Easy Living Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Easy Living Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining classic with a great storyline and a terrific lead performance by actress Jean Arthur

Easy Living is a romantic-comedy featuring the star-power of leads Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, and Ray Milland. Based upon the original story written by Vera Caspary (Laura, A Letter to Three Wives), the feature was produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr. (Witness for the Prosecution, The Asphalt Jungle). A charming film with enormous heart and good old-fashioned entertainment, classic film enthusiasts have much to enjoy with this tale of rags-to-riches.

The beautiful sweetheart Mary Smith (Jean Arthur) is enjoying her ever-so-ordinary day when a big coat comes falling out of a window and right onto her shoulders. Tossed away like a piece of garbage by an enormously wealthy banker, the coat (worth around $60,000) is soon to change the life of Mary as everyone around her starts treating her like royalty and even things that were once hard to come by now are received with total ease. In mere moments, Mary's quiet life of living in poverty changed to previously unknown wealth.

Rent is no longer a problem for Mary and the housing agent she works with even want to give her a housing discount (and it is clearly because of her perceived status). Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Easy Living finds a smart and entertaining way to talk about the economics of the time-period (while providing entertainment to the masses upon the film's release). Sadly, it is quite clear that these concepts remain all-too-familiar today. As Mary delves into high-society with ease everyone around her starts to assume she is now the mistress of the banker. This complicates her newfound romantic entanglement with the charming John Ball Jr. (Ray Milland), who works as a waiter while flirting with Mary at every opportunity.

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At the forefront the film's classic charm is the undeniably gorgeous Jean Arthur and her whimsy in the leading role. Arthur carries the film and makes the entire experience far more entertaining. Adding to the filmmaking with her enormous talent and craft, Arthur helps the story become more emotional in its foundation (and therefore more relatable) as the gravitas of the great depression is an undercurrent within the film.

The production has lush black and white cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff (Notorious, The Talk of the Town) that gives a ethereal style in each frame. Given the fact that the storyline revolves around the lead character receiving a beautiful coat it's no surprise that the costumes designed by Travis Banton (Shanghai Express, Scarlet Street) are high class examples of the fashion of the time-period. The sets and production design work also add a great deal to the filmmaking.

The screenplay was written by the prolific Hollywood screenwriter Preston Sturges (Hail the Conquering Hero, Sullivan's Travels). The film's greatest asset is the script. It's a fun story, tightly written, and highly intelligent. Mitchell Leisen (Death Takes a Holiday, Remember the Night) brings it to life as director and adds both a sense of comedic heft and dramatic weight. The film manages to be a audience-pleasing experience without sacrificing the artistic merits of the production. Leisen didn't cut corners and he brings the best out of his terrific cast. Easy Living is an enjoyable fantasy which rewards viewers with food-for-thought regarding economic disparities at the same time.

Easy Living Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Easy Living is presented in the original 1.37:1 full frame aspect ratio. The presentation is generally strong throughout the entire run-time. There is a good amount of detail and definition. The image is mostly clean and clear with only minor marks on the print. Most of the presentation looks pristine and the source utilized was clearly a superior one. This is not a old, worn-out print but an impressively clear one that shows little signs of wear. Black levels look healthy and while not pitch-black are satisfactory. The cinematography shines on this encode and the presentation delivers. From the beautiful costumes to the set designs, the transfer manages to eek out fine detail in the image with precision.

Easy Living Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio on this release is presented with a lossless DTS HD MA track. The dual mono audio presentation does a good job of preserving the original sound design which was created for the film. Dialogue on this release is well-reproduced. The release has excellent clarity and audio fidelity for a film of its age and does a capable job of presenting the soundstage. Though there isn't much activity on the track when one compares it to a modern production, the audio track still manages to be enjoyable with the dialogue consistently coming through clean and clear from start to finish. There were no issues with glaring hiss or any issues with audio dropouts. Optional English subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are also provided.

Easy Living Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger

The release also includes a selection of theatrical trailers promoting other Kino Lorber releases:

Death Takes a Holiday (SD, 2 min. 23 sec.), A Foreign Affair (SD, 1 min. 1 sec.), Nothing Sacred (SD, 2 min. 05 sec.), and The Young in Heart (HD, 3 min. 25 sec.)

Easy Living Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Easy Living is certainly an easy recommendation: the filmmaking is entertaining and manages to cast a spell from beginning to end. The lead actress, Jean Arthur, is absolutely terrific in the film and makes the entire experience a worthwhile one that stands out from the crowd. With a superb concept, quality execution, and a undeniably strong video-audio presentation, the Blu-ray release of Mitchell Leison's Easy Living is one that is certainly worth adding to one's collection. Fans of classic cinema should feel inclined to take a look.