6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In a series of vignettes, Woody Allen reveals the fools we all become in the name of sex.
Starring: Woody Allen, Gene Wilder, John Carradine, Lynn Redgrave, Burt ReynoldsComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is also available as part of the set Woody Allen: Six Films 1971-1978.
The six films included in a new set from Arrow comprise some of Woody Allen’s best known and best loved offerings, but they also provide a
nice
window into Allen’s evolution from a schtick and gag laden auteur to a filmmaker with something obviously a bit deeper on his
mind
than “only” going for the gusto in terms of laughs. Tracing the kind of frankly odd route from Bananas to Interiors
may not provide much grist for a mill interested in narrative through lines, but it at least provides ample evidence that Allen, no matter how he’s
seen
currently within the context of his external “baggage,” has always been a relentlessly unique force in the contemporary film world. Allen’s
filmmaking
craft also increases exponentially over the half dozen films in this set, and one of the more interesting things to pay attention to is how his
directorial
chops noticeably improved in terms of even relatively simple things like framings and how to set up a shot for maximum impact. But Allen’s
writing
went through a similar metamorphosis, slowly but surely turning away from, or at least relying less upon, sight gags and just downright
goofiness in
favor of more intellectually prone humor. Allen continues to be a divisive figure, not just in the annals of cinema but (not to state the obvious)
for some
of the personal choices he’s made through the years (not to mention allegations that have been leveled against him), but these six films, most
done
before any major “brouhahas” had started to append “meta” analyses to his offerings, are an often stunning example of a brilliant comedic mind
who
also began to nurture his more dramatic tendencies.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. (This disc is locked Region B.) This film, like Bananas, its sibling in the Woody Allen: Six Films 1971-1978 set, hasn't yet been released on Blu-ray in the United States, but very much like Bananas, its overall video presentation falls pretty much in line with many of the other Allen offerings culled from the MGM/UA archives that have been released for the American market. There's a bit more of a heterogeneous quality to the look of this film, simply due to the different settings and styles, but my overall reaction to the transfer is that it may be just slightly on the dark side. This tends to deplete shadow definition and general detail levels in any number of darker scenes, and, again as with Bananas, there's a fair amount of crush where things like black clothing can more or less disappear into the surrounding shadows. When the film ventures out of doors or provides a brightly lit sequence, the palette pops quite well and detail levels are generally very good, though it should be noted that some of the film is intentionally soft (some of the dewy moments in the jester sequences with Lynn Redgrave, for example). As noted above in the main body of the review, the What's My Perversion? sequence is in black and white and distressed to resemble a jittery, slightly "ghosty" looking, kinescope. Grain is pretty coarse and even chunky looking at times (again, as with Bananas), but generally resolves very naturally. Elements have typical age related issues like dirt and flecks, but nothing that's overly problematic.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* features an LPCM 2.0 mono track that encounters a few hurdles but which generally provides an enjoyable listening experience. There's some built in damage to elements like the archival opening recording of "Let's Misbehave", which is suitably "crackly" and "poppy" as befits something probably sourced off of an old acetate or 78 rpm recording. There's another kind of odd anomaly during the Gene Wilder sequence where he's having dinner with his "wife", Elaine Giftos. There's a low frequency hum that suddenly intrudes, but there's also a piano solo cue used as underscore, and that problem may be endemic to that piece, since the hum ends when the piano stops. Otherwise, things may not be overwhelmingly impressive, but have relatively little to complain about. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and some of the fun sound effects (especially in the film's sci-fi finale) ring quite impressively.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* is a bit of a grab bag for Allen, and as such its general quality tends to ebb and flow through the various vignettes. There's certainly something here for everyone (so to speak), and those who are already attuned to early Allen neuroticism blended with an overactive libido will no doubt find laughs, albeit perhaps more sporadically than in other early Allen efforts. Technical merits are generally very good, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* comes Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Arrow Academy
1971
Arrow Academy
1978
Arrow Academy
1991
Arrow Academy
1975
Arrow Academy
1990
Arrow Academy
1983
Arrow Academy
1973
Arrow Academy
1984
Arrow Academy
1982
Arrow Academy
1987
Arrow Academy
1980
Arrow Academy
1989
Birds of a Feather
1978
Arrow Academy
1985
2019
Los amantes pasajeros
2013
1930
1970
Arrow Academy
1988
40th Anniversary Edition
1982-1989