlie Woebcken

Music by Harald Kloser, Thomas Wanker

Cinematographer: Anna Foerster

Edited by Peter R. Adam

Production Design by Sebastian T. Krawinkel

Art Direction by Sabine Engelberg, Stephan O. Gessler, Philip higgs, Stefan Speth, Bryce Tibbey

Set Decoration by Simon-Julien Boucherie

Costume Design by Lisy Christl

Starring:

Rhys Ifans as Earl of Oxford

Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I

Sebastian Armesto as Ben Johnson

Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare

David Thewlis as William Cecil

Edward Hogg as Robert Cecil

Xavier Samuel as Earl of Southampton

Sam Reid as Earl of Essex

Jamie Campbell Bower as Young Earl of Oxford

Joely Richardson as Young Queen Elizabeth I

Paolo De Vita as Francesco

Trystan Gravelle as Christopher Marlowe

Robert Emms as Thomas Dekker

Tony Way as Thomas Nashe

Julian Bleach as Captain Richard Pole

Derek Jacobi as Prologue

Alex Hassell as Spencer

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, ANONYMOUS speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds… who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? ANONYMOUS poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

What if William Shakespeare did not write the famous plays that he is known for?  What if someone else wrote the plays but Shakespeare was just the frontman?

This is the premise for the 2011 film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff.  A speculation on an idea that Edward de Vere was the true writer of the plays that have been attributed to William Shakespeare.

Needless to say, the film was met with controversy and debate and for the most part has received mix reviews.  But there is no doubt that “Anonymous” is a beautifully shot film featuring wonderful performances, exquisite costume design and also amazing set design to make this era in time come alive in cinema.

It’s definitely a radical departure for apocalyptic filmmaker Roland Emmerich but it is a compelling film that may be thought-provoking or perhaps blasphemous for those who are fans of the work of William Shakespeare.

“Anonymous” stars Rhys Ifans (“Notting Hill”, “Neverland”, “Little Nicky”), Vanessa Redgrave (“Howard’s End”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Blow-Up”), Sebastian Armesto (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, “Marie Antoinette”, “Bright Star”) and Rafe Spall (“Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz”, “A Good Year”).

“Anonymous” begins with Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury (played by Edward Hogg) ordering a search of manuscripts. We see the actor Ben Jonson (played by Sebastian Armesto)hiding the manuscripts in the Globe theatre which was later burned down.

The film then goes back in time and we watch the life of Edward de Vere (played by Rhys Ifans).  As a younger, de Vere is portrayed in the film as a genius and at the age of nine, he performed in a play of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as the role of Puck for a young Queen Elizabeth.  We then see how he was forced to live in the home of William Cecil where he was constantly repressed.  deVere kills a spying servant and William Cecil has used this murder as blackmail which forces him to marry his daughter Anne Cecil (played by Helen Baxendale) and thus forced to give up his dreams of literature because it would be a dishonor to the Cecil family.

As there is political squabble between the Tudors and the Cecils over who will succeed Queen Elizabeth I, De Vere becomes the lover of Queen Elizabeth and unknown to De Vere, she sires an illegitimate son named Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, which is kept hidden from the Cecils.

Meanwhile, de Vere struggles with staying away from literature.  His wife Anne reminds him that it would be a dishonor to her family and to the Queen’s counselors.  Also, William Cecil believes that theatres are sinful. But yet, de Vere writes these plays in secret.

As William Cecil plans for his son James, son of Mary, Queen of Scots to be crowned king, revelations come up that there may be a new contender to the throne.

de Vere has written “Henry V” and “Richard III” as forms of propaganda to start a revolution and works with Ben Johnson in hopes he can use his influence to have Jonson use his name for “Henry V” to be made into a play.  But the plan backfires when a young actor named William Shakespeare (played by Rafe Spall) claims authorship.

And when Shakespeare finds out that the real writer is de Vere, he tries to extort money from him.

But as others start to have suspicion that William Shakespeare can not possibly be the man who has written these plays, that it must be someone else, will the truth that de Vere wrote them, be made public and putting his family in risk?

 

VIDEO:

“Anonymous” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 aspect ratio).  The picture quality for “Anonymous” is fantastic.  Black levels are solid, inky and deep, colors look amazing.  But what strikes the viewer the most is the amount of detail that can be seen in HD.  From the costumes and the surroundings, you can see the details in the clothing to also the detail of the characters faces.

Cinematographer Anna Foerster may be known for directing TV series and working the camera on films such as “Aeon Flux”, “The Day After Tomorrow, “2012″ to name a few, but as the first major film as the main cinematographer, she has done an amazing job in capturing the era but also providing beautiful shots.

Impressive video that fans of the film will no doubt enjoy on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Anonymous” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and with an English -Audio Description Track.  For a film like “Anonymous”, I was expecting it to be primarily a dialogue driven film and primarily a center and front channel soundtrack.  While dialogue heavy, “Anonymous” definitely utilizes the surround channels by making the crowds alive and creating a sense of immersion through its ambiance.  There is good amount of directional sound effects utilized in this film especially during the tennis match  in which you can hear the balls with amazing clarity.

Towards the end of the film there is a bit of action and you can hear some LFE use, the music sounds absolutely fantastic and both Harald Kloser (“2012″, “Day After Tomorrow”, “10,00 B”, “AVP: Aliens vs. Predator”) and Thomas Wanker (“2012″, “The Day AFter Tomorrow”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series) did a pretty solid job in creating music of that era.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Anonymous” comes with the following special features:

“Anonymous” is a film that definitely presents a question that many people probably never thought about… did he write his famous plays or was he just a frontman for someone else?

I suppose one can say that for nearly ever historical figure from Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Leonardo Da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette and as far back to Jesus Christ, there are conspiracy theorist who believe there is more to the story of these individuals.

“Anonymous” is a pretty intriguing political thriller and pseudo-historical drama that does play with history for theatrical reasons but it does present a valid argument if taken as fact that William Shakespeare was a fraud and that the real writer, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, is the true originator of the plays.  Shakespeare becoming the frontman due to a failed rebellion led by de Vere’s son and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.  And that this was due to the mingling of Queen Elizabeth who had a romantic relationship with de Vere.

For one, I’m not an erudite of British history and to director Roland Emmerich, he has always been a director that has made films that were compelling and literally make you think of “what if?”.  This has been his way with “The Day After Tomorrow” and even “2012″.  Granted, Emmerich is mainly known for creating apocalyptic films but despite his departure from making those type of films, “Anonymous” is possibly his most compelling film yet.

While saying that, this film may not be so casually accessible by audiences as this is not a “Shakespeare in Love” type film.  This is a sophisticated drama capturing an era through beautiful cinematography, wonderful costume design and set decoration.  Also, for theatrical sake, there is some playing around with timelines, so viewers shouldn’t take the film as absolute fact, but merely consider the possibilities that Shakespeare, with whatever evidence is out there, may not be the actual writer of the plays.

“Blasphemous”, the words that  I’m sure many Shakespeare erudites may cry out when watching this film but taking the film for what it is, I see the story as a perspective but as a film, I find “Anonymous” to be an enjoyable film with a wonderful performance by Rhys Ifans, Rafe Spall and Vanessa Redgrave.   As mentioned, the cinematography for this film was fantastic, the costume design and set design were wonderful and the music composition was very good.

And on Blu-ray, this film looks absolutely wonderful as clarity and detail are the keywords that come to mind quite often, the lossless soundtrack was also much better than I expected.  There are also a good number of special features as well, but it would have been interesting to have a more in-depth featurette on the debate on Shakespeare being the original writer by having historians presenting us actual evidence and arguments.

Overall, “Anonymous” is a speculation on a debate that continues to live on as they do with other historical figures.  And because Shakespeare’s past and what is known about him is not as known as his work, filmmaker Roland Emmerich does a fine job of offering his take on the speculation with his compelling film.  And “Anonymous” is a film that I can definitely recommend.

Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Heartwarming and a Disney classic that will continue to entertain generation after generation. “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” is hands down the definitive version of this film to own. A fantastic Blu-ray release that the whole family will enjoy! Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2011 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

BLU-RAY TITLE: Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition

MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 1955

DURATION: 76 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:55:1 Aspect Ratio, English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater (DEHT), Originally Restored Feature Audio, Subtitles: Engliish SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

DVD RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2012

Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske

Story by Ward Greene, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ralph Wright, Don DaGradi

Associate Producer: Erdman Penner

Music by Oliver Wallace

Edited by Donald Halliday

Featuring the Voices of:

Peggy Lee as Darling/Si/Am/Peg

Barbara Luddy as Lady

Larry Roberts as Tramp

Bill Thompson as Jock/Bull, Policeman and Joe

Bill Baucom as Trusty

Stan Freberg as Beaver

Verna Felton as Aunt Sarah

Alan Reed as Boris

George Givot as Tony

Dal McKennon as Toughy

Lee Millar as Jim Dear

The Mellomen as Dogs

A classic love story unfolds in the best Disney tradition as a lovely young pedigreed cocker spaniel named Lady, who lives a pampered life, finds herself falling romantically for Tramp, an amorous street-smart pooch without prospects. Although they have fun together on several dates, including a sentimental spaghetti dinner by moonlight at Tony’s restaurant, their relationship is strained not only by Lady’s loyalty to her human family and their newborn baby, but by Tramp’s devil-may-care attitude that eventually gets Lady in trouble and tossed into the dog pound. However, good-hearted Tramp redeems himself by saving the baby from potential harm and thus wins Lady’s love and the affection of her human family.

Walt Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” is a classic animated film that has entertained generations upon generations since its theatrical release back in 1955.

But the idea for the film actually happened nearly 20-years prior when Disney writer Joe Grant came up with an idea to make a story built around an idea inspired by his Springer Spaniel named Lady, and how his dog was pushed aside upon the birth of his child.

Grant sketched his ideas and presented it to Walt Disney and sure enough, from 1937 through the ’40s, Grant and a few others have created stories which did not receive approval from Walt Disney because the story was too sweet and not enough action.

In the 1940′s, after Walt Disney read a story by Ward Greene titled “Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog” and was inspired by this story, along with the reaction his wife Lily had when he presented her a baby Chow on Christmas morning.

“Lady and the Tramp” would star American jazz singer Peggy Lee as Darling and would sing a few songs for the film’s soundtrack.

In 1955, the film made its theatrical debut and was a enormous success in the box office. The film was the first Disney animated film to utilize CinemaScope.

While Joe Grant left Disney Studios in 1949, the story and planning still continued. While Joe Grant was not credited for the original idea, he was given credit in a special feature on the Platinum Edition release of “Lady and the Tramp”.

And now in 2012, the 15th Walt Disney animated classic, “Lady and the Tramp” receives its Blu-ray release for the first time.

“Lady and the Tramp” takes place on Christmas morning of 1909 at the home of the wealthy Dear family.

Jim Dear presents his wife Darling with a baby Cocker Spaniel on Christmas morning.  Darling names the dog “Lady” and the two treat the dog like their own child.

