6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A man who has set up the perfect lifestyle for himself makes the mistake of marrying while drunk... and his fantasies of murder are used against him.
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas, Claire Trevor, Mary WickesComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
How to Murder Your Wife certainly had one of the more intentionally provocative titles of a mid-sixties film, one that initial audiences viewing the film may have been lured into believing—if only for the briefest of moments—was supposed to be taken seriously. The redolent tones of Terry-Thomas play on this instant of gullibility as the film starts, with a voiceover suggesting that the audience must be made up entirely of males, since no husband in his right mind would ever bring his spouse to a film with this title. Terry-Thomas portrays Charles Firbank, a “gentleman’s gentleman” to an initially unseen character named Stanley Ford (Jack Lemmon). Charles, breaking the fourth wall (as he continues to do throughout the film), addresses the audience “personally,” informing them of Stanley Ford’s carefree, bachelor lifestyle, one that is filled with midtown Manhattan luxuries, including an impressive brownstone, a custom shower set to match Ford’s temperature of 98. 7 degrees and, of course, Charles himself. How to Murder Your Wife may have caught 1965 audiences by surprise not just due to its title, for the film is rather slyly discursive in finally getting around to its central plot. Instead, for the opening several minutes and through a number of initial sequences, it seems that perhaps Stanley is the sort of jet setting bachelor who was then currently one of cinema’s major phenomena—namely, an international spy with a three digit code name (number?). When Charles outfits Stanley with a pistol and Stanley then picks up a gaggle of characters who would be at home in any James Bond flick, it might appear that the “murder” alluded to in the title is going to be part and parcel of some huge espionage caper that somehow involves Stanley and (one assumes) Charles.
How to Murder Your Wife is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. This is a watchable if fairly modest transfer that has the look of perhaps having been prepared during the DVD era. Elements are in okay if occasionally damaged condition, but colors have faded slightly but noticeably toward the brown end of things, and there is slight but quite noticeable edge enhancement on display, a tendency which is most obvious in outdoor locations, and so perhaps gets a bit more of a pass than it should since so much of this film takes place inside. There's quite a bit of grain in evidence which resolves naturally. While this is a fairly soft looking presentation, close-ups can still reveal decent fine detail (see screenshot 11, notably the tiny hairs on the left side of Lisi's elegant neck). The presentation actually looks considerably better in motion than some of these screenshots might suggest, and so some viewers may feel a higher score is warranted.
How to Murder Your Wife features a nicely detailed lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which capably supports the film's dialogue and the very fun score by Neal Hefti, who was just entering his most productive period in films and television. Fidelity is fine, with no problems to report.
How to Murder Your Wife's title may have raised a few eyebrows back in the day, but the film manages to cartwheel through a dizzying array of plot machinations to deliver an often ebullient and very funny display of true love triumphing in the end. Jack Lemmon and Terry-Thomas are incredibly fun together and the supporting cast in this film simply can't be topped. Technical merits are good (video) to excellent (audio), and How to Murder Your Wife comes Recommended.
2009
1955
Warner Archive Collection
1941
2003
1986
80th Anniversary Edition
1936
1964
2013
2011
1940
1963
Limited Edition to 3000
1964
Filmmakers Signature Series
1989
Extended Cut
2008
1962
Rental Copy
2015
1935
1964
1961
2003