Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

A Little Romance Blu-ray Movie Review

Lover's Lane.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 14, 2020

A product of its time for all the right reasons, George Roy Hill's A Little Romance is a playful, charming celebration of first love. It's perhaps most famous for being the screen debut of Diane Lane, who holds her own against equally young Thelonious Bernard -- a promising young actor who abandoned his craft only a few years later -- and Laurence Olivier in a terrific late-career performance. Our story follows Lauren King (Lane), a gifted young girl who's living in Paris with her mother Kay (Sally Kellerman) and step-father Richard (Arthur Hill). Lauren mostly keeps to herself with only one friend, the awkward but sweet Natalie (Ashby Semple), and is happy to attract the attention of young Daniel (Bernard), a street-smart movie buff who's all too eager to show her the sights. Their adventures lead them to a chance encounter with kindly old gentleman Julius Edmund Santorin (Laurence Olivier), a kindred spirit to Lauren -- but it's her budding romance with Daniel that prompts the trio's spontaneous trip to Venice against her mother's wishes.

Their shared destination is a gondola ride beneath Venice's "Bridge of Sighs" which, according to wise Julius -- who plays the role of "vaguely supernatural third wheel" perfectly -- will grant true love to any young couple who shares a kiss there at sunset. It's truly the kind of enchanted promise that only makes sense to impulsive young pre-teens, but isn't lost on anyone still young at heart (or at least capable of suspending a bit of disbelief). Once our enthusiastic trio sets out for Italy with a wad of cash won via gambling (don't ask), it's as if nothing will stop them -- not even the Parisian authorities, who believe mystery man Julius kidnapped the young lovers and fled the country.

Equal parts intimate drama and picturesque travelogue, A Little Romance remains a textbook example of a film being slightly more than the sum of its parts. From the excellent cast to striking cinematography by Pierre-William Glenn and an Oscar-winning score by prolific French composer Georges Delerue, A Little Romance captures and maintains a very specific mood and holds steady from start to finish. It's not concerned with traditional plot twists, villains, or even a huge climax, instead basking in the warm beauty of its time period and landscape in a way that still feels fresh and inviting some 40 years later. While it does succumb to several plot conveniences and even includes a few slightly darker moments that feel more than a little out of place, A Little Romance largely maintains a light touch that keeps things light and breezy from start to finish. It also nicely showcases the theatrical presentation of several period-specific American productions, including director Hill's own The Sting and other films starring Robert Redford.

Those who saw A Little Romance in their younger years (and likely maintained a lifelong crush on Diane Lane) will enjoy revisiting this one on Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection, which includes another terrific A/V presentation that plays to the film's strengths. Even those late to the party should consider it a solid blind buy -- if you're at all a fan of the cast or crew, you'll likely find it an irresistible slice of classic drama that wears its heart on its sleeve.

A Little Romance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although Warner Bros.' 2003 DVD served up a very capable anamorphic transfer for its time, this brand-new 1080p effort by Warner Archive Collection is a clear upgrade in every sense of the word. Sourced from a recent 2K scan of the interpositive with extensive manual cleanup, the resulting image is easy on the eyes and contains no shortage of picturesque locals in and around central Europe. Fine detail and texture are handled perfectly, with close-ups looking especially nice and wide shots showcasing plenty of notable landmarks and "magic hour" landscapes. Speaking of which, A Little Romance's largely warm and inviting palette has been preserved extremely well with no obvious color timing issues or signs of revision. The healthy bitrate and excellent encoding also help to give this Blu-ray a very filmic appearance free from banding, edge enhancement, and compression artifacts. Overall, it's another purist's dream and, short of a full 4K scan of the original camera negative, this film won't look better on home video.

A Little Romance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Little Romance further benefits from a terrific DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track, which preserves its one-channel roots and follows Warner Archives' usual commitment to authenticity. The memorable, Oscar-winning score by prolific French composer Georges Delerue (Platoon, The Day of the Dolphin) has never sounded better and, though similarly limited to one channel, is mixed evenly and rarely has to fight for attention -- if released by Twilight Time, this would have been a prime candidate for their trademark isolated music track. Dialogue is likely balanced nicely, but the regional dialects and other accents might necessitate the use of this Blu-ray's optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Sadly, the optional subtitles are formatted poorly in ALL CAPS (a pesky habit that I thought Warner Archive had kicked recently), although select lines of foreign dialogue include better-formatted but burned-in English subs.

A Little Romance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Little Romance arrives on Blu-ray in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover art and no inserts. Unfortunately, two extras from Warner Bros.' 2003 DVD -- a poster gallery and a 10-minute retrospective featurette with Diane Lane -- are not included, despite the latter being advertised on the disc packaging (which I'm told will be corrected).

• Theatrical Trailer (3:00) - A sweet and charming promotional piece that captures the film's plucky spirit very well. It's also available on Warner Bros.' official YouTube channel, if you haven't seen it yet.

A Little Romance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

George Roy Hill's A Little Romance remains a charming romantic drama that perfectly captures the impulsive nature of young love. Shot on location in beautiful Paris, Venice, and the surrounding areas, it's still visually captivating and a great time capsule. This also extends the to cast, which includes the striking debut of Diane Lane, a memorable late-career turn for Laurence Olivier, and a singular performance by Thelonious Bernard. All told, it's a great film to revisit some 40 years later and plays just as well today, although younger audiences may find themselves lost in translation. WAC's Blu-ray serves up another terrific A/V presentation, but the lack of extras -- including two that were not ported over from Warner Bros.' 2003 DVD -- is disappointing. Still recommended for fans and curious newcomers alike.