And we see how Lady has grown up with the family and they have grown attached to each other.  And Lady is excited to get her first license and tells her friends Jock, the Scottish Terrier and Bull and a Bloodhound named Trusty.

We are then introduced to Tramp, a stray dog on the other side of town.  Always getting into some trouble but always there for his friends.  Tramp is always wanted by the dog catchers but has been able to allude them.

But not long after, Lady starts to notice that the Dear family has started to distance themselves away from her and she asks her two friends what could be the problem.  The two explain that the Dear family are expecting a baby and when that happens, their attention turns towards baby.

Tramp hears their discussion and introduces himself to Lady and tells her that when humans have a baby, their attention towards their dog will lessen.

And eventually, Lady starts to learn quickly when the baby comes that Jim and Darling do not have as much time to spend with her.  As Jim and Darling have to go to China, they leave the baby behind with Aunt Sarah.

But as Aunt Sarah is busy with the baby (and doesn’t like Lady to be around him), Sarah’s two Siamese cats cause trouble and start breaking things around the house, knowing that they are close with Aunt Sarah, Sarah blames Lady.

The next day, when Lady goes to check on the baby who is crying, Aunt Sarah thinks that Lady is trying to bite the baby and takes her to the pet store for a muzzle.  But when the pet store owner tries to muzzle her, Lady is shocked and runs away.  She runs and ends up in another part of town and three large, mean dogs start chasing after her.  As Lady reaches a dead end, Tramp comes to her rescue and fights off the three mean dogs.

Wanting to show how much adventure lies outside of her home, Tramp shows her how life can be if she stays with him.  But throughout their adventures together, Lady is caught by a dog catcher and now Tramp must try to rescue her.

VIDEO:

“Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:55:1 Aspect Ratio).  And for anyone who has been following the Disney Animated Classics Blu-ray releases have seen how fantastic Walt Disney Studios has been with these releases.  Remastering and restoring the video to a lot of their classics to pristine quality.  No matter how old these animated films are, they have been cleaned from any blemishes and the “Lady and the Tramp” on Blu-ray is no exception.  This film looks magnificent in HD!

The film is absolutely vibrant.  The colors and the black outline of the characters are clear and the painted art backgrounds are well-detailed and look  amazing.

There are no artifacts, banding, no softness… this is the definitive version of “Lady and the Tramp” on video.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Just like its video counterpart, Disney presents “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” with an English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack, French and Spanish 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater (DEHT), original restored featured audio.

The 7.1 lossless track is absolutely immersive. First, the dialogue is crisp and clear, the music can be heard through the front and surround channels. There is also a good amount of ambience, especially good use of audio during moments where Tramp goes to rescue Lady from other mean dogs to the scene where Jock and Trusty try to stop the dog catcher.

Like the video portion, when it comes to audio, this is the definitive version of “Lady and the Tramp” to own thus far!

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” comes with the following special features:

• Disney Second Screen featuring “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings” – For those with an iPad or PC can sync their computer while watching “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” on Blu-ray.
• Inside Walt’s Story Meetings – An audio commentary featuring a recreation of Walt Disney’s story meetings utilizing archived transcripts.
• Diane Disney Miller – (8 min.) Remembering Dad – Diane Disney Miller shares stories about her father, Disneyland, his legacy and more.
• Deleted Scenes – (19 min.) Featuring three deleted scenes via storyboards: “Introduction of Boris”, “Waiting for Baby” and “Dog Show”.
• Never Recorded Song: “I’m Free as the Breeze” – A Ray Gilbert and Elliot Daniel song never used in the final cut of the film and now presented on this Blu-ray release.
• Classic DVD Bonus Features – (157 Minutes) A length in-depth look at the making of “Lady and the Tramp” plus the original Platinum Edition seven-part making of featurette titled “Lady’s Pedigree: The Making of ‘Lady and the Tramp’, “The Siamese Cat Song: Finding a Voice for the Cats”, PuppyPedia: Going to the Dogs”, “Bella Notte Music video”, theatrical trailers and more.
• Trailers – Walt Disney trailers.

 

EXTRAS:

“Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” comes with a slipcover case and also a DVD version of the film presented in widescreen (2:55:1), English, French and Spanish 5.1 DEHT, original restored feature audio. Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

Many of us who have grown up with “Lady and the Tramp” will always remember the famous scene where Lady and Tramp are eating spaghetti together and end up kissing, remember this film as a heartwarming tale of two dogs that fall in love and overcoming challenges.

It’s a Disney film that my parents watched, I’ve watched and my own child has watched and quite simply, this is another Disney classic that families will enjoy and an animated film that will keep entertaining generation after generation.

Watching this Blu-ray release of “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition”, the one thing that I’ve wondered was how can they improve from the awesome “Platinum Edition”. Well, for one, the quality of the video and audio is the first thing that is noticeable. This is one film that while made in 1955, you can’t really tell this film is over 55-years-old, the restoration is that good and even the artwork holds up today.

There is also a good amount of special features included on this Blu-ray release which includes the second-screen and the “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings”, plus deleted scenes and a never-before-seen song. But still, in terms of special features, the original making of-featurette “Lady’s Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp” is still fascinating, in-depth and you learn a good deal about what it took to make this film a reality, especially the changes that were made (courtesy of Walt Disney’s wife, who spoke out about not making this film too dark).

Overall, “Lady and the Trap: Diamond Edition” is a wonderful Blu-ray release that fans will love and newer fans will just enjoy. It’s a timeless Disney animated classic but this time, it looks and sounds better than ever and worth the upgrade from DVD.

Highly recommended!

Gantz II: Perfect Answer (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The sequel and conclusion to the “Gantz” films, “Perfect Answer” is more exciting and features a lot more action than the original film and a more engaging storyline with plenty of twist and turns.  The Blu-ray release features a fantastic lossless and immersive soundtrack that compliments the action onscreen.  Fans of popcorn sci-fi action flicks will enjoy “Gantz II: Perfect Answer”.  Recommended!

Images courtesy of © Hiroya Oke/Shueisha, 2011 “GANTZ” Film Partners. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Gantz II: Perfect Answer

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 142 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: New People Entertainment

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012

 

Directed by Shinsuke Sato

 Based on the Manga by Hiroya Oku

 Screenplay by Yusuke Watanabe

Supervising Executive Producer: Hiroshi Miyazaki

 Produced by Takahiro Sato

 Music by Kenji Kawai

 Cinematography by Taro Kawazu

 Edited by Tsuyoshi Imai

 Casting by Yumi Minamidani

Production Design by Yasuaki Harada

Starring

Kazunari Ninomiya as Kei Kurono

Ken’ichi Matsuyama as Masaru Kato

Yuriko Yoshitaka as Tae Kojima

Kanata Hongo as Joichiro Nishi

Go Ayano as Kurofuku-Ichi

Ayumi Ito as Eriko Ayukawa

Takayuki Shiada as Masamitsu Shigeta

Natsuna as Kei Kishimoto

Tomorowo Taguchi as Yoshikazu Suzuki

The GANTZ saga meets its ultimate conclusion in GANTZ II: Perfect Answer, which offers an intensely gripping story-line yet to be known to even readers of the original manga series. Determined to resurrect his friends who have died on previous missions, Kei and other members trapped in the world of GANTZ aim to score the 100 points needed to break through and regain their freedom. But with the emergence of a mysterious man investigating the Gantz members, Gantz begins to act up and the next target shocks the members. Some fight for love, some for justice but what will each member sacrifice?

In 2000, mangaka Hiroya Oku created the “Gantz” manga series.  A series which is still ongoing to this day.

The 26-episode, two season anime series was released in 2004 and for many Americans, it was among the popular series to be released on DVD due to its sci-fi action, adult humor and violence.

Five years later, it was announced that two live action “Gantz” films were being created and starring in the film is actor and idol singer and ARASHI member Kazunari Nonomiya (“Letters from Iwo Jima”, “Yamada Taro Monogatari”, “Ryusei no Kizuna”), actor Kenichi Matsuyama (“Death Note” films, “L: Change the World”, “Kamui Gaiden”) and the film would be directed by Shinsuke Sato (“The Princess Blade”, “Tokyo Lullabye”, “Sunadokei” and also character and scene developer for the video game “Tekken 4″).

The film was shown in America first as it was simulcast in theaters in 46 states, in Japan, the first film was released in theaters on Jan.2011 and followed with a Blu-ray and DVD release in the U.S. courtesy of New People Entertainment.  Now the second film “Gantz II: Perfect Answer”, the conclusion of the film series, will be released on Blu-ray on Jan. 2012.

It’s important to note that the films are loosely-based on the manga and anime series.

A summary of what Gantz is about

“Gantz” begins with college student Kei Kurono (played by Kazunari Ninomiya) awaiting a train as he prepares himself for a job interview.  While waiting, he sees an old friend of his, Masaru Kato (played by Kenichi Matsuyama) awaiting for the train.

When a drunk man falls over to the train tracks, Kato goes to help him back up.  He screams for Kurono to help him but he pretends he doesn’t know the man.  But with the help of bystanders, the drunken man is saved but with the train coming, Kato needs help getting back up the platform.  Kurono tries to help him back up but instead is pulled down and both are in the direct path of the oncoming train.

Next thing you know, both re-materialize in a room with a few people watching them and a black orb sitting in the middle.  After the two arrive, a woman named Kei Kishimoto (played by Natsuna) rematerializes in the room without any clothes on.  Kato covers her up and tries to protect her from a yakuza looking man who tries to approach her.

Immediately, they see the orb start playing music and telling them to prepare for their new lives.  Everyone in the room at first are thinking they are dead, because their last memories were either being hit by a vehicle or trying to kill themselves but others think they were drugged in a hospital and are now part of a group experiment.

Meanwhile, the orb known as “Gantz” opens up and inside are suitcases with the names of the people inside the room, as well as weapons.  Inside is a live being, that is on a breathing apparatus.  No one knows what is going on but they are told they must kill an alien child who eats green onions.

While Kei Kishimoto puts on her Gantz outfit, the others are not so sure if they should wear it.

Each of the people inside the room materializes to a new destination and they spot the alien child.  One of the people of the group, Nishi (played by Kanata Hongo), tells them that it’s all part of a game show and whoever catches the kid will win a lot of money.  With many of the men unemployed and needing the money, they go after the kid with their weapons.

And the three of the men end up killing the child.  But not long after, a huge alien man comes  (who appears to be the brother of the alien child) and he begins to brutally kill each of the people of the group.  Kato who tried to stop the people from shooting the alien child is left panicking.  Meanwhile, Kurono just looks from afar and not sure what is going on.

As the alien tries to kill Kato, Kishimoto kicks him and sends the alien behemoth flying.  They then know that the suits given to them by Gantz is quite powerful and gives them some special abilities.

Nishi comes and kills the alien and now everyone who survived the fight rematerializes back into the room.  Everyone is frustrated and shocked of what happened and Kato is angered that Nishi didn’t come to save the others who were killed by the alien.  But Nishi tries to explain to them that they are part of a game, where many have been killed.

