Go West Young Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Go West Young Man Blu-ray Movie Review

A classic starring Mae West.

Go West Young Man is a charming and entertaining comedy based on the play by Lawrence Riley. Produced by Emanuel Cohen (A Bedtime Story, The Girl From Scotland Yard), Go West Young Man is a classic showcase for the star-power of Hollywood legend Mae West. Fans of the beloved actress won't want to miss it.

Mavis Arden (Mae West) is in a pickle. The actress keeps finding herself looking for romance and she wants to get married. However, as a star in major Hollywood productions her contract requires her to not get married for the next five years. Her agent, Morgan (Warren William), strictly enforces a no-marriage rule and doesn't want to budge for Mavis to have a fling.

After a car crash during a Hollywood press tour, Mavis finds unexpected romance with the simple countryman Bud Norton (Randolph Scott). Yet gossip quickly springs forth (almost out of nowhere) and events spiral madly out of control. Can Mavis' career survive the romance?

West delivers a strong performance in the leading role. The actress manages to provide the production with her sly comedic sensibilities as well as her commanding sensuality. West is overtly sensual in a number of scenes (with a confident sensuality many other Hollywood actresses of the time-period weren't capable of). The role was a perfect fit for West and she brought her best to the production.

The cinematography by Karl Struss (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sunrise) is remarkable. The lush black and white visuals add to the stylistic flourishes of the production. The stylistic flourishes help to tell the story in a compelling way. Struss never seems to falter here and the end results are a film with so much visual pizzazz that classic film enthusiasts won't be able to resist.

Mae West: a glamorous starlet.

The art direction by Wiard Ihnen (Every Day's a Holiday, Top of the World) is a compelling element of the production. The design efforts make the production seem larger than life: with the outstanding sets and locations being wonderful to marvel at. The costume designs by Irene Jones stand out as well.

The music score by George Stoll (Looking for Love, Made in Paris) and Herbert Taylor (Racket Squad, Broadminded) adds to the experience. Stoll and Taylor deliver impressive work throughout the feature-film. The music provides a nice rhythm to the experience.

Edited by Ray Curtiss (The Way of All Men, Crash Dive), Go West Young Man is never poorly cut or over-long. The pace and tone of the production is well managed. Curtiss provides the film with a smart editorial eye.

One of the best elements of Go West Young Man is the screenplay by Mae West. The actress was also an accomplished writer and the storytelling here is particularly potent. The storytelling is fun and charming. The scenarios are compelling to watch unfold and the pace is effective from start to finish.

Henry Hathaway (How the West Was Won, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine) directs. Go West Young Man is a fun comedy and Hathaway remembers to shine the spotlight on Mae West throughout the production. The entire film revolves around West and Hathaway never forgets that. A solid effort, indeed. Don't miss it.

Go West Young Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Go West Young Man is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. The release features a strong presentation of the feature-film. Though the release doesn't come from a new 2K or 4K scan, the source-material used for the presentation is surprisingly worthwhile. The print is in excellent shape overall. The scan does have thin scratches on occasion but the majority of the print is clean and free from damage. There were no significant issues to report with the scan (such as telecine wobble or print burn marks).

Go West Young Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio mono. The lossless audio is good overall and is a nice accompaniment to the video presentation. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand from start to finish. The track never struggles to present the sound design. There were no serious issues to report in regards to egregious hiss, crackle, warps, pops, and clicks. A solid audio presentation.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

Go West Young Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: Night After Night (SD, 2:39), I'm No Angel (SD, 1:58), Belle of the Nineties (HD, 1:54), Goin' to Town (SD, 1:42), Every Day's a Holiday (HD, 2:27), My Little Chickadee (SD, 1:36), Pittsburgh (SD, 2:05), and The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (SD, 1:42).

Go West Young Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Go West Young Man is an entertaining experience. The film stars Hollywood legend Mae West in the leading role. Fans of the classic film star will want to check it out. The Blu-ray release features a quality presentation. Kino Lorber has done a nice job with the release. Recommended.