7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The classic fantasy/comedy based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play starring James Stewart in one of his finest performances as the good-natured Elwood P. Dowd, whose constant companion is Harvey, a six-foot tall rabbit that only he can see. When Elwood's sister Veta Louise reluctantly decides to have him committed to a mental hospital, a wonderously funny turn of events occurs.
Starring: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil KellawayImaginary | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS Mono
Spanish: DTS Mono
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (as download)
DVD copy
BD-Live
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Many children have imaginary friends with whom they play, occasionally fight, and who become convenient scapegoats should any accident like a broken household item be found by a parent. Typically these imaginary friends fade into nothingness as a child matures. The conceit of Harvey, Mary Chase’s ebullient farce which was a rare comedy to win the Pulitzer Prize (not to mention a rare comedy written by a woman to win the Pulitzer Prize), is that adults can have imaginary friends, too—unless the unseen friends aren’t imaginary. Oh, and of course one added bit of information: in this particular case, the imaginary friend (or, conversely, invisible real friend) is a giant rabbit named Harvey. Harvey’s gimmick sounds crazy, but that of course is part and parcel of the piece’s treatment of lead character Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart), a usually inebriated but kindly gentleman who insists he’s always being accompanied by a giant invisible bunny. Is Elwood off his rocker or just slightly—or more than slightly—eccentric? Harvey often plays like a traditional farce, especially once Elwood’s social climbing sister, Veta (Josephine Hull, who won an Academy Award for her delightful performance reprising her original Broadway role), decides she can’t stand the continual embarrassment of Elwood introducing the unseen Harvey to all the uppity matrons of the town and that institutionalization is the best solution. While there aren’t the slamming doors and misconstrued identities of traditional farce, there is another kind of confusion that presents copious fodder for hilarity in the central section of the film, as first Veta herself is deigned insane, and then slowly but surely various employees of the sanitarium where Elwood is supposed to be committed start thinking that Harvey may in fact be real. But underlying Harvey’s comedic exterior is a rather heartfelt little piece that has some cogent musings about what’s preferable in life—to be safely “sane” or to follow the whimsical influences of something unseen and ineffable.
Harvey is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. Harvey underwent a full scale restoration for this release, which may lead some to cry out, "Oh, no! Anything but that!", given Universal's spotty record with regard to its catalog on Blu-ray. The results here, however, are mostly outstanding. The one exception might be an element which Universal has recently talked about, namely "grain averaging", whereby digital noise reduction is supposedly mitigated. There's certainly grain throughout this presentation, but in scenes with an abundance of white, as in the credits sequence, the grain does have an odd, slightly unnatural look which may in fact speak to this so-called "grain averaging". The bulk of the film looks excellent, however, with a sharp, clear image, solid contrast and expressive blacks and well modulated gray scale. There are some slight problems with shadow detail, which were probably endemic to the elements, most of which crop up in the dimly lit interior scenes in Chumley's rest home. While this still probably won't completely satisfy those who are prone to dismiss Universal's catalog releases wholesale, I personally rate this at or near the top of Universal's recent glut of centenary releases. And, no, that is not damning this release with faint praise.
Harvey's fairly modest original soundtrack is delivered with good fidelity via a DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix (in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0). Aside from Frank Skinner's playful score, there's really not a lot of sonic "information" in this track, other than nonstop dialogue. The track does have a certain boxiness, especially in the midrange, but there's no real damage to report, and this lossless audio track faithfully reproduces the original mono charm that audience experienced during the film's theatrical exhibition.
Harvey is a sweet and charming film that will probably strike younger audiences as hopelessly old fashioned. Those younger folk should really give the film a closer look, however, for Mary Chase's writing rather smartly looks at attitudes of conformity and creativity from a decidedly skewed perspective. Stewart has never been more winning than he is as Elwood P. Dowd, and he manages to convey the slightly tipsy world of the story's hero without lapsing into parody. Hull is simply a delight in one of her two best known roles (she was one of the elderly sisters in Arsenic and Old Lace, another film it would be fantastic to see released on Blu-ray). This is a film full of quiet, gentle humor, a far cry from the in your face "comedies" that currently reside at multiplexes everywhere. Maybe that's why I love it so much. This Blu-ray could have used some more film-centric supplements, but the video is generally excellent and the audio acceptably decent within reasonable expectations. Highly recommended.
1932
1967
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1959
Warner Archive Collection
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