Eventually, the group learns from Nishi that with each battle of eliminating aliens, Gantz chooses the individual and give them points.  The overall goal is to reach 100 points. With 100 points accumulated, they can be set free and their memory of Gantz wiped out.  Or they can revive another person that has been killed.

With every night, each of them having to be sent to the battlefield, they are joined by other people who have recently been killed or just died and try to prepare them for the battle that awaits them.  But with each battle, these alien beings become more deadly.

With “Gantz II: Perfect Answer”, the film is set five months later after many of the people were killed including Masaru Kato, Megumi Kishimoto and other friends of Kei’s.

Those who survived to fight for another day includes Kei Kurono and the older Yoshikazu Suzuki.  For Kei, his goal is to revive his friend Masaru Kato but also to fight as long as he can and revive everyone.

But unusual situations have been taking place as Masaru Kato has been revived but according to Gantz, he is still dead.

Also, battles are now taking place in public places instead of the dimension that the group have been fighting in, so now anyone innocent can be slaughtered during the battles.

Meanwhile, as Kei and Tae begin to get closer, all hell breaks loose when a few of the top members who were able to escape Gantz (by reaching 100 points) are all brought back into Gantz together for some unknown reason.  And to make things worse, their target are not just aliens but Kei’s friend Tae Kojima.  To make things much worse, there has been an appearance of a smaller version of Gantz which is in the possession of a group of aliens and their instructions were also to kill Tae Kojima.

As Kei tries to protect the girl that he loves, that means he must fight against the powerful aliens but also his fellow members.

Will Kei, Tae , Masaru and Kurofuku-Ichi survive this onslaught?

VIDEO:

“Gantz II: Perfect Answer” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1).  The picture quality for the film is actually very good.  The picture quality features cool colors leaning to more blues and blacks, detail is very good and there is a fine layer of grain that can be seen.  Some scenes are darker than I would have like but there is a good amount of detail on closeup shots.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Gantz II: Perfect Answer” is presented in Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and I have to say that the most shining aspect of this Blu-ray release is its lossless soundtrack.  The soundtrack is absolutely immersive as this second film is action-intensive and there are explosions, gun shots, sword fights and destruction galore in this film.    The surround channels and LFE are heavily used throughout the film and for the most part, fans with a solid home theater setup will no doubt enjoy this film’s soundtrack.

As for the English dub, I prefer to watching live action Asian films in their original language but with that beings aid, New People Entertainment and Viz Media are known for hiring the most talented voice actors in the industry and I’m sure the English dub will appeal to those who prefer an English dub.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Gantz II: Perfect Answer” features a third bonus DVD featuring special features such as:

• Exclusive Director’s Interview 2 – (22:01) Behind-the-scenes footage and an in-depth interview with director Shinsuke Sato.
• Cast Profiles – text biographies on the cast.
• Trailers – (4:04) Original “Gantz: Perfect Answer” theatrical trailers from Japan.
• New People Presents -  New People trailers.

EXTRAS:

“Gantz II: Perfect Answer” comes with a DVD version of the feature film.

Exciting and more action-packed and satisfying than the first film, the sequel “Gantz II: Perfect Answer” is a popcorn action-flick with a lot of twist and turns.  A fitting and exciting conclusion to the “Gantz” films.

What one can expect from a popcorn action film starring a few of Japanese top young talents!  “GANTZ II: Perfect Answer” features constant action that will thrill you!  Definitely one of the better film adaptations from a manga series in terms of visual effects and costume design.

I personally enjoyed “GANTZ” for the reason that I’m familiar with the talent on the film.  Kazunari Ninomiya of ARASHI fame is very popular as with actor Kenichi Matsuyama, but even before I watched this film, I always felt that the costumes of “GANTZ” was the coolest costumes since the Matrix!

But with that being said, this is a popcorn action film with a lot of action and visual effects but at the same time, it’s a film that is quite different from the manga/anime series.  There is a lot of violence, even sexual perversion in the original manga release but because the manga is ongoing in Japan, for the film, things had to be different.

The first film featured a lot of time showing the viewers of the relationship between Kei and Kato and how they were good friends and how they stopped being friends and then trying to become friends once again.  But most importantly, there was a bit of ego stroke on Kei’s part as he was the person that is typically not seen as a hero and thus, granted powers via the suits from Gantz, he started to gain an ego but learned a big lesson.

In the end of the first film, the major characters were killed after fighting a killer Buddha.

But in “Gantz II: Perfect Answer”, we know with the big Gantz, he sends out people who were just killed, on missions of killing of an alien.  It’s part of their mission in order for them to survive but also to gain points necessary to live a free life once again or to resurrect someone. And with Kei now nearing 100 points, he intends to bring back his friend Kato.

But what happens when he comes face-to-face with Kato, who revived him?  Obviously Kei didn’t, so who did?  Or is it Kato?

And as Kei and the others take order from Gantz, we are introduced to a group of aliens who also take orders but this time, a smaller version of Gantz and similar to Kei and the others, they must kill as part of their mission.

And possibly taking a page from terrorist attacks that would seem more fitting for a “Call of Duty” film, “Gantz II: Perfect Answer” has one of the most violent scenes in a Japanese film (which no one hopes will happen ever in Japan) as Kei and the others are transported into a train, but instead of taking place in an alternate dimension, they are put into the public.

And when the Gantz group and the aliens are battling, there is always massive destruction.  So, you can imagine how chaotic things get now that the battles are taking place in areas where a lot of people are.

To make things much more interesting, both the aliens and the Gantz group receive a mission but it’s to eliminate Kei’s girlfriend (or female friend that he is trying to get close with).  You know Kei is not going to let that happen and it becomes a chaotic slaughter-fes.

While Kei is the character that is focused on in the sequel, Actor Ken’ichi Matsuyama as Masaru Kato plays a different type of role in this second film.  As Kato, he is much more restrained, but when his other self is revealed to be an imposter alien, Matsuyama plays a crazy killer.

We also get more of actress Yuriko Yoshitaka (who plays Tae).  In the first film, she was interesting because she was the manga fan who secretly likes Kei.  In the sequel, their friendship is now growing to the point where they start having feelings for each other.  But when orders are given by both Gantz to have her eliminated, you can only hope that her well-liked character survives.

Last, we are treated with a storyline with an investigator named Masamitsu Shigeta, who is trying to find out how these dead people are coming back alive.  While the character adds some drama in the film, we know that he’s just human and compared to those in the Gantz suits and the aliens, he’s just not strong enough.  And his storyline is possibly the weakest in the film.  As the screenplay utilizes him more to give a break to the action.

But “Gantz II: Perfect Answer” is in-your-face, all-out action that fans will probably enjoy much more than the first film.  The first film tried to play more on character development and relationships and establish Gantz and the missions but with that part being over, it’s all about the actions and missions this time around.  And with the twist and turns in the storyline, you can’t help but be captivated with all this crazy action and this destruction happening in the film.

It’s important to note that while this film is not rated, this is a violent film.  You see people being stabbed and cut up with swords, a woman getting shot point blank in the head, it’s a violent film.  So, definitely don’t have your children around while watching this movie.

But for fans who enjoy popcorn action films, the sequel to “Gantz” is much better this time around. While manga/comic book film adaptations are never exact, still..I can’t but help but saying that I enjoyed the “Gantz” films.  Yes, they are different and while I thought the first film was OK, I enjoyed the sequel even more.  Much more to be exact!

As for the Blu-ray release, you get the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film and several special features as well.  The picture quality is good (sometimes too dark) but the best part of this Blu-ray is its lossless immersive soundtrack which is fantastic!

Overall, fans of the first film, those who are looking for an exciting Japanese popcorn action film or people who are fans thatcan separate themselves from the original storyline of the “GANTZ” anime and manga series will enjoy “Gantz II: Perfect Answer”.

Recommended!

Annie Hall (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Annie Hall” has a magical charm that captivates the viewer.  Unusual storytelling for its time, it was a different kind of romantic comedy and over 30-years later, the film still stands on its own, remains relevant and is a signature of great filmmaking and great writing.   “Annie Hall” is a film that must be seen, and for any cineaste, a film that it is definitely worth buying and owning on Blu-ray.  It’s my favorite Woody Allen film and it’s a film that is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 1977 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Annie Hall

FILM RELEASE: 1977

DURATION: 93 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Color, widescreen (1:85:1), English mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono, French Mono, Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

COMPANY:MGM/20th Century fox

RATED: PG

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

Directed by Woody Allen

Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman

Produced by Charles H. Joffe, Jack Rollins

Executive Producer: Robert Greenhut

Associate Producer: Fred T. Gallo

Cinematography by Gordon Willis

Edited by Wendy Green Bricmont, Ralph Rosenblum

Casting by Juliet Taylor

Art Direction by Mel Bourne

Set Decoration by Robert Drumheller, Justin Scoppa Jr.

Costume Design by Ruth Morley

Starring:

Woody Allen as Alvy Singer

Diane Keaton as Annie Hall

Tony Roberts as Rob

Carol Kane as Allison

Paul Simon as Tony Lacey

Shelley Duvall as Pam

Janet Margolin as Robin

Colleen Dewhurst as Mom Hall

Christopher Walken as Duane Hall

Considered to be “Woody Allen’s breakthrough movie” (Time), Annie Hall won* four Oscars®, including Best Picture, and established Allen as the premier auteur filmmaker. Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” would always be known as a classic romantic comedy.

In fact, many would say that his 1977 film would be his shining moment within his long list of films in his oeuvre.   For Woody Allen, “Annie Hall” was a film in which the filmmaker and actor wanted delve deeper than he had done in his previous films and sure enough, it would prove to be a success.

“Annie Hall” was nominated for five Academy Awards and won “Best Picture”, “Best Director – Woody Allen”, “Best Actress in a Leading Role – Diane Keaton) and “Best Original Screenplay – Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman”.  The film also won many awards in 1977 and was voted the #2 Romantic Comedy on the American Film Institute’s Top 10 (2008) and 35 in the AFI’s “100 Years…100 Movies” (2007).

In 1992, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

And now, this classic romantic comedy receives is first presentation via HD on Blu-ray.

“Annie Hall” is a film about a neurotic and popular comedian named Alvy Singer (played by Woody Allen).  The film chronicles the relationship between Alvy and Annie Hall (played by Diane Keaton). And featuring flashbacks featuring a time when they were younger, the sexual relationships they had in the past and eventually the moment the two have met each other and were quite satisfied with each other and eventually moving in with each other.  Also, Alvy and Annie’s first sexual experience leading to more sex in which Annie becomes dependent on marijuana before sex and Alvy wanting for her to not use it.

The two constantly get into arguments and re-conciliate and eventually discovering that they are too different for each other and eventually Alvy and Annie break up.

Annie gets into a new relationship with Tony Lacey (played by Paul Simon) and moves to California to live with him.  But Alvy starts to realize that he loves Annie and will do anything he can to win her back and bring her back to New York.

The experience leads Alvy to write a play based on their relationship, but will Alvy and Annie ever meet again?

