7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A nightclub dancer makes it big in modeling, leaving her dancer boyfriend behind.
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly (I), Lee Bowman, Phil Silvers, Jinx FalkenburgRomance | 100% |
Musical | 45% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
Music: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Charles Vidor's "Cover Girl" (1944) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive restored trailer for the film and a short archival interview with director Baz Luhrmann. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring writing on the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Irresistible beauty
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charles Vidor's Cover Girl arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from a recent 4K master that was prepared by Sony Pictures in the United States. Rather predictably, the entire film looks very healthy and has the type of consistent fluidity that high-quality masters ensure when done right. Detail and clarity are also very impressive, making it exceptionally easy to identity small nuances that are lost on the old DVD release of Cover Girl from this box set of Rita Hayworth films. The most obvious improvements are in during the darker and nighttime footage where there is expanded and new dimensionality that helps depth and even the overall color balance (blacks have new ranges). Density is consistent and convincing, though I can see that ideally it should be even a tad better. However, my guess is that the elements that were used to create the 4K master were not in optimal condition, which is why the type of density that exists on the 4K master that Criterion used for The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, for instance, could not be replicated. Color stability and balance are very good. Again, ideally saturation could be even a bit better, but I was extremely pleased with the current color palette and think that when projected the film has a strong and very convincing Technicolor appearance. There are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent -- there are no jumpy frames or distracting shaky transitions. Finally, as noted earlier, the film has been thoroughly cleaned up and it is virtually spotless. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
With music having such an important role in this film, optimal audio is indeed crucial. Fortunately, immediately after the opening credits appear it becomes obvious that the audio has been fully remastered. If there were ever any serious age-related imperfections it is now impossible to tell because clarity and stability remain consistently pleasing throughout the entire film. The range of dynamic nuances is of course quite modest, but this is a limitation of the original production and the sound design in particular, not a byproduct of sloppy remixing/remastering lab work. For the record, there are no distracting audio dropouts, pops, or distortions to report.
Cover Girl works for me because I love old-fashioned Hollywood glamour and beauty and this is essentially all that this musical offers. A special bonus of course is the presence of Rita Hayworth, who is impossibly gorgeous as the club dancer Rusty Parker. If you decide to add it to your collection, I also encourage you to consider Busby Berkeley's The Gang's All Here, which is a somewhat similar but even more lavish production from the same period. Eureka Entertainment's release of Cover Girl is sourced from an excellent recent 4K master that was prepared by Sony Pictures in the United States. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1957
1949
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1948
1945
Masters of Cinema
1943
1936
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1941
1960
1958
2008
1964
1980
1969
1990
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1932
2-Disc Sing-Along Edition
2018
Warner Archive Collection
1949