The First Time Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

The First Time Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 5, 2023

James Neilson's "The First Time" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The one

Even though The First Time comes from the late 1960s, it works very well for the exact same reason the 1980s gems The Last American Virgin and Losin' It do. Despite everything they do to make one smile, which is a lot, they tell the truth, which is not always funny.

It is summer and love is in the air, but it looks like this year best friends Kenny (Wes Stern), Mike (Rickey Kelman), and Tommy (Win Roberts) will once again spend all of it only dreaming about losing their virginity. Can it get any worse? Sure. Kenny is told by his widowed father that he must travel to Buffalo and stay with his grandparents while he takes a very long business trip with his young and sexy secretary, and Mike and Tommy are told to get ready for summer camp.

But shortly after Kenny gets off the bus in Buffalo and ends up in a local diner, Lady Luck intervenes. While drinking his Coke, Kenny overhears a friend of the bartender praising a place on the other side of the border, in Niagara Falls, where for a proper fee “the most beautiful broads” can make a man feel like a man. Kenny then promptly describes the place to Mike and Tommy in a most enthusiastic letter, and several days later they unexpectedly show up in Buffalo -- ready of course to go to Canada and discover what it feels like to be a man, just like Kenny has.

The friends easily cross the border, but in Niagara Falls, Kenny begins improvising and quickly frustrates Mike and Tommy. Eventually, having spent hours wandering around the city, in front of an abandoned house, Kenny declares that the magic place with “the most beautiful broads” has moved and it is time for them to go back home. But Lady Luck intervenes again and in a proper club with female dancers recommended by a friendly taxi driver, the friends bump into Anna (Jacqueline Bisset), a beauty with a British accent, who wants to go to Buffalo but does not have papers. The friends enthusiastically agree to help Anna, assuming that, at the right place, she would help them, too. Not realizing that their foreign “beautiful broad” is just trying to reconnect with her American lover, the friends smuggle Anna into America and head straight to the “right place” -- Mike and Tommy’s posh room in a fancy hotel in downtown Buffalo.

The beauty and charm of James Neilson’s The First Time come from its simplicity and honesty. Also, The First Time is not a big film, so just about all the footage that Neilson shot in America and Canada seems like it comes from an ordinary travelogue, which makes it a lovely time capsule.

The adventure that is chronicled in The First Time is the classic emotional roller-coaster ride that all boys (and girls) experience before they become men (and women). Parts of it are predictably awkward and funny, and other parts are just as predictably disappointing and sad.

Neilson’s observation of the roller-coaster ride makes it almost mandatory to group The First Time with The Last American Virgin and Losin’ It, possibly even Class. Indeed, there are no filters that make the transitions from the funny to the sad and back appear either gradual or safe. For example, the insecurities of the friends are fully exposed, so when their expectations are not met, the abrupt disappointment, embarrassment, and even pain feel very authentic. Obviously, the euphoria that precedes them does, too.

The catalyst of everything that makes The First Time different is Bisset’s performance, which is interesting because it is not an overpowering one. Before and after they reach the hotel room, Bisset sees and treats the boys as they are -- just ordinary boys. Even after her crucial decision in the end, Bisset does not misjudge them, and this is a big part of the truth about the transition to manhood that The First Time gets right. Contrary to the old and popular myth, it is not complete after the first time.

While understandable, the absence of a prominent soundtrack with a fine selection of classic rock tracks is most unfortunate. Six or seven tracks from some of the best rock bands of the 1960s easily would have transformed The First Time into a cult film.

The First Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The First Time arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

MGM remastered The First Time quite some time ago and in 2011 produced this DVD release, which I purchased for my collection. I do not know when the master that was used to produce this Blu-ray release was prepared, but I can tell you that the film looks very similar on the DVD and the Blu-ray. No, this does not mean that the DVD and the Blu-ray will provide you with the same technical presentation of the film. Rather, its overall appearance is the same -- there are no dramatic discrepancies in color temperature, surface damage, etc. I like the current master and how the film looks on Blu-ray a lot. If I had to guess, I would say that MGM probably scanned a nice interpositive for it, which is why the visuals have a very attractive organic appearance. Some minor density and clarity fluctuations are easy to see, but virtually all are inherited. The film can look better if it is properly restored, but because it is rather small and not particularly well known, I think that this release will close its cycle on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The First Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is free of age-related imperfections. The dialog is always very easy to follow and stable. Dynamic intensity is unimpressive, but as mentioned elsewhere, there is quite a bit of footage that could have been perfect in a travelogue, which means that it does not produce any memorable contrasts. Is there any room for improvement? Perhaps some enhancements could be introduced with modern remastering equipment, but they will not make an easily noticeable difference.

The First Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for The First Time. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

The First Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You know the story that is told in The First Time because it has been used for countless other films. Is it told well? Yes, and I think that The First Time is a wonderful time capsule, too. If you decide to add this release to your collection, also consider picking up The Last American Virgin, Losin' It, and Class. See two films on a Saturday, and the other two on a Sunday, and you will charge your batteries with enough positive energy to last you an entire week. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.