VIDEO:

“Annie Hall” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 1:85:1). Before I review the video, let me first say that I have owned this film in previous video formats.  The DVD which was an improvement featured a good amount of grain but also featured white specks.  The worst part came when you watched the title screen but after that, the film looked good.

As for the Blu-ray release of “Annie Hall”, the upgrade is noticeable but also the grain is even much more evident (which is good or bad, subjective to the viewer).  But it’s important to note that “Annie Hall” was never vibrant to begin with, in fact, the DVD looked a bit soft and for those coming into “Annie Hall” for the first time, will notice the same thing on Blu-ray.

So, with that being said, I can easily say that fans of the film will enjoy the HD version for its sharpness but for a late ’70s film, don’t expect a dramatic difference in picture quality between the Blu-ray and DVD (like other ’70s films such as “Saturday Night Fever” and “Taxi Driver”).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Annie Hall” is presented in English mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono and French Mono.  While we do get to hear Woody Allen and his band’s music throughout the film, “Annie Hall” is a dialogue-driven film and its monaural lossless soundtrack is appropriate.  I also didn’t notice any hiss, crackling or any problematic audio during my viewing of the film on Blu-ray.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES

For those not familiar with Woody Allen films, aside from the recent “Midnight in Paris” Blu-ray release, none of his films on DVD or Blu-ray contain special features aside from the theatrical trailer.  If you want to know more about Woody Allen’s thoughts on “Annie Hall”, I do recommend checking out  the book “Woody Allen on Woody Allen” by Stig Bjorkman.

“Annie Hall” is one of the great romantic comedy films ever made.

It’s everything that one would want to see in a comedy but most importantly chemistry between its two leads.  As Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were perfect in “When Harry Met Sally”, Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, who have had a relationship and the fact that he crafted this film around Keaton is a testament to the trust that they had with each other professionally.

Woody Allen took a major step forward by trying to leave the past behind and that includes the one-liners he was best known for, and with the success of those films, the freedom to explore.  The freedom to try something deep and important.  And in this case, with the character of Alvy (which Allen has gone on the record to say that the character is NOT modeled after him) and his self-deprecating humor.

But what I enjoy about the film is its intellectual wit.  From the scene where Alvy and Annie are at the movie theater and are arguing, right behind them is a film teacher going off on Fellini.  Its this type of dialogue that I love to see in a Woody Allen film as we see Woody Allen’s character getting upset by the discussion by a cinema erudite.  We see similar scenes in Allen’s “Manhattan” to even his most recent film “Midnight in Paris”, but it’s the dialogue that was carefully written and the build-up to show how a relationship that started so good, can end up going badly.

“Annie Hall” is an engaging, captivating film in which the character Alvy speaks to the audience (literally) and the way he interacts with people, it lends to the film’s efficacy.  And although we would see “location” take an importance in films such as “Manhattan”, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Midnight in Paris”, “Annie Hall” does try to show New York and Los Angeles (as well as Wisconsin) but its not the city that takes over the scene, it’s the characters.

And speaking of characters, this film would also star talent that would eventually become popular in their own right a few years later.  Talent such as Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Goldblum.

But this is not a romantic comedy in the sense of everything is about happy endings.  This is not the Nora Ephron happy ending, this is the Woody Allen story of a breakup.  Its dialogue was intellectual, accessible and hilarious.  The film was engaging, unique and fresh for its time and it’s my favorite Woody Allen film ever made.

As for the Blu-ray release, while the picture quality is not a huge leap over the original DVD, it still looks sharper and a bit better, especially cleaner.  And as usual with all Woody Allen films, you’re just not going to get any special features (surprisingly, the recent Blu-ray and DVD release of Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” is the exception).

Overall, “Annie Hall” has a magical charm that captivates the viewer.  Unusual storytelling for its time, it was a different kind of romantic comedy and over 30-years later, the film still stands on its own, remains relevant and is a signature of great filmmaking and great writing.

“Annie Hall” is a film that must be seen, and for any cineaste, a film that it is definitely worth buying and owning on Blu-ray.

Highly recommended!

Manhattan (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Manhattan” is a romantic comedy and Woody Allen masterpiece that is a timeless classic!  Featuring wonderful cinematography, music, witty dialogue and memorable one-liners and a true Woody Allen classic worth owning on Blu-ray!

Images courtesy of © 1979 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Manhattan

FILM RELEASE: 1979

DURATION: 96 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Black and White, Widescreen 2:35:1, English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono, French Mono, Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

COMPANY:MGM/20th Century fox

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

Directed by Woody Allen

Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman

Produced by Charles H. Joffe, Jack Rollins

Executive Producer: Robert Greenhut

Cinematography by Gordon Willis

Edited by Susan E. Morse

Casting by Juliet Taylor

Production Design by Mel Bourne

Set Decoration by Robert Drumheller

Costume Design by Albert Wolsky

Starring:

Woody Allen as Isaac

Diane Keaton as Mary

Michael Murphy as Yale

Mariel Hemingway as Tracy

Meryl Streep as Jill

Anne Byrne Hoffman as Emily

Karen Ludwig as Connie

Michael O’Donoghue as DenniNominated for two Academy Awards * in 1979 and considered “one of Allen’s most enduring accomplishments” (Boxoffice), Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white (Allen’s first film in that format) and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score, Woody Allen’s aesthetic triumph is a “prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence” (Time). 42-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn’t love and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who’s writing a tell-all book about their marriage and whom he’d like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend’s sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginning of Isaac’s quest for romance and fulfillment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake and the gateway to true love is a revolving door. *Supporting Actress (Hemingway); Original Screenplay

With the success of Woody Allen’s first drama in 1978 with “Interiors”, Woody Allen returned to the romantic comedy the following year with “Manhattan”.

Always a filmmaker who is willing to give different cinematic techniques a try, Woody Allen and cinematographer Gordon Willis  decided to why not shoot a black and white film and also shoot in anamorphic widescreen.

The film would feature a wonderful cast which would include Allen,  Diane Keaton (“Annie Hall”, “Interiors”, “The Godfather” films) Michael Murphy (“Batman Returns”, “X-Men: The Last Stand”, “Magnolia”), Mariel Hemingway (“Star 80″, “The Sex Monster”) and Meryl Streep (“The Devil Wears Prada”, “Doubt”, “Adaptation”, “Out of Africa”).

The film was an amazing success earning $39.9 million in the box office, the 17th highest-grossing picture of 1979, was lauded by film critics and was voted for a plethora of awards, featured at #46 in the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Laughs” and in 2001, selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress who deemed the film as “culturally significant”.

And what is most amazing about the film’s success is that after completion of the film, Woody Allen was so unhappy and disappointed with the film that he asked United Artists not to release the film.  In fact, Allen offered to make a movie for free if they would throw the film away.

In this case, it worked for the benefit of the studio to go with the film and whether or not Woody Allen agrees, many consider it among his top masterpiece within his long list of films in his oeuvre.

“Manhattan” begins with the music of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and we are introduced to writer Isaac Davis (played by Wood Allen) who has been wanting to write about his love for New York City.

Davis is a 42-years-old, a television writer who has been divorced twice and and not enjoying his life.  But he is dating a beautiful young 17-year-old named Tracy (played by Mariel Hemingway).

But Davis’ friends are also not in the happiest times of their marriages.

His friend Yale (played by Michael Murphy) who is married to Emily (played by Anne Byrne) but is having an affair with Mary Wilkie (played by Diane Keaton), also a divorcee.  Meanwhile, Isaac’s ex-wife Jill (played by Meryl Streep) is planning to write a book about their marriage and how she came out of the closet as a lesbian and is currently living with her partner Connie (played by Karen Ludwig).

When Isaac hooks up with his friend Yale and is introduced to Mary, needless to say, he finds her to be a snob and is turned off.  During an Equal Rights Amendment fundraising event at the Museum of Modern Art, the two share a cab together and begin talking throughout the night and early morning.

Isaac begins to realize that he is falling for Mary, but yet is dating Tracy.  Feeling that dating a younger woman will not work, he encourages to pursue to study acting in London.  When Isaac finds out Yale has broken up with Mary, immediately he decides to go for Mary and breakup with Tracy.  But what happens when Yale decides to end his marriage with Emily and continue his relationship with Mary?  What about Isaac?   Did he make the wrong decision by dumping Tracy for Mary?

VIDEO:

“Manhattan” is presented in 1080p High Definition, black and white (widescreen 2:35:1).  Having owned the previous DVD release of the film, I’m proud to say that Woody Allen’s classic looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray!

While not 100% pristine as there are some white specks that can be seen, still…the picture quality looks clean, contrast levels are fantastic, black levels are nice and deep, white and gray levels are also well-done and very sharp.  There is also a fine layer of grain.

But possibly the biggest difference that previous DVD owner’s will notice with this Blu-ray release is the amount of detail that is evident.  You can see the details on the clothing, the detail on the character’s faces.  I was pretty surprised of how good the picture quality of this film was in HD.  Absolutely fantastic!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Manhattan” is presented in English mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish mono and French mono.  With that being said, this lossless soundtrack is primarily dialogue driven and while there is music featured in the film (and the music sounds very good), this is pretty much a front channel 2.0 monaural soundtrack.  I didn’t hear any hiss, crackling or any problems with the soundtrack.

SPECIAL FEATURES

For those not familiar with Woody Allen films, aside from the recent “Midnight in Paris” Blu-ray release, none of his films on DVD or Blu-ray contain special features aside from the theatrical trailer.

Captivating, witty and definitely a Woody Allen masterpiece!

Whether or not what Allen may think, considering he did all he can to have this film shelved.  But while I’ve read many interviews of what made him feel that way, I would probably have to say it was probably director’s exhaustion of working  on a project for too long and also being a perfectionist and feeling it wasn’t good enough.

But similar to how I felt about “Annie Hall”, “Manhattan” is a film that I absolute love for its witty banter, its characters and one-liners that Woody Allen that still make me laugh each time I watch this movie (the “Van-Gah” and Fellini one-liner continues to make me laugh out loud to this day).

An apart from the performances and writing,”Manhattan” to me, is a romantic comedy that captures the romantic side of New York City through its wonderful wide shots and composition. Add the music of Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic with beautiful pieces such as “Oh, Lady Be Good”, “‘S Wonderful”, “Love is Here to Stay” and Gary Graffman’s memorable score of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” to name a few.

Bare in mind, this is in the 1970′s and from films such as “Taxi Driver” to “Saturday Night Fever” had always captured the more rugged side of the city.  From focusing on a variety of locations and shooting in black and white, “Manhattan” looks romantic and beautiful.  And this is where we see Woody Allen, the director at his best.  Choreographed scenes that are carefully planned and pulled off with amazing efficacy.

In some ways, this film does getter with time.  And I mean that by saying how I seem to enjoy this film the older I get.  From watching this film for the first time in my late teens and now at the age of 40, there is always something new that I pick up with this film and find myself understanding the character of Isaac (played by Woody Allen) much more.  Even a little bit of the character of Yale.  And I think this film helps people reflect on past decisions, specifically poor ones that come back to bite you in the ass.

