Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Cold Turkey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 26, 2018

Norman Lear's "Cold Turkey" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

She means business

If smoking wasn’t the cool fix that at the time a lot of Americans needed to make them feel good about their lives there is a decent chance that it would have been boozing. For a while Hollywood actually hyped up both -- the noir genre probably would have turned out to be something entirely different without them -- but then suddenly some ‘smart’ producers realized that smoking and boozing were very unhealthy habits and it would be in people’s best interest to drop them. Really? What about drugs? It is not unreasonable to speculate that Hollywood is largely responsible for making drugs an essential part of American culture, but how many films have been made that point a finger at the majors that even today continue to finance films that hype up drugs?

Cold Turkey is Norman Lear’s one and only film and over the years it has been praised as a wildly entertaining piece of satire that really gets how ridiculous America’s obsession with smoking was in the early ‘70s. To drive its point the film does two simple things: it becomes incredibly cynical and then produces a long series of wild contrasts that are meant to directly and indirectly shame the folks that can’t function without their daily dose of puffs. This is actually not a terrible concept for a film, but Lear sells Cold Turkey as a lot more socially aware project than it is, and the more one tries to justify the outlandish behavior that takes place before his camera, the clearer it becomes that he does not have anything meaningful to say. It is just one big circus of silliness that is an hour longer than it should be.

Here’s the plot: A supposedly brilliant mind at a big but struggling tobacco company convinces its owner, Hiram Grayson (Edward Everett Horton), and the board of directors that they can improve their sluggish earnings with an unusual promotional campaign. The company would cut a check for $25 million to any town in America that can give up smoking for 30 days and by getting the ‘experiment’ covered by every single radio and TV station in the country they would reach potential customers that no regular advertising campaign ever could. Of course they would never have to part ways with the check because no sane smoker would be able to last a month without his fix. But in the small town of Eagle Rock, Iowa, the eloquent Reverend Clayton Brooks (Dick Van Dyke) somehow convinces everyone that if they commit to the experiment and then support each other they can win, and when the company transfers the money together they will transform their town into the jewel of the Heartland. Soon after, all tobacco products are confiscated and volunteers organize a militia group to stop potential cheaters and opportunists from creating a black market.

The mayhem that hits Eagle Rock produces a few funny situations that will surely remind some viewers of Stanley Kramer’s It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, but the material is undoubtedly of inferior quality. Additionally, the bulk of this material is used for political mockery that feels incredibly amateurish. A much better approach would have been to double down on the action and create diverse situations in which the desired message emerges naturally. Unfortunately, after the experiment begins Lear remains content with the way things are and eventually ends the film in the most conventional of ways.

The cast also includes Pippa Scott (Petulia), Vincent Gardenia (Moonstruck), Jean Stapleton (TV’s Fire in the Dark), Graham Jarvis (A New Leaf), Tom Poston (The Old Dark House), and M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple), amongst others.

Cold Turkey 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, Norman Lear's Cold Turkey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release is sourced from a very nice remaster that must have been struck fairly recently. In fact, my only minor criticism pertains to the presence of some tiny white flecks that pop up here and there as well as a few small scratches. MGM could have spent a bit of time to remove them because there are not that many of them and they would have had a very solid remaster. The rest, though not ideal, I like quite a lot. There are a few areas where density should be better, but detail typically ranges from from good to very good while depth remains pleasing. What I like the most, however, is the fact that the entire remaster has a strong organic appearance and even when projected it retains a very convincing filmic quality. The ranges of primary colors and nuances is good, though I am certain that an elaborate restoration would have expanded both. Image stability is very good. All in all, while there is certainly room for some improvements this is a fine organic presentation that makes it very easy to enjoy Cold Turkey at home. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).

Cold Turkey 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. It is stable, clean, nicely rounded, and properly balanced. I don't know if any serious remastering work was performed, but the impressive stability and good depth is what I expect to hear from these types of catalog releases.

Cold Turkey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

Cold Turkey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the hands of a master director like Robert Altman a project like Cold Turkey almost certainly would have turned out to be something very special. Norman Lear gets a few things right but the mayhem that becomes the story of his film never really engages the mind as he undoubtedly intended. The whole thing very quickly evolves into a big circus of silliness that is an hour longer than it deserves to be. If you have been waiting for a proper release of Cold Turkey you will be pleased to know that Olive Films' upcoming release is sourced from a very nice organic remaster. However, there are no bonus features on it. RECOMMENDED, but if you can find it on sale.