6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
An aging American tycoon overcomes his inhibitions to court a young Parisian.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier, John McGiver, Van DoudeRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Show business lore records a pointed exchange between directors Billy Wilder and William
Wyler at the funeral of Ernst Lubitsch, whose untimely death at the age of 55 deprived cinema of
one of its comedy geniuses. "No more Lubitsch!" lamented Wilder, for whom the director of To
Be or Not to Be and The Shop Around the Corner
had been a model and mentor. "Worse than that!" replied Wyler. "No more Lubitsch pictures!"
Ten years later, Wilder tried his hand at a
Lubitsch picture with Love in the Afternoon, pairing Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn as a
romantic couple just as unlikely as the scheming gigolo and severe Soviet envoy in Lubitsch's
Ninotchka. Like that earlier classic, Wilder's film
was also set in an elegant Parisian hotel
buzzing with amorous liaisons, and also like the earlier film, Love in the Afternoon surrounds its
featured couple with the slapstick antics of a troupe of supporting players.
Unfortunately for all concerned, Love was poorly received by both critics and American
audiences (although the reception in Europe was more favorable), and the blame has often been
unfairly placed on Gary Cooper, who, at 56, was deemed too old to be a credible romantic lead,
especially opposite the sprightly Hepburn, who was playing a character barely out of her teens.
Wilder's first choice, Cary Grant, had turned down the role for precisely that reason, and Cooper
was reportedly so stung by the mockery that he subjected himself to a facelift. However,
watching the film today, it's apparent that Love's problems run deeper than the ages of its star
couple. Wilder was a formidably talented filmmaker, but even he was unable to emulate the
famous "Lubitsch touch"—an indefinable but instantly recognizable magic that could find
comedy in Stalin's purges even while they were still happening. Love routinely reaches for
the style of Wilder's idol, but it only sporadically achieves the light tone of facetious mockery
that was Lubitsch's special gift. For too much of its overlong running time, the film just seems to
be idling, relying on Audrey Hepburn's charm to carry it. Meanwhile, the dry Gallic delivery of
secondary co-star Maurice Chevalier routinely steals the show.
Love in the Afternoon is the latest release from the Warner Archive Collection, which has done
its usual commendable work to bring this cinematic white elephant to Blu-ray.
Love in the Afternoon was shot by William C. Mellor, who had already won an Oscar for the black-and-white photography of A Place in the Sun and would win another for The Diary of Anne Frank. For the Warner Archive Collection's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, a fine-grain master positive recently struck from the original camera negative was scanned at 2K by Warner's Motion Picture Imaging facility, followed by the usual correction and cleanup. The result is a delicately textured image that effectively replicates the romantic sheen cast over the proceedings by Mellor's lighting, a kind of visual counterpoint to Chavasse's cynical narration. While the image is often soft—in some scenes more than others, depending on the light—detail is sufficiently reproduced to make the Parisian settings a suitable romantic background. Blacks are solidly rendered, and the different levels of black and finely delineated shades of gray help create a sense of depth. The film's grain pattern is well-resolved, and WAC has mastered the disc at its usual high average bitrate (here, 34.99 Mbps). With both production and post-production conducted in Europe, Love has a distinctively different look from Warner's typical B&W photography, and the Blu-ray represents its faithfully.
Love in the Afternoon's original mono soundtrack has been restored from surviving optical elements, cleaned of pops, clicks and other distortions, and encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0. It's a clearly articulated track with good fidelity, reproducing dialogue intelligibly and sound effects with the requisite emphasis. The musical score consists of selections both classical and modern, many of them played by Flannagan's "house" band, the Gypsies. An oft-repeated tune with special significance is "Fascination", an already familiar waltz that Wilder's film propelled to even greater popularity. The prelude from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde makes a guest appearance.
The sole extra is the film's trailer (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:00), which has been remastered in 1080p. Warner's 2002 DVD of Love in the Afternoon was similarly bare.
William Wyler had it right: With Lubitsch gone, there would be no more Lubitsch pictures. Love
in the Afternoon is a poor substitute, despite the talents of all concerned. While the film isn't a
highlight in anyone's filmography, WAC has brought it to Blu-ray with its usual care.
Recommended on its technical merits.
1953
1947
2009
Warner Archive Collection
1949
1954
1941
1938
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1944
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1970
2016
1960
2014
2014
2004
2008
10th Anniversary Edition
2006
Warner Archive Collection
1932
1940
1941
Warner Archive Collection
1945