As for the Blu-ray release, having owned this film on DVD, you can’t help but notice the clarity and detail of “Manhattan” in HD.  The picture is absolutely fantastic and despite the Blu-ray not having any special features (as nearly all Woody Allen films do not have except the recently released “Midnight In Paris”), this Blu-ray release is definitely worth the upgrade.

Overall, “Manhattan” is a romantic comedy and Woody Allen masterpiece that is a timeless classic!  Featuring wonderful cinematography, music, witty dialogue and memorable one-liners and a true Woody Allen classic worth owning on Blu-ray!

Highly recommended!

Notorious (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

My favorite Hitchcock black and white film!  “Notorious” is a fantastic spy thriller that features great pacing, a wonderful storyline, magnificent performances, impressive camerawork and  for Hitchcock and Ben Hecht, giving them the freedom to show off their creativity with great efficacy.  This Blu-ray release is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Notorious

FILM RELEASE: 1946

DURATION: 102 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:33:1 Black and White, English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English SDH

COMPANY:MGM/20th Century fox

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Based on the story “The Song of the Dragon” by John Taintor Foote

Produced by Alfred Hitchcock

Music by Roy Webb

Cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff

Edited by Theron Warth

Art Direction by Carroll Clark, Albert S. D’Agostino

Set Decoration by Claude E. Carpenter, Darrell Silvera

Starring:

Cary Grant as Devlin

Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman

Claude Rains as Alexander Sebastian

Louis Calhern as Paul Prescott

Leopoldine Konstantin as Mme. Sebastian

Reinhold Schunzel as Dr. Anderson

Moroni Olsen as Walter Beardsley

Ivan Triesault as Eric Mathis

Alex Minotis as JosephFrom legendary director Alfred Hitchcock comes this “torrid, tense, tinglingly suspenseful” (Cosmopolitan) film that ranks as one of his best. Oscar Winner Ingrid Bergman “is literally ravishing” (Pauline Kael), and Cary Grant and Claude Rains give “excellent performances” (Variety) in this “taut spy movie that delivers a romantic punch” (The New Yorker)!

When troubled beauty Alicia Huberman (Bergman) is recruited by American agent T.R. Devlin (Grant) to infiltrate a German spy ring in postwar Rio, she accepts… but soon finds herself falling in love with Devlin. And when she receives orders to seduce a Nazi kingpin (Rains), Alicia must sacrifice the only happiness she’s ever known for a perilous mission that could ultimately cost her and Devlin their lives.

It had been well documented that Alfred Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick did not have the greatest relationship.  Despite Hitchcock making three films within his seven-year contract with Selznick and “Rebecca” earning Selznick an Academy Award, the fact is that Selznick was known for interfering with the director and letting people know that he was the one calling the shots.

By the end of Hitchcock’s contract with Selznick, he and writer Ben Hecht were working on a screenplay for “Notorious”.  Inspired by the story “The Song of the Flame” which appeared on “The Saturday Evening Post”, both would craft a spy thriller which would involve the use of uranium.

Bare in mind, this is a year before the United States bombed Hiroshima, but how he got the idea of uranium was a writer and friend of Hitchcock told him about top secret nuclear bomb tests in New Mexico, while knowing that Germans were also conducting experiments in Norway.

Selznick who was in financial trouble at the time felt the idea of uranium being used to make an atom bomb was absurd and with the producers not convinced the film would do well, they sold the film as a package deal to include Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, the screenplay, Ben Hecht and Alfred Hitchcock to RKO.

And because of that, Hitchcock was now free of Selznick’s control and “Notorious” would give Alfred Hitchcock complete control as a director and producer, Ben Hecht as the screenwriter but most importantly, no more interference by David O. Selznick.

“Notorious” would be seen by many as a true “Hitchcock” film (for the black and white era) and many regard the film as their favorite Hitchcock film ever made.

The film was a tremendous hit in the United States that it brought in $4.8 million on its first theatrical American domestic release, film critics lauded the film.

Film critic Pauline Kael wrote praised “Notorious”, “The suspense is terrific: Will suspicious, passive Grant succeed in making Bergman seduce him, or wil he take over?  The honor of the American male is saved by a hairbreadth, but Bergman is literally ravishing in what is probably her sexiest performance.  Great trash, great fun.”

Roger Ebert has the film selected on his list for “Great Movies” and wrote, “Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Notorious’ is the most elegant expression of the master’s visual style, just as “Vertigo” is the fullest expression of his obsessions”.

“Notorious” was nominated for two Academy Awards (for “Best Supporting Actor” and “Original Screenplay”) and in 2006, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

“Notorious” begins with Alicia Huberman’s (played by Ingrid Bergman) father being convicted as a Nazi spy.  We are then taken to a party in which government agent T.R. Devlin (played by Cary Grant) takes an inebriated Alicia back to his home.  When she awakens, he tells her that the government wants to recruit her in order to infiltrate an organization of Nazis wo have relocated to Brazil after World War II.

Alicia agrees to the job, despite the rocky start with T.R. Devlin and they head to Rio de Janeiro for details of her assignment.  While in Brazil, the two fall in love.

But the romance is quickly ended when Devlin gives Alicia the assignment and her job is to seduce Alex Sebastian (played by Claude Rains), a friend of her father and a member of the Nazi group.  Devlin tries his best to tell his superiors that Alicia is not fit for the job but he loses the battle.  So, when he tells Alicia about her job, he puts on a brave face and makes her feel that the duty is more important than their love and for Alicia, she is heartbroken and thinks that Devlin was just pretending to be in love with her.  So, she quickly takes the job.

So, while Alicia grows closer to Alex and manages to infiltrate his home, she notices that during a dinner, one of the guests becomes hysterical after seeing a few wine bottles and immediately is taken out of the room.

As she makes her reports to Devlin, she also uses those moments to see if he would get jealous that Alex Sebastian has become one of her “playmates”.    Meanwhile, Alex Sebastian sees both of them together and wonders if she is in love with him.

So, jealous that Devlin may be trying to get close to Alicia, he asks her to marry him.

So, Alicia goes to meet Devlin and his superiors and tells them that Alex Sebastian has asked her to marry him, but she wants to see if Devlin’s emotions would change (and get a hint that he actually does care for her) but once again, Devlin puts on the stoic face and tells her in a cold demeanor that she can do what she wants and that marrying him would be a good idea.

Hurt by his words, Alicia has decided to marry Alex Sebastian.

As Alicia tries to find anything unusual at the Sebastian home (aside from his mother being cold to her), she notices that Devlin gave her a key ring but it is missing a key, a key to the wine cellar.  So, during a party at the Sebastian home, Devlin shows up to the party (to Alex’s chagrin), but she secretly takes Alex’s key and both she and Devlin secretly go into the wine cellar.  Devlin accidentally knocks a wine bottle and inside is not wine, they find black sand which Devlin takes samples.  And as he tries to clean everything back up, they know that they will be caught by her husband and so to cover their tracks, Devlin pretends he is drunk and gives Alicia a passionate kiss.

Devlin tells Alex that he has always wanted Alicia and loved her before he did, but she chose him.  And at first, Alex believes the story until he discovers that a key is missing from his key ring.  The key to the cellar and as he goes to investigate, he notices that one of the bottles have been opened and feels that his wife is a double agent working for the United States.

So, Alex and his mother decide they must eliminate Alicia.

But will Devlin be able to rescue her in time?

 

VIDEO:

“Notorious” is presented in 1080p High Definition (full screen 1:33:1, black and white). While the film has its fair share of scratches, because of the film’s popularity, it had received restoration for a DVD release years ago, removing a lot of blemishes.  I have the first DVD that was release for “Notorious” before the restoration, so I can easily say that this film had been cleaned up.  A lot of the white specks are gone and while there are some occasional (and short) flickering, the fact that this film has made it to Blu-ray definitely adds much more detail and clarity than ever before.

You notice the fine layer of grain but most of all how black levels are nice and deep and how the clarity and the detail of the film is quite apparent. For any fan of “Notorious”, this HD release is the best looking version of the film to date!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Notorious” is presented in English monaural DTS-HD Master Audio (via a 2.0 mix). The dialogue and music of Roy Webb is crystal clear, clear midrange and a slight hint of hiss, click or crackle for this classic film. But again, comparing it to the original DVD that I have, I was quite pleased with this lossless soundtrack.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Notorious” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary by Rick Jewell – A really in-depth audio commentary by film professor Rick Jewell on the film but also the involvement of Selznick and discussion of RKO.
• Audio Commentary by Drew Casper – A second audio commentary by film professor Drew Casper about “Notorious”.
• Isolated Music and Effects Track – While watching the film, you can listen to Roy Webb’s soundtrack and the effects (no dialogue).
• The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious – (28:22) A featurette about the romance between Alice Huberman (Bergman) and Devlin (Grant).
• Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster – (13:10) A featurette on how Hitchcock films influenced the spy genre.
• The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock - (3:20) Featuring Alfred Hitchcock’s granddaughter Mary Stone talking about Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifetime Achievement Award and footage when Ingrid Bergman returned the key that was used in the film.
• 1948 Radio Play – (59:35) Featuring a radio play featuring Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman.
• Hitchcock Audio Interviews – An excerpt featuring Peter Bogdanovich interviewing Alfred Hitchcock (2:14) and Francois Truffaut interview Hitchcock (16:22).
• Restoration Comparison – (2:50) A short featurette showing how the film was restored with footage before and after.
  
• Theatrical Trailer – (2:31) The original theatrical trailer for “Notorious”.

“Notorious” is my favorite black and white film made by Alfred Hitchcock.

The film was a spy thriller, a dramatic love film in which the characters are both in love, but because of duty, their love is prohibited.   And you are left wondering if these two will ever find a way back to each other.  The performances by Ingrid Bergman and Gable was fantastic, the antagonist Claude Raines was a wonderful casting choice and most of all, it’s a film which Alfred Hitchcock called the shots.

He did things his way and because of that, there are a few key things that people will remember.  I remember watching it when I was younger, over the years I had the opportunity to read several books and learn more and more about the making of this film.  From how Hitchcock found a way to develop a long romantic and passionate kissing scene and by keeping within the Production Code’s “three second kissing rule”.  It was definitely a passionate kiss with a scene that last for over two minutes long but had the characters interrupt their kiss every three seconds, talk, and continue again.

Also, the film would be known for its famous crane shot as Alicia is coming down the stairs and we see the camera zoom in on the key inside the hand of Alicia.

An earlier scene featured a policeman on his bike trailing both Devlin and an inebriated Alicia. Hitchcock was adamant in making this scene realistic as possible, especially capturing the light from the bicycle beaming on the necks of both talents.  Needless to say, Hitchcock really pushed his cinematographer Ted Tetzlaff (“My Man Godfrey”, “The Talk of the Town”, “The More the Merrier”) to the limit with “Notorious” but it’s those intricate details that Hitchcock cared about.

Also bare in mind that this was the predecessor to the spy films of the ’60s, before James Bond and it would be no surprise if “Notorious” helped inspire those films (in fact, there is a special feature on this topic).  “Notorious” features both talents in suave clothing at dinner parties, we are also get the elegant location in which both Devlin and Alicia are in Rio.

