7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In this comedy, John Paul Steckler is a destroyer escort commander at the close of WWII. His wedding night is interrupted when he is summoned by the Defense Department. The navy has no record of his boat ever being returned, and he must either produce the boat or pay for it.
Starring: Jerry Lewis, Dina Merrill, Diana Spencer, Mickey Shaughnessy, Robert MiddletonRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jerry Lewis is about as “your mileage may vary” an actor as they come, either seducing or repelling audiences with his practiced mugging, pratfalls, and penchant for exaggerating comedic situations. While in possession of a wildly uneven filmography, Lewis seems relatively fresh and invested for 1959’s “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which is one of his early solo efforts. Eager to please and willing to try out some unusual locations for screen mischief, Lewis is appealingly committed to the picture, which doesn’t always match his energy levels.
"Newly mastered in HD from a 4K scan," "Don't Give Up the Ship" makes a satisfying impression on Blu-ray. The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is welcoming, supporting original cinematography with clarity, offering generous detail to support Lewis's antics, highlighting facial particulars and set ornamentation, keeping backgrounds crisp. Textures are also welcome during underwater sequences, selling the surroundings. Delineation is sharp and whites are controlled. Source is in fine shape, with only a few mild scratches and pops of damage detected.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is surprisingly hearty, offering a pleasingly loud listening experience that supports the slapstick antics with ideal clarity. Dialogue exchanges sound good, preserving performance detail and manic behavior, without muffling issues. Scoring supports as intended, with defined instrumentation. Atmospherics are evocative, capturing interior echo and underwater pressure.
There is no supplementary material on this disc.
"Don't Give Up the Ship" isn't consistent, and one can sense Lewis straining to make flatlining scenes funny, but there's plenty of spirited action to enjoy, and the feature's unexpectedly open appreciation for the promise of marital sex is amusing. Perhaps this isn't premiere Lewis, but "Don't Give Up the Ship" has its share of laughs and strange visuals, keeping it engaging, but far from a classic.
1959
1939
East of Shanghai
1931
1937
1941
The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection
1937
1967
1981
Warner Archive Collection
1932
1958
1936
Warner Archive Collection
1948
1938
1938
1963
1927
1963
1937
2023
1940