7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Screen legends Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper star in the classic screwball comedy Bluebeard's Eighth Wife directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Set on the French Riviera, the charming daughter (Colbert) of a destitute aristocrat (Edward Everett Horton) catches the eye of a dashing millionaire (Gary Cooper). After a brief courtship, she accepts his marriage proposal, only to find out on their wedding day that he has been down the aisle before - seven times! Determined to teach him a lesson, she makes a mockery of their matrimony in a variety of side-splitting situations.
Starring: Claudette Colbert, Gary Cooper, Edward Everett Horton, David Niven, Elizabeth PattersonRomance | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ernst Lubitsch's "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" (1938) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
I'll take the other piece
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bluebeard's Eighth Wife arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an older but good master. Indeed, there are no traces of problematic digital work and a lot of the visuals covey pleasing depth and delineation. Even density levels are quite strong, though a newer master will undoubtedly improve grain stability and exposure. The grading job is convincing. There is room for meaningful rebalancing work, but I can assure you that the current grading will not disappoint you. Image stability is good. A few minor specks, scratches, and dark spots can be seen, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report in our review. All in all, considering the fact that the OCN is unavailable and the film isn't fully restored, the current technical presentation is actually very pleasing. (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).
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 clear and stable. The upper register is also clean, though this is the only area where I think that some minor cosmetic work can still be done. Balance is very good. There are no audio dropouts or other similar encoding anomalies to report.
There isn't enough of the Lubitsch wit in Bluebeard's Eighth Wife to make its cynicism compatible with the humor. The truths that emerge in it are admirable, but they are part of a predictable theater whose needy characters are awfully easy to forget. Frankly, I'd recommend Bluebeard's Eighth Wife only to Lubitsch completists or die-hard fans of Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert, and even then I would still suggest that you explore other titles before it. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older but nice organic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. RENT IT.
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