But for me, the efficacy of this film is somewhat of its heartbreaking romance theme.  We know Alicia loves Devlin but because of her love, she will do what he wants…even if it means sleeping and being romantic with another man and accomplishing what is needed to get the information he and his superiors have wanted.  As a viewer, we just wonder how long will Devlin get it through his head that she is only doing this for him and what a conundrum it came to be.

As for the Blu-ray release, similar to “Rebecca” and “Spellbound”, there are many special features to keep fans interested.  With the commentary tracks, featurettes and radio plays, sure… these three releases are absolutely solid.  Sure, one day, “Notorious” may get a new restoration with better restoration technology and newer special features may be included in a future release but for all it’s worth, I’m really content with this Blu-ray release.

Overall, this is my favorite Hitchcock black and white film!  “Notorious” is a fantastic spy thriller that features great pacing, a wonderful storyline, magnificent performances, impressive camerawork and  for Hitchcock and Ben Hecht, giving them the freedom to show off their creativity with great efficacy.

This Blu-ray release is highly recommended!

Spellbound (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Spellbound” is a psychological mystery thriller featuring a unique romance story!  Featuring a wonderful performance by Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck and Michael Chekhov.  This Alfred Hitchcock film is recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Spellbound

FILM RELEASE: 1945

DURATION: 118 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:33:1 Black and White, English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English SDH

COMPANY:MGM/20th Century fox

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Based on the story “The Song of the Dragon” by John Taintor Foote

Produced by Alfred Hitchcock

Music by Roy Webb

Cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff

Edited by Theron Warth

Art Direction by Carroll Clark, Albert S. D’Agostino

Set Decoration by Claude E. Carpenter, Darrell Silvera

Starring:

Cary Grant as Devlin

Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman

Claude Rains as Alexander Sebastian

Louis Calhern as Paul Prescott

Leopoldine Konstantin as Mme. Sebastian

Reinhold Schunzel as Dr. Anderson

Moroni Olsen as Walter Beardsley

Ivan Triesault as Eric Mathis

As Alfred Hitchcock’s classic psychothriller opens, the staff of a posh mental asylum eagerly awaits the arrival of the new director. When the man in question shows up, it turns out to be handsome psychiatrist John Ballantine (Gregory Peck). But something’s wrong, here: Ballantine seems much too young for so important a position; his answers to the staff’s questions are vague and detached; and he seems unusually distressed by the parallel marks, left by a fork, on a white tablecloth. Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) comes to the conclusion that Ballantine is not the new director, but a profoundly disturbed amnesiac–and, possibly, the murderer of the real director. But is she correct in her inferences? Scriptwriters Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht soon add to this the complication that Constance begins to fall in love with John. Director Hitchcock tapped surrealist artist Salvador Dali to design the visually arresting dream sequences in the film.

With the success of “Rebecca”, British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock would once again return to making a film in America under his contract with producer David O. Selznick.

But because of “Rebecca” and Selznick’s tight control of being 100% faithful to the book and Hitchcock known to be creative and do things his own way, needless to say, the relationship between both men had soured.  But under his seven-year contractual obligation which Hitchcock signed with Selznick, another movie had to be made and this time, Selznick wanted to pursue a film about his positive experience with psychoanalysis.  A film  that would be known as “Spellbound”.

With Selznick, this would be a personal film because psychoanalysis helped him deal with his brother, Myron’s death (his brother was an extreme alcoholic in which Selznick tried to help him).  The death of Myron would also impact his mother and thus, Selznick was suffering from deep depression because of it and thus psychoanalysis was important in David’s recuperation.

But for Alfred Hitchcock, the book that was to receive a film adaptation was Hilary Saint George Saunders and John Palmer’s 1927 novel “The House of Dr. Edwardes”.  A film that was adapted by Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht, but also a film that would lead to Hitchcock and Ben Hecht to work personally together, especially during the research process of psychoanalysis for “Spellbound”.

And while Selznick was always adamant towards 100% faithfulness to the novel, because of his current situation, despite Ben Hecht being a writer and somewhat of a watchdog for Selznick, the working relationship between Hecht and Hitchcock would be positive especially with no supervision.  But eventually, Selznick known to interfere did so in the end and thus, “Spellbound” although directed by Alfred Hitchock, would once again be a Selznick film.

In the original novel, the concept of “The House of Dr. Edwardes” was about a madman taking over an insane asylum, but Hitchock wanted to add suspense and Hecht would humanize the characters and build a love story around two doctors.  The film would also bring in surrealist artist Salvador Dali to help conceive the scenes with mental delusion and also Mikloz Rivera (who is known for pioneering the use of the theremin) for the orchestral score.

The film would star Ingrid Bergman (“Casablanca”, “Notorious”, “Autumn Sonata”) and Gregory Peck (“Roman Holiday”, “The Guns of Navarone”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”) and would be nominated for six Academy Awards and would win an award for “Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture”.

“Spellbound” begins with Dr. Constance Petersen (played by Ingrid Bergman) who is a psychoanalyst at mental hospital known as “Green Manors” in Vermont and helping various patients.  The male doctors look at her as emotionless and with the (forced) retirement of the hospital’s director, Dr. Murchison (played by Leo G. Carroll), who has been suffering from nervous exhaustion, Green Manors has hired a new replacement, a younger doctor named Dr. Anthony Edwardes (played by Gregory Peck).

And immediately, it becomes love at first sight between Dr. Constance Petersen and Dr. Anthony Edwardes.

The two begin to have a romantic tryst, trying to keep it private among their colleagues and one night, while the two were sharing a romantic time together, Dr. Edwardes sees a pattern of parallel lines on her robe and suddenly he begins to lose it.  Needless to say, Dr. Petersen becomes alarmed but also concerned.

Seeing those parallel lines has opened up something within Dr. Edwardes and he is unable to get his bearings to do any work.  Dr. Petersen who has fallen in love with him, decides to try to help him discover why he has this phobia towards parallel lines.  When the two go out to dinner with each other, even the tines on a fork or patterns on a blanket start to alarm him even more that he begins to lose it.

But when Dr. Petersen discovers a note by the real Dr. Edwardes and the man she thinks is Dr. Edwardes, she notices they are not the same.  Could this man, a man that she is in love with, be an impostor?  If so, what has happened to the real Dr. Edwardes?

VIDEO:

“Spellbound” is presented in 1080p High Definition (full screen 1:33:1, black and white). It’s important to note that “Spellbound” was intentionally shot to be a little soft, but still the Blu-ray release of “Spellbound” looks very good when it comes to detail and clarity.  Sure, the Criterion Collection release was definitely a much older release with stronger black levels and more grain, but there is still a fine layer of grain presented in this film.  The patterns on Dr. Edwardes suit can be seen quite clearly.

There are a few scratches but for the most part, for those who wonder if there is a big difference between the Criterion Collection release and this Blu-ray release, I will say this.  A lot of the films that were released by Criterion Collection in 1999 and 2000 were redone.  The digital transfer back then was inferior as it is compared to the hardware used now, so comparing the two…sure there are going to be differences.  While Blu-ray version is much better and in HD, those who owned the original release will still want to hang onto those as they are among the few Criterion Collection titles that are being sought by collectors.

But as for fans of “Spellbound”, there is no denying that the film looks very good on Blu-ray.  It looks much cleaner and has much better clarity and detail.  The contrast is also well-done and while a bit soft, once again, that was intentional (even producer David O. Selznick had choice words towards the films overall look).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Spellbound” is presented in English monaural DTS-HD Master Audio (via a 2.0 mix). The dialogue and music is crystal clear but compared to “Rebecca” and “Notorious” which didn’t suffer from any audio issues, there is some hiss that can be heard for a very short time.  But aside from that moment at the beginning of the overture, I didn’t hear any clicks, hiss or pops during my viewing of the film.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Spellbound” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary by Thomas Schatz and Charles Ramirez Berg - Film historians Thomas Schatz and Charles Ramirez Berg discuss “Spellbound”.
• Running with Scissors: Hitchcock, Surrealism and Salvador Dali – (21:25) A featurette looking at the pairing of Hitchcock and surrealist Salvador Dali and the challenges that came to be, due to the rising costs and how long Dali’s scene was going to be.  But also focusing on how Dali wanted to make it in Hollywood.
• Guilt by Association: Psychoanalyzing Spellbound – (19:39) A featurette that is about how “Spellbound” was the first film to deal with psychoanalysis.  A very in-depth featurette.
• A Cinderella Story: Rhonda Fleming – (10:10) A short featurette on Rhonda Fleming (known as the “Queen of Technicolor”), who made her film debut in “Spellbound”.
• 1948 Radio Play of “Spellbound” Directed by Alfred Hitchcock – (59:47) A radio play starring Joseph Cotton and Valli.
• Hitchcock Audio Interviews – Featuring audio interviews with Alfred Hitchcock by Peter Bogdanovich (15:22).
• Theatrical Trailer – (2:07) The original theatrical trailer for “Spellbound”.

“Spellbound” was the first film to feature psychoanalysis, it was also known as the film to give Alfred Hitchcock a little more freedom from his producer David O. Selznick.

The film was indeed groundbreaking for its time because of the news in America of how psychoanalysis was helping soldiers who had suffered from the trauma and oversensitivity of battle during World War II.  And while, “Spellbound” is not my favorite Hitchcock film, what I enjoyed about the film is how it managed to incorporate mystery and suspense, a romantic drama, surrealism through dreamlike sequences and also the cat and mouse storyline as the two doctors try to elude authorities.

There are so many plot elements introduced in “Spellbound”, that one really can’t get bored with it.  Sure, some may feel the “psychoanalysis” techniques are outdated but I have always looked at this film as being unique because it utilized psychoanalysis to pry deep into his consciousness slowly throughout the film until that big reveal of why Dr. Edwardes/John Ballantyne had a problem with parallel lines.  But most importantly, I would assume that the conversations about the film help increase public awareness towards psychoanalysis and I’m sure for producer David O. Selznick, who praised psychoanalysis for helping him deal with the death of his brother, that he was pleased by the overall result.

For me, what also made me enjoy the film is the performances.  The casting of Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck were well-done.  The chemistry between both talents was strong, and there is also third person that also gave a great performance and that was actor Michael Chekhov who played Dr. Alexander Brulov, the teacher of Dr. Petersen.  “Spellbound” would also feature the debut of actress Rhonda Fleming, who would later become known as the “Queen of Technicolor”.

As for the Blu-ray release, similar to the other two Alfred Hitchcock Blu-ray releases (“Rebecca” and “Notorious”), MGM gives viewers a lot of special features.  Commentaries, featurettes and as mentioned, “Spellbound” looks very good on Blu-ray considering that the film was intentionally made to look soft.  But still, it is definitely worth the upgrade for those who owned the previous DVD release of “Spellbound” as the clarity and detail of this film on Blu-ray is quite evident.

