7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Danny Fisher is a naive but talented nightclub singer whose climb to the top takes a dangerous detour when he gets tangled with New Orleans mobster Maxie, who "insists" that Danny play in his club.
Starring: Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger (I)Musical | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The 1958 film King Creole, Directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Casablanca), may have all the looks of a simple star vehicle from the outside, an opportunity for star Elvis Presley (Viva Las Vegas, Jailhouse Rock) to draw audiences with his butter-smooth baritone and timeless good looks. But audiences may be surprised to find that the film, based on Harold Robbins' 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher, embraces both Elvis-as-star and Elvis-as-serious-actor in a film that builds a compelling portrait of a young man in search of his place in the world. The film works through some complex character maneuverings as Danny Fisher, played by Presley, navigates troubled waters at school, on the streets, at work, in love, and through a fractured relationship with his unemployed father. Heartfelt, sometimes humorous, home to some great music, and compelling through its richly realized layers and spurred on by solid work from Elvis Presley, King Creole emerges as a solid all-around film and arguably the best from Elvis' cinema career.
King Creole' 1080p transfer is gorgeous, largely, with little evidence of significant processing. Paramount's Blu-ray retains a light, flattering grain structure that yields a healthy filmic façade that boosts the image's credentials in every shot. Textural finesse is excellent. The picture is sharp and sure with only the odd shot appearing otherwise soft or fuzzy. In general, though, details are thoroughly crisp and well defined, whether considering essentials like faces and clothes or stretching to explore backgrounds in the clubs (both on the floor and in backrooms), apartments, and the odds and ends scattered around the pharmacy where Danny's father eventually finds employment, troubled employment but employment nonetheless. The black and white photography impresses as well. The grayscale is sure and firm with solid black levels and, at the other end, pleasantly crisp whites, certainly neither nowhere near so precise as they might have been on a theoretical UHD release with Dolby Vision grading, but fans will be more than pleased with the spectrum as it's presented on Blu-ray. The image suffers from very few obviously visible print anomalies or fluctuations and there are no major encode failures of note, either. This is a very healthy and impressive Blu-ray presentation from Paramount.
King Creole's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is primarily a front-sided affair, focusing all of its attention across the three main channels and barely, if at all, engaging the surrounds in any meaningful way. Yet the track is well capable of a fruitful presentation as it is, boasting fine front end stretch and solid all-around elemental clarity. Musical performances -- from Presley's soft a cappella numbers to full band musical sensations -- enjoy fruitful clarity and engagement. The track doesn't deal in much more than light scattered ambience and there are no seriously hard-hitting action-type effects of note, either. Music and dialogue primarily propel the film forward. Spoken word definition is just fine, featuring firm center placement for the duration.
King Creole includes a single extra. Filmmaker Focus: 'King Creole' (1080p, 6:10) features Film Critic and Historian Leonard Maltin discussing Director Michael Curtiz's direction and his collaboration with Elvis Presley, Danny Fisher's believability and likability as a character, the film's aesthetics, Hal Wallis' work as producer, the music, the film's success, and more. This release is the 2nd in the "Paramount Presents" line and includes the slipcover with fold-open poster artwork. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase.
King Creole tells the compelling story of a young man in search of his place in the world. It's an old story but given a fresh perspective here thanks to Elvis Presley's quality performance as the lead and the complexities of his character's life and journey. He's surrounded by top talent and solid direction from the legendary Michael Curtiz. Paramount's Blu-ray, part of its prestigious "Paramount Presents" line, delivers high yield video and audio presentations in addition to a retrospective interview with Critic Leonard Maltin. Very highly recommended.
Paramount Presents #36
1961
1962
Limited Edition
1961
1973
2010
1980
1975
Warner Archive Collection
1966
Import
1993
1979
Limited Edition - SOLD OUT
1962
1963
2012
1959
Michael Flatley Returns
2011
2021
15th Anniversary Edition
1996
2019
2000
The Musical
1998