Here Is My Heart Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Here Is My Heart Blu-ray Movie Review

Here Is My Heart is an engaging and entertaining musical comedy with a lot of fun and showstopping numbers throughout the film. The feature-film is based on a play by Alfred Savoir (Dressed to Thrill, Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife). Produced by Louis D. Lighton (Wings, Captains Courageous), the film is charming from beginning to end and stars Bing Crosby, Kitty Carlisle, and Roland Young.

Jasper Jones (Bing Crosby) is a popular and beloved singer who is renowned for his energetic and fun musical numbers. Yet despite his claim to fame as a singer, Mr. Jones is unknown to the woman that he most desires to be with: Princess Alexandra (Kitty Carlisle). During a trip in the French Riviera, Mr. Jones takes an unexpected journey in the guise of a would-be penniless and hapless waiter who serves food to Princess Alexandra alongside Prince Nicholas (Roland Young) and Countess Rostova (Alison Skipworth). Determined that romance is possible, Mr. Jones will stop at nothing to win her affection – one dinner plate served at a time.

The performances are enormously charming. The most charming performance in the film comes from Bing Crosby. Crosby is an all-time great – a legend – and the performance here is a great example as to why the star became such a wonderful, essential, and charming lead. Kitty Carlisle is also excellent in the film and she does a good job playing opposite Crosby. Though Crosby is the scene stealer and the one to provide the biggest laughs, Carlisle deserves accolades as well.

The art direction by Hans Dreier (Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd.) and Ernst Fegté (Destination Moon, Five Graves to Cairo) is an impressive and engaging element of the production. The artistic element inside of the hotel is quite wonderful and the designs make a good impression. Wonderful artistic elements make the filmmaking excel all the more.

The costumes by Travis Banton (The Paradine Case, Letter from an Unknown Woman) are fantastic fun. The costuming is quite excellent in the production. The gowns and attire used for the film make this a more effective and compelling production. Plenty of excellent work done here by Banton.

The score composed by John Leipold (The Big Wheel, Two Yanks in Trinidad) and Heinz Roemheld (The Lady from Shanghai, The Strawberry Blonde) is a pure delight. There is plenty of charm to the score compositions. The music certainly adds a lot to the production and without it the film wouldn’t be capable of soaring to such heights as a musical.

One of the other essential elements to the production comes in the form of the songs. The wonderful song tunes are a huge part of the film viewing experience. The song selections in Here Is My Heart include “Love Is Just Around the Corner” and “June in January” (and these tracks are wonderful). Without such engaging songs, the filmmaking wouldn’t be as entertaining.

The cinematography by Karl Struss (Sunrise, The Great Dictator) is a beautiful element of the film. The cinematography is elegant and serene. Struss is a fantastic cinematographer. Arguably one of the best early-era Hollywood cinematographers (with Sunrise being one of the most beautifully lensed films ever made), Here Is My Heart is a gorgeous accomplishment, too – the visuals are incredible.

The screenplay by Edwin Justus Mayer (To Be or Not to Be, Midnight) and Harlan Thompson (Ship Café , Married in Hollywood) is charming old fashioned fun. The script is breezy and comedic. The writers certainly have fun with the concept and bring the best out of these characters. There are some enjoyable laugh out loud moments and plenty of scenes that will have audiences smiling.

Directed by Frank Tuttle (Springtime for Henry, The Studio Murder Mystery), Here Is My Heart is an under-seen gem. The classic musical is all about the crazy things people will sometimes do for love. Tuttle has a blast exploring the zany antics of Bing Crosby while his character is pursuing his dream woman – serving up meals one at a time. Tuttle has a great knack for comedy and bringing out the absolute best from the cast. The results are terrific. Here Is My Heart is well worth seeking out.

Here Is My Heart Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Universal, Here Is My Heart is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. The presentation is excellent overall and looks quite splendid throughout the transfer. Not perfect but still excellent.  

The print is in generally good shape. Despite my enthusiasm for the presentation, I still feel the transfer could have looked even better with a more robust 2K or 4K restoration. However, Universal delivers a solid transfer and a good encode. This is certainly a worthwhile disc and one that is well worth picking up.

Here Is My Heart Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio encoding on the release is an excellent part of the viewing experience. The audio clarity is quite strong and the film dialogue, score, and music selections all sound pleasing on the release. A strong audio encoding. Worthwhile audio clarity and with better depth to the encoding than expected.

Here Is My Heart Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes no bonus features whatsoever and this is the most disappointing aspect of the release. The Blu-ray release does not even include a main menu selection. The disc simply starts the feature-film presentation when the disc is inserted in to the player. This was surprising and a little bit disappointing.

Here Is My Heart Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Here Is My Heart is an entertaining and engaging classic Hollywood musical. The production has a lot of great qualities. Star Bing Crosby is a wonderful performer and he brings his best to the film. This fun classic is worth watching for Crosby alone. The actor delivers plenty of charm with his performance.

The Blu-ray release includes a solid video and audio presentation. The lossless audio is certainly a nice aspect of the release: it capably reproduces the score and song selections. The only significant arena where the release disappoints is the supplemental package. The release includes no extras and the release begins playing back the film immediately (with no main menu). Despite some slight qualms, the release comes recommended.