Overall, “Spellbound” is an Alfred Hitchcock film that I enjoyed, but it’s clearly another film in which Hitchcock was able to get away with a more creative choices compared to “Rebecca” but it was nonetheless, a David O. Selznick film.  The relationship between producer and director was almost to the point of mistrust and while this film was enjoyable, until Hitchcock was free from Selznick, then we started to see his creativity at 100% and we saw how much more evident that would be in his upcoming film “Notorious”.

But still, I found “Spellbound” to be a psychological mystery film, but also a romance film featuring a unique kind of love story not seen in cinema today.

“Spellbound” is recommended!

Rebecca (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

While many feel that this Alfred Hitchcock film is more of a David O. Selznick film (since Hitchcock had to play by his producer’s strict rules), there is no denying that the psychological drama “Rebecca” is a fantastic film.  And because of it’s wonderful transfer on Blu-ray and that there are a number of solid special features included, there is no doubt that this Blu-ray release is the definitive version of “Rebecca” to own at this time and is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Rebecca

FILM RELEASE: 1940

DURATION: 131 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:33:1 black and white, English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English SDH

COMPANY:MGM/20th Century fox

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier

Screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison

Adaptation by Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan

Produced by David O. Selznick

Music by Franz Waxman

Cinematography by George Barnes

Edited by W. Donn Hayes

Art Direction by Lyle R. Wheeler

Starring:

Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter

Joan Fontaine as Mrs. de Winter

George Sanders as Jack Favell

Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers

Nigel Bruce as Major Giles Lacy

Reginald Denny as Frank Crawley

C. Aburey Smith as Colonel Julyan

Gladys Cooper as Beatrice Lacy

Florence Bates as Mrs. Van Hopper

For his first American film, Alfred Hitchcock teamed up with producer David O. Selznick (Gone With the Wind) to create a “spine-tingling” (LA Weekly) romantic thriller that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Based on Daphne Du Maurier’s timeless novel, this dark, atmospheric tale of fatal obsession features Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson, as well as a “haunting score by Franz Waxman” (Leonard Maltin).

After a whirlwind romance, mysterious widower Maxim de Winter (Olivier) brings his shy, young bride (Fontaine) home to his imposing estate, Manderley. But the new Mrs. de Winter finds her married life dominated by the sinister, almost spectral influence of Maxim’s late wife: the brilliant, ravishingly beautiful Rebecca, who, she suspects, still rules both Manderley and Maxim from beyond the grave!

British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was in major demand after creating a string of film hits in the 1920′s and 1930′s such as “”The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1934), “The 39 Steps” (1935) and “The Lady Vanishes” (1938), there was no doubt that America would come knocking on his doors.

And the person from America to do that was producer David O. Selznick, known for producing “Anna Karenina” (1935), “A Tale of Two Cities” 1935), “A Star is Born” (1937), “Nothing Sacred” (1937) and “Intermezzo” (1939).  But Selznick was best known for producing the film “Gone with the Wind” in 1939 which earned him an Academy Award for “Best Picture”.

And Selznick was a person who knew that Hitchcock would probably be the man to direct for him another box office hit.  And thus signed Hitchcock to a seven-year contract and gave him the opportunity to move to the United States and make films in America.

The first film the two would collaborate on is a film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” (who also wrote “Jamaica Inn” and “The Birds” which would go on to have film adaptations that Hitchcock would direct).  A novel that Hitchcock had tried to obtain the rights to but would no way be able to compete with Selznick, who would actually win the rights to the film.

But it’s a film that Alfred Hitchcock would be very much interested in directing but there was one catch, Hitchcock must stay faithful to the original novel.

Bare in mind, Alfred Hitchcock was a man who pioneered techniques for suspense and psychological thrillers but most importantly, a director who did things his own creative way.  While Selznick was a person who made sure that for his films, he had control and in this case, made sure that Hitchcock would make the film adaptation faithful to the original.

And the film adaptation would go on to win two Academy Awards out of 11 nominations including an award for “Best Picture” and would give Selznick his second Oscar.  But the film would also add strain to the relationships of both Hitchock and Selznick.

“Rebecca” would star Laurence Olivier (“Pride and Prejudice”, “49th Parallel”, “Henry V”, “Spartacus”), Joan Fontaine (“Suspicion”, “Ivanhoe”, “Letter from an Unknown Woman”) and Judith Anderson (“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “Laura”) and the film would be introduced at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival in 1951.

The film begins with the following narration, “Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again”, to the images of a ruined country manor. She continues that she can never return to Manderley — as it no longer exists, except as a ruin.”

We are then taking to a scene in Monte Carlo as wealthy widower Maximilian de Winters (played by Laurence Olivier) is overlooking the sea on top of a cliff.  We then hear a scream from a young woman (note: no name is given for the young woman, played by Joan Fontaine) who tells him not to jump, but it appears that the young woman had misinterpreted what she saw.

We are then taken to an event for high society and the wealthy Edyth Van Hopper (played by Florence Bates) is accompanied by her assistant (who happens to be the young woman) as they meet the wealthy aristocrat Maximilian de Winter.

The following morning as the young woman is having breakfast, Maximilian de Winter joins her and from that moment on, the two begin to spend more and more time with each other.  Her boss, Ms. Hopper is becoming more upset because she is not at her home to attend to her, but the assistant tells her that she has been learning how to play tennis (but not telling her that she is learning from Mr. de Winter).

One day, the young woman overhears that Maximilian de Winter has been distraught since the death of his wife Rebecca, who had drowned in the ocean.

Meanwhile, when Edyth’s daughter is planning to get married, Edyth wants the young woman to join her and stay in New York, thus will sure to end her meetups with Mr. de Winter, and when she goes to tell him that she is leaving to New York, Maximilian can’t bare the thought of leaving her and thus, requests for the young woman to marry her in order for the two to be together and thus quitting her job with Ms. Van Hopper.

And thus, both Maximilian and the young woman are married and the two move back to Manderley, a country estate in South England. And Mrs. De Winter is shocked about how large the estate is.  Immediately, she is introduced to de Winter’s very large domestic staff including the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (played by Judith Anderson).

And while living at the mansion, Mrs. de Winter quickly learns that everyone at the estate loves Rebecca and many things throughout the house remind them of her.  While Mrs. De Winter would love to talk to Maximilian about his late wife, she feels that anything that reminds him of her, makes him distraught and thus, never brings her up.

As Maximilian goes off on a business trip, she is left behind at the mansion and while she makes friends with the staff, Mrs. Danvers starts to show her obsession with Rebecca, how Rebecca’s bedroom is kept like a shrine and while Mrs. de Winter tries to become friendly with the staff, Mrs. Danvers is cold to her and uses psychological tactics to make her think that everyone including Maximilian feels that Mrs. de Winter is trying to be Rebecca’s replacement and that she is trying be like her and it starts to play with Mrs. de Winters mind to the point that she feels the house may be haunted by Rebecca.

And immediately, even Mrs. de Winter starts to believe that Maxim may still be in love with Rebecca and that Rebecca is haunting the house.

But with Maximilian’s return from his business trip, Mrs. de Winter wants to make sure that she starts things off fresh by being a perfect wife and that means eliminating anything that reminds Maxim about his late wife out of the house and also to request for her husband to host a costume party.  And while she tries to decide what outfit to wear, Mrs. Danvers recommends Mrs. de Winter to wear a dress that Caroline de Winter, an ancestor who is featured in a painting inside the mansion, is wearing.

And when Mrs. de Winter reveals the costume to her husband, Maxim is livid and begins to scream at her to change her clothing.  Immediately, Mrs. de Winter feels as if Mrs. Danvers has lied and made her wear the outfit, knowing that Rebecca had once worn it before.  And when she confronts him, Mrs. Danvers tells her that Mrs. de Winter will never take Rebecca’s place and that Maxim will never love her like he did with Rebecca.  She then tries to convince Mrs. de Winter to take her life, but will she?

As Mrs. de Winter starts to mad with her feeling that she will never be loved by Maxim or accepted by anyone else because of the memory of Rebecca, will Mrs. de Winter end her life?

 

 

VIDEO:

“Rebecca” is presented in 1080p High Definition (full screen 1:33:1, black and white). For this 72-year-old film, the clarity and contrast is fantastic.

Black levels are deep, whites and grays are sharp and there is a fine layer of grain throughout the film.  While there are some frames that have scratches, compared to the original DVD release including the older Criterion Collection release, the clarity of this Blu-ray release is easily the best version of “Rebecca” I have seen thus far.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Rebecca” is presented in English monaural DTS-HD Master Audio (via a 2.0 mix).  The dialogue and music is crystal clear with no sign of hiss, click or crackle.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Rebecca” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary by Richard Schickel – A really in-depth audio commentary by Richard Schickel.
• Isolated Music and Effects Track – Watch “Rebecca” with only the music courtesy of composer Franz Waxman and the sound effects (no dialogue).
• The Making of Rebecca – (28:08) Presented in standard definition, this featurette goes into details about the challenges of making of the film and creative differences between Alfred Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick who wanted the film to be faithful to the original novel.
• The Gothic World of Daphne DuMaurier – (19:02) Interviews with those who very familiar with Daphne DuMaurier’s work and her background.
• Screen Tests – (9:07) Featuring screen tests with Margaret Sullavan and Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.
• Radio Plays – Featuring three audio plays: 1938 Campbell Playhouse (December 9, 1938) starring Orson Welles (1:59:35), 1941 Lux Radio play presented by Cecil B. Demille (February 3, 1941, 58:31) and a 1950 Lux Radio Theater audio play with Vivian Leigh and Laurence Olivier (1:00:22).
• Hitchcock Audio Interviews – Featuring audio interviews with Alfred Hitchcock by Peter Bogdanovich (4:20) and Francois Truffaut (9:15).
• Theatrical Trailer – (2:22) The original theatrical trailer for “Rebecca”.

“Rebecca” is a Hitchcock film that many people look at as a masterpiece.

A beloved film that has even stymied the director who is not sure why people loved the film, but possibly a film that Hitchcock will not look at in a positive light because he had to go by producer David O. Selznick’s rules of keeping faithful to the original novel and because of that, it’s one of the few films that is not a psychological thriller.

“Rebecca” has long been considered as a Gothic tale and a psychological/dramatic noir.  But as Alfred Hitchcock has told Francois Truffaut about the film in the book “Hitchcock”, “Well, it’s not a Hitchcock picture, it’s a novelette, really.  The story is old-fashioned there was a whole school of feminine literature at that period, and though I’m not against it, the fact that the story is lacking in humor.”

One can only fathom how different the film would be if Selznick had given Hitchcock the opportunity to make it is way.  But needless to say, the film would become a classic hit, a film that would earn Selznick a second Oscar and for Hitchcock, despite losing the “Best Director” category to John Ford’s “The Grapes of Wrath”,  but the film would pave the way for success for Hitchcock as he now had his residence in America and would go on to make more films in Hollywood and cement his status as being one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.

Sure, “Rebecca” is different from the Hitchcock film that many are used to watching.  It is a love story, about a woman who loves a man unconditionally but at the same time, without knowing his past and the circumstance that surrounded the death of “Rebecca”, she slowly goes insane as others Mrs. de Winter thinks everyone thinks that she is trying to be a replacement to Maximilian’s deceased wife.

