April Love Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

April Love Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 7, 2015

Quick: it’s the mid- to late fifties and there’s a film in development that requires a young male to play a juvenile delinquent type. Unfortunately, James Dean has met his tragic end, but certainly there are other exciting young performers with the right persona to handle the role, right? Paul Newman? Marlon Brando? Maybe even that upstart Elvis Presley, who would after all at this point just be getting his feet wet in pictures with Jailhouse Rock? Presley might have been an especially smart choice given the fact that April Love is a kind of quasi-musical (a few songs, but not quite as many as in a traditional "tuner"), but in a bit of casting whimsy which may bring a smile to the lips of more cynically inclined curmudgeons, one Charles Eugene Boone was gifted with the role of errant youth Nick Conover. Boone, better known by his nickname Pat, was certainly one of the more “white bread,” seemingly inherently “safe,” stars of his era, and had already made his mark in the recording industry, where ironically he ultimately was runner up to Presley in terms of chart activity in the second half of the decade. Boone had already gotten his first feature film role a bit earlier in 1957 in Bernardine, though that film had not yet been released at the time April Love went into production (Bernardine evidently opened a mere two days before April Love in late November of 1957). Boone acquits himself quite admirably in April Love, though, albeit with an understanding that Nick isn't really bad, just "misunderstood."

Nick arrives at the slightly ramshackle Kentucky farm of his Aunt Henrietta (Jeanette Nolan), the sister of Nick’s mother. It becomes evident as Henrietta speaks to her husband, Jed (Arthur O’Connell), that Jed isn’t exactly thrilled to have Nick staying with them, as evidently Nick has been run out of Chicago after having been caught in a stolen car. Terms of his probation include him staying on the straight and narrow path with his aunt and uncle. At their first dinner together, Jed makes it clear he expects a number of non-negotiables from Nick, including good manners, respect and hard work around the farm. In the meantime, Nick has noticed pictures of a young man in military garb scattered around the house, and the implication, later fulfilled in dialogue, is clear: Henrietta and Jed have lost their own son in the then recent Korean conflict.

Jed, Jr.’s death in fact evidently depressed the elder Jed so much that he has let the farm fall into disrepair. Only one remaining stallion, an excitable black horse named Tugfire which had been Jed, Jr.’s favorite, remains as a reminder of the greatness that once was. Tugfire doesn’t suffer fools (or greenhorns) gladly, though, as Nick finds out early in the film. That’s not the case with winsome neighbor girl Liz Templeton (Shirley Jones), who introduces Nick to the “joys” of riding bareback (no euphemism intended, especially as this was a late fifties’ “family” film). Liz ends up having a bit of competition for Nick’s attention courtesy of her own sister Fran (Dolores Michaels), a lass who prefers the pleasures of a sports car to any mere equine.

There’s nothing very complicated or unexpected about April Love, as Nick and Liz gently find their way to true romance while Nick manages to make Uncle Jed realize he’s a pretty good guy after all, something that Nick’s ability to finally forge a relationship with Tugfire helps to accomplish. The film has a racing subplot that ultimately provides an exciting climax, and director Henry Levin very smartly uses the extremely picturesque Kentucky countryside to great advantage throughout the film. It’s notable that both stars Shirley Jones and Pat Boone look like they did at least some of their own stunt driving in the so-called sulkies, the pretty rickety looking horse drawn “chariots” that play an important part in some of the on screen activities.

April Love Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

April Love is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Your reaction to this transfer will probably be at least partially dependent on whether you're a "glass half full" or "glass half empty" sort of person, as well as whether or not you've seen previous home video releases of the film, all of which were problematic at best and abysmal at worst. The improvement in detail and color are unmistakable on this new (reportedly restored) version, but that doesn't mean there aren't still problems. The biggest issue is in fact with the color, which is slightly brown-green a lot of the time, something that tends to afflict flesh tones in an unhealthy way, making them look almost oily at times. Blues are still very vibrant, making some of the location work in and around Lexington look very good, at least when there are clear skies involved, and the bright pop of red on Fran's sporty Austin-Healy looks surprisingly robust (at least when compared to some of the rest of the palette). Greens are a bit anemic, meaning the lovely Kentucky countryside never really pops with incredible immediacy. Detail is decent if a bit underwhelming, even in some close-ups (see screenshot 1). Grain is also just slightly variable, though generally speaking resolves naturally and provides some depth and texture to the image. Contrast is occasionally slightly anemic, leading to a lack of detail in elements like Tugfire's obsidian face.

April Love Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

April Love features a fulsome sounding lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one that sports excellent fidelity and which resides confidently in the surrounds during the sung moments, if perhaps a bit less generally speaking. There are some odd changes in ambient reverb and general tonality that probably point to some post looping for occasional lines, but overall things are consistent sounding, with a really full bodied midrange and lower end which capably support Boone's sonorous singing. The high end is perhaps not quite as full sounding, but still provides more than sufficient support for Jones' lilting soprano. Dialogue is cleanly presented and fidelity remains excellent throughout the soundtrack. Boone's rendition of the Academy Award nominated title song went to Number One shortly after the film's release.

April Love Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary offers star Shirley Jones hosted by Twilight Time's Nick Redman.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (480p; 2:32)

April Love Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Years ago when MTV was actually showing honest to goodness music videos (imagine such a thing), VJ Mark Goodman made me laugh out loud one day when he introduced a video by erstwhile Chicago frontman Peter Cetera by calling Cetera "Danger Man," an obviously pointed (and probably snarky) commentary on Cetera's squeaky clean, "white bread" image. Boone would probably be the last person most casting agents would think of to fill the part of an errant quasi-delinquent, being about as "dangerous" as Cetera was deemed to be decades later. Perhaps surprisingly, he pulls off the role in April Love with considerable charm and aplomb, but of course the film doesn't exactly posit Nick as a menace to society. Boone and Jones make an appealing, if awfully homogenous, couple, and the film, while lightweight, is undeniably sweet and entertaining. Video is somewhat problematic on this release, and so interested consumers are encouraged to look over the screencaptures accompanying this review. With that caveat, April Love comes Recommended.