Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 18, 2016

Stanley Donen's "Bedazzled" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Capelight Pictures. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film, video interview with actor Barry Humphries, and video interview with Harold Ramis. In English, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The romantic nun

Stanley Moon (Dudley Moore, 10) is a short-order cook who works in a small café somewhere in the middle of London. He is also the most miserable man on earth because he is madly in love with the beautiful waitress Margaret (Eleanor Bron, Two For the Road) but is too shy to tell her how he feels about her.

On the day when he finally gathers the courage to end his life, Stanley is approached by the Devil (Peter Cook, The Bed Sitting Room) and offered seven wishes for his soul. Slightly intimidated but excited by the possibility of winning Margaret’s heart, Stanley quickly shakes hands with the Devil and then the two turn their attention to the beautiful girl.

Soon after, however, the romantic cook begins to realize that the Devil is too smart and has a much different plan for his future. Then he also concludes that it is only a matter of time before he runs out of wishes and the Devil gets what he is after.

This classic comedy from director Stanley Donen isn’t quite as silly as it may seem at first. It does have its fair share of average jokes, but it is also unusually honest in its depiction of the many weaknesses that define human beings. It is why it works -- it tries hard to be funny but it does not insult the intelligence of its audience.

The film is broken into multiple episodes in which Stanley does his best to impress Margaret and make her fall in love with him. It never works -- the Devil always finds a way to trick him and he fails in a number of different ways. In each episode Margaret also finds a way to hurt him and ultimately make him feel even more miserable.

The conversations between Stanley and the Devil are loaded with great references and observations that make the film quite a treat. Basically, Donen uses them to hit all sorts of different targets and state some truths that would have never made it in a ‘serous’ film. (Pay close attention how the Devil describes the imperfect world God has created).

Moore and Cook are wonderful together. There is lightness in their performances that is balanced with proper energy that makes them very easy to like. There are a number of memorable cameos as well. Raquel Welch looks simply stunning as Lilian Lust, Barry Humphries is Envy, Howard Goorney is Sloth, and Michael Bates becomes Inspector Clarke.

Cinematographer Austin Dempster’s lensing is simple but effective. There are a few transitions here and there that feel a bit uneven but the pacing never suffers.

Moore created the film’s diverse soundtrack. It blends some quite seductive jazzy solos and great upbeat pieces with an authentic Swinging Sixties vibe. “Strip Club”, “Love Me” (with great vocals), “Lillian Lust” and “Goodbye George” are absolutely brilliant.

In 2000, Harold Ramis directed a remake of Bedazzled with Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, and Frances O'Connor. While entertaining at times, it is nowhere near as good as the original film.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.63:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stanley Donen's Bedazzled arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Capelight Pictures.

The release has been sourced from a pre-existing master which was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox (it was accessed via Hollywood Classics). Despite some minor inconsistencies, the basics that we typically address in our reviews are quite strong. Indeed, detail and clarity are very pleasing. During the daylight footage depth and fluidity are also quite nice (see screencapture #4). During the indoor footage where light isn't restricted detail is consistently pleasing as well (see screencapture #3). Colors are natural and appear well balanced. Some nuances could be expanded, but there is already a very good range of healthy tonalities. Contrast and brightness levels remain stable. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. The encoding could have been optimized a bit better and the end result would have been even more convincing, but the film does have a good organic appearance. There are no traces of recent sharpening adjustments. A few dirt specks and very tiny scratches pop up, but there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks or torn frames. Overall image stability is excellent. All in all, there is some room for improvement, but this is a strong organic presentation of Bedazzled. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The English track is solid. Clarity and depth are very good and the music is always well balanced. This said, the dynamic intensity is rather modest, but this should be surprising considering the age of the film. The dialog is stable, clean, and always very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Barry Humprhies - in this archival interview, actor Barry Humphries (Envy) discusses his acting career and contribution to Bedazzled. In English, with optional German subtitles. (24 min).

• A Bedazzled Conversation with Harold Ramis - in this archival interview, director Harold Ramis discusses the great chemistry between Dudley Moore and Peter Cook and some of the unique qualities of their characters in Bedazzled. In English, with optional German subtitles. (6 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Stanley Donen's Bedazzled. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Harold Ramis' Bedazzled. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A very shy short-order cook is approached by the Devil and offered seven wishes for his soul in this classic comedy from director Stanley Donen. Dudley Moore and Peter Cook are absolutely terrific together and the beautiful Raquel Welch has a memorable cameo as the irresistible Lilian Lust. In 2000, Harold Ramis directed a pretty good remake with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, but the original film is clearly superior. If you can play Region-B releases, consider adding Bedazzled to your collections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.