What makes this film so artistic is how they manage to capture emotion, but also the wickedness of the character Mrs. Danvers.    She is sort of motionless and with the deviant look that she gives throughout the film, you can’t help but think that her character is quite creepy.

And while Laurence Olivier did a splendid job on his role, its the performance by Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson that actually captures your attention.  Joan Fontaine’s role of Mrs. De Winter is pure, naive but a loving woman who just wants to be close to her husband.  Not much is know about Maximilian’s relationship to Rebecca, but how the storyline is structured in making the viewer feel that he is in love and has a hard time forgetting about her, was rather intriguing, especially once you are hit with the twist that you simply never saw it coming.

But there is a brilliance in the way the film is shot as well, especially with the final shots of Mrs. Danvers and the fiery climax but while Hitchcock was restrained by producer David O. Selznick,  the film is still beloved.  But once again, one can only wonder how much different Hitchcock would have made this film if given the opportunity.  In the end, on paper, it may have benefited David O. Selznick but in the long run, “Rebecca” help pave the way for Hitchcock in creating his future masterpiece films in his oeuvre.

As for the Blu-ray release, I absolutely loved the transfer as the picture quality showed amazing detail and clarity not seen in the previous DVD’s and you get a good amount of special features, especially the addition of the radio plays which were fantastic!

Overall, while many people will have their own subjective opinion of what is the best Hitchcock film and whether or not “Rebecca” can be claimed as one of his best, especially when the producer was the person who called the shots, still one can’t deny that we are able to spot some of that Hitchcock brilliance in this film.

“Rebecca” is a fantastic film that any cineaste and Hitchcock fan will want to purchase for their cinema collection.  Highly recommended!

The Apartment: Collector’s Edition (J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Featuring a wonderful performance by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.  A timeless classic that is witty, fun and deserving of every Academy Award it has won.  “The Apartment” is a magnificent film that is worth the upgrade to Blu-ray and should be in every movie fan’s cinema collection.  Recommended!

Images courtesy of © 1960 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.  All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Apartment

FILM RELEASE: 1960

DURATION: 125 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:35:1, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Mono, French Mono, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY:MGM/20th Century fox

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

Directed by Billy Wilder

Written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond

Produced by Billy Wilder

Associate Produced by I.A.L. Diamond, Doane Harrison

Music by Adolph Deutsch

Cinematography by Joseph LaShelle

Edited by Daniel Mandell

Art Direction by Alexandre Trauner

Set Decoration by Edward G. Boyle

Starring:

Jack Lemmon as C.C. Baxter

Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik

Fred MacMurray as Jeff D. Sheldrake

Ray Walston as Joe Dobisch

Jack Kruschen as Dr. Dreyfuss

David Lewis as Al Kirkeby

Hope Holiday as Mrs. Margie MacDougall

Joan Shawlee as Sylvia

Naomi Stevens as Mrs. Mildred Dreyfuss

Johnny Seven as Karl Matuschka

Joyce Jameson as The Blonde

William Waterman as Mr. Vanderhoff

David White as Mr. Eichelberger

Edie Adams as Miss Olsen

Winner* of five 1960 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, The Apartment is legendary writer/director Billy Wilder at his scathing, satirical best, and one of “the finest comedies Hollywood has turned out” (Newsweek). C.C. “Bud” Baxter (Jack Lemmon) knows the way to success in business…it’s through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well.

Featuring a wonderful performance by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.  A timeless classic that is witty, fun and deserving of every Academy Award it has won.  “The Apartment” is a magnificent film that is highly recommended!

The 1960 comedy/drama written and directed by Billy Wilder (“Sunset Blvd.”, “Sabrina”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Kiss Me Stupid”) and co-written with I.A.L. Diamond (“Some Like It Hot”, “Kiss Me, Stupid”, “The Fortune Cookie”) was an incredible success in the box office grossing $25 million and nominated for ten Academy Awards and winning five including “Best Picture”.  In fact, “The Apartment” was the last black and white to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

The film received many awards from BAFTA and the Golden Globes and is often featured in various cinema magazines in polls for “Greatest Films”.  The film has been part of American Film Institute’s top 100 polls and also was deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

But the film had its fair share of criticism.  Because of the film’s nature of infidelity and adultery, where films at the time were typically promoted as wholesome entertainment, the film although regarded as a classic and received positive reviews also received its fair share of detractors because of the film’s content.

“The Apartment” was released on DVD back in 2001, followed by a Bily Wilder 2003 DVD Box set release which featured the 2001 DVD release.  A better upgraded restored version via a Collector’s Edition, was released in 2008.  And here we are now with “The Apartment: Collector’s Edition” on Blu-ray (note: same special features as the 2008 release are included on this Blu-ray but now the film is presented in HD).

“The Apartment” revolves around the character C.C. “Bud” Baxter (played by Jack Lemmon, “Some Like It Hot”, “The Odd Couple”, “The Fortune Cookie”, “Avanti!”).  An office employee who works for an insurance company in New York City but if there is one thing that makes him different from the 30,000+ employees from the company is that his superiors are quite fond of him.

Reason being is that when the several of the bosses at the insurance company need to have a sexual liasons (without their wives knowing), they depend on Baxter to give them a key to his apartment.  In fact, it’s so bad that Baxter has to schedule days for these individuals to have his apartment, often leaving Baxter getting kicked out of his office.  But these men have vowed to give Baxter a great performance review and hopefully have him rise the ranks of the corporate world from where he is at.

But things are not all that good for Baxter. He’s a lonely man, living a simple life.  His landlord and his neighbors are upset with him (often because of the ruckus his bosses are making with their women) and blame him for all the noise.  But if there was one thing that makes him happy, it’s the elevator operator Miss Fran Kubelik (played by Shirley MacLaine, “Ima La Douce”, “Shirley’s World”, “Terms of Endearment”) who he is smitten with.

One day while at work, the big boss J.D. Sheldrake (played by Fred MacMurray, “My Three Sons”, “My Shaggy Dog”, “The Oregon Trail”) has called a meeting with Baxter.  Baxter who thinks he is getting a promotion (because of his other bosses giving him a good word) is actually being grilled for his suspicious activities and then tells Baxter that he knows about the key he is giving to his bosses.  It appears that Sheldrake also wants the key for his adulterous affair and Baxter agrees to help him.  Meanwhile, in return Sheldrake offers him tickets to a musical.

Happy that he has scored points with the big boss, Baxter asks Miss Kubelik out on a date to the musical which she agrees to the date but she tells him that she is meeting another man earlier that night and will meet with him before the show stars.  What Baxter doesn’t know is the woman that Mr. Sheldrake is having an affair with is Miss Kubelik.

But what happens when circumstances force Baxter and Kubelik to spend time together in his apartment?

VIDEO:

“The Apartment” is featured in 16:9 Widescreen (2:35:1 aspect ratio) and in black and white.  Having owned the previous DVD releases, I do feel that the Blu-ray release of “The Apartment: Collector’s Edition”utilizes the same restoration but now upgraded to HD.  Black levels are nice and deep, good amount of grain and one thing I noticed much more than previous DVD releases is the amount of detail, especially on skin and surfaces.  There is a bit of white specks that show up but nothing like the older 2001 DVD release.

For the most part, I was quite pleased with this upgrade, no major flickering, no compression artifacts, it’s a pretty good transfer and definitely worth the upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the lossless audio track, the film is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish and French Mono.  The film is primarily front and center channel driven but dialogue is clear and I didn’t hear any hiss or crackling for this older film. Surround channels are pretty much used too add more depth to Adolphe Deutsch’s wonderful musical score.

It’s important to note that for cinema purists who are wondering if a lossless monaural soundtrack is included, unfortunately the English monaural track is not, only Spanish and French. Still, the lossless soundtrack sounds very good and I didn’t have any problems with it.

 

 

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“The Apartment” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary from Film Producer and Historian Bruce Block – A really in-depth audio commentary by film historian Bruce Block.
• Inside the Apartment – (29:36) A wonderful featurette about Billy Wilder and his film “The Apartment” featuring interviews with Shirley MacLaine, Hope Holiday, Johnny Seven and more discussing the making of “The Apartment” and working with Billy Wilder.
• Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon – (12:42) Chris Lemmon talks about his father, the late Jack Lemmon.
  
• Theatrical Trailer – (2:19)  The original theatrical trailer for “The Apartment”

“The Apartment” is a fantastic film!

“The Apartment” is well-written, acting is fantastic and for the most part, editing and pacing is well-done.  There is nothing I can fault about the film.  At first, I felt that a romantic comedy film being over 2 hrs. long could be a bit too much but in the sake of this film, each and every minute was well-utilized.  Jack Lemmon gave a commanding performance and Shirley MacLaine was fantastic as well.  But shocking was Fred MacMurray’s adulterous role as the actor who has appeared in many kindhearted, fatherly roles was playing such a character.

Billy Wilder does an incredible job by working with the talent, especially with Jack Lemmon when it came to the script but also the small improvisation details, from him having a cold, gags such as shooting his nose drop across the office, making spaghetti and singing.  It’s also important to note that the scene where Lemmon was hit in the film, he was hit in real life and Wilder chose to use the scene.

Because of its content dealing with adultery, also suicide and the fact the film stars Fred MacMurray, I could imagine how controversial this film was back in 1960.  Especially reading how MacMurray even received an older woman hitting him with her purse when she saw him.

Although a classic film, for me wanting to see “The Apartment” came from watching the UK film “Brief Encounter” directed by David Lean.  I’ve read that in that film which featured one of the main characters wanting to use his friend’s apartment gave Billy Wilder the idea for the film but also a real life Hollywood scandal involving agent Jennings Lang and producer Walter Wanger (husband of actress Joan Bennett) in which the affair took place in an employee’s apartment and a suicide attempt came from an actual incident involving a friend of writer I.A.L. Diamond.

“The Apartment” has instantly become one of my top films that I have seen in my lifetime.  A good balance of comedy but also drama that takes on topics that probably made people uneasy during that time.

I know a lot of people who are fans of “The Apartment” may have owned the 2008 Collector’s Edition of “The Apartment” and also may have owned the older DVD release via stand-alone or the various Billy Wilder DVD box sets, but what it comes down to is your love for this film and if you want to see and hear it in the best quality possible.  There is no denying that when the 2008 DVD “Collector’s Edition” came out, it was a major upgrade from the 2001 DVD release, and while this 2012 Blu-ray release features the same special features (and now comes with the theatrical trailer), for me, it’s about the picture quality and how much more detail is evident compared to that 2008 DVD release.

Overall, although I wish “The Apartment: Collector’s Edition” on Blu-ray had newer special features, still…it’s hard to complain because the special features that were added in 2008 were great and definitely better than having a barebones release like the previous DVD releases.  But I absolute love this film,  it is possibly my favorite Jack Lemmon film and ranks high among the many Billy Wilder films that I have watched.

No doubt about it, this Blu-ray release of “The Apartment” is highly recommended!

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