Ladies Should Listen Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Ladies Should Listen Blu-ray Movie Review

A strong-performance by the great Cary Grant.

Ladies Should Listen is an entertaining romantic-comedy with an impressive lead performance by Cary Grant. Based on the play by Alfred Savoir and Guy Bolton, there is plenty of comedic fun to be had with this underrated classic. Produced by Douglas MacLean (Laugh and Get Rich, Cracked Nuts), Ladies Should Listen is something both genders should listen-to: check it out.

Julian De Lussac (Cary Grant) is a charming bachelor living in Paris. Unfortunately for Julian, his girlfriend is actually a con artist with a scheme to swindle him. Luckily for Julian, he speaks to a switchboard operator, Anna Mirelle (Frances Drake). Anna lives in the same building and falls in love with Julian during the course of their conversations. Learning of the con-artist ways of Julian's girlfriend, Anna decides to take matters in to her own hands and set things right. Will true love win?

The number one reason to see the film is the entertaining performance by star Cary Grant. The actor is undeniably charming and capable of carrying the production. The star knows how to deliver dramatic and comedic wonder throughout the role. Grant makes the entire experience all the more interesting.

"Did you order the pizza yet?!"

The original music score composed by Tom Satterfield (Belle of the Nineties, The Gilded Lily) is also worthwhile. The music gives the film a fun background score to liven things up a bit. Given the comedic elements of the story, the score manages to be a contribute a solid tone to these scenes.

The costume designs by Travis Banton (Shanghai Express, Trouble in Paradise) are similarly impressive and manage to work for each actor in the film. Grant's costume seems authentic for his character. Actress Frances Drake often looks dashing in her attire. The efforts of Banton are certainly commendable.

Featuring art direction by Hans Freier (The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity) and Ernst Fegté (The Princess and the Pirate, Five Graves to Cairo), Ladies Should Listen is an impressive production. There are many elements which seem well constructed. Not only are the sets and designs strong, everything about the cinematography by Henry Sharp (Duck Soup, The Hidden Hand) impresses. Throughout the film, the black-and-white cinematography gave the film a nice visual aesthetic that befit the story.

Directed by Frank Tuttle (Springtime for Henry, True to the Navy), the filmmaker made a film that wisely focuses on using the strong screenplay by Claude Binyon (My Blue Heaven, North to Alaska) and Frank Butler (Road to Morocco, Wake Island) to bring the story to life. Tuttle was certainly wise to cast Cary Grant. The filmmaking is fun and the elements add up to a charming, under-the-radar classic.

Ladies Should Listen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Ladies Should Listen is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. This is a decent presentation of the feature-film. The print is generally crisp and free from detrimental flaws with regards to scratches and major damage to the footage. However, the print isn't an example of total perfection. Contrast was occasionally a bit blown out at times and it can sometimes make the visual impact less satisfactory than ideal.

Ladies Should Listen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release includes a DTS HD Master Audio mono soundtrack. The lossless audio track was satisfactory. Dialogue was clear and easy to understand throughout the feature-film presentation. The audio is perhaps not as robust as some audio restorations, but the presentation is still fine and a nice match for the video-transfer. Fans will be pleased with these results.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

Ladies Should Listen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a selection of trailers promoting other Cary Grant Blu-ray releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: The Eagle and the Hawk (SD, 1:40) and Alice in Wonderland (SD, 2:34).

Ladies Should Listen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ladies Should Listen is a good showcase for the great Cary Grant. Well-directed and written, Ladies Should Listen finds ample room for romance and comedy throughout. A excellent film that is well worth checking out on Blu-ray. Highly recommended.