My Man Godfrey Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

My Man Godfrey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2018

Gregory La Cava's "My Man Godfrey" (1936) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interviews with critic Gary Giddins and Nick Pinkerton; vintage radio adaptation of the film; two archival newsreels; and outtakes. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The forgotten man

At least one of the four actors that earned an Oscar nomination for contributing to My Man Godfrey should have won the coveted statuette. It would not have been an injustice if director Gregory La Cava beat Frank Capra and also went home with one. There is just so much quality on display in this film.

In the midst of the Great Depression, New York City’s elitists are trying to outdo each other in a lavish scavenger hunt. The wealthy sisters Cornelia (Gail Patrick) and Irene (Carole Lombard) arrive at a popular dump by the river to pick up a winning “item” -- a “forgotten man” (William Powell). However, after a rather unpleasant exchange with Cornelia the precious “item” rejects her generous offer to participate in the event, and instead agrees to accompany Irene. The two then head back to the committee at the Ritz where he instantly becomes the main attraction, overshadowing even a visibly overwhelmed goat on a leash. Feeling ecstatic that she has finally won against her very competitive sister, Irene hires the man to be her butler, and just before he exits the Ritz learns that his name is Godfrey.

On the following morning Godfrey begins working for the Bullocks. The friendly maid Molly (Jean Dixon) warns him that he has to be patient while learning about their seemingly endless list of caprices, and then predicts that like the many men before him that have held the same position he will soon be looking for a new job. Soon after, Godfrey realizes that the businessman father Alexander (Eugene Pallette), his unbearably opinionated wife Angelica (Alice Brady), her protégé and live-in composer Carlo (Mischa Auer), and the two girls are essentially living in a bubble where life is very much defined by their caprices. The only one that occasionally steps outside of the bubble is Alexander, who has recently made some risky business investments and is now concerned that they could erode the family's financial stability.

Godfrey's successful transformation into a professional butler surprises the family, and the glowing Irene even finds herself attracted to him. But the more comfortable she becomes showing her affection for Godfrey, the more determined her sister becomes to avenge his rejection at the dump. The perfect opportunity to do precisely that and also permanently damage Godfrey's reputation emerges when an expensive pearl necklace disappears and a pair of local detectives are promptly called to identify the thief.

The snappy humor is very effective but it is an essential element of a very carefully conceived social critique of an elitist class of people that are permanently detached from the real world. So Godfrey is a lot more than a colorful butler, he is actually a disruptor with a clear strategy who begins dismantling their bubble with an almost surgical precision.

Of course a pragmatist could very successfully argue that in the real world a disruptor like Godfrey would be neutralized by the elitists as soon as they detect that he poses a threat to their comfy environment. Even a casual questioning of the status quo inside the bubble would be enough to discard him. Unsurprisingly, the film's authenticity suffers the most during the segment in which Godfrey’s nemesis, Cornelia, is required to make a wrong move so that a few crucial character transformations would then make the collapse of the bubble inevitable. In other words, the end message is admirable, but the entire progression of the events that make its emergence possible is quite unrealistic.

The performances are terrific and any of the principal actors, even the grumpy Pallette, easily could have been awarded an Oscar statuette. There are so many examples where their rapid exchanges are simply brilliant.

*In 1957, Henry Koster directed another film with the exact same title, starring June Allyson, David Niven, Jessie Royce Landis, Eva Gabor, Robert Keith, and Martha Hyer.

My Man Godfrey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gregory La Cava's My Man Godfrey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"The film was restored by Universal Pictures, from 4K resolution scans of the 35mm nitrate original camera negative and a composite fine-grain made on an ARRISCAN wet-gate film scanner, with restoration services provided by NBCUniversal StudioPost."

The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster. Quite predictably, the entire film now looks very healthy and fresh. The only other release of this film that I currently have in my collection is Criterion's old DVD release and I can confirm that there are very substantial improvements in terms of delineation and depth. Naturally, on a larger screen you should very easily see an expanded range of fine details that are basically impossible to spot on the standard definition remaster. The grading is superior as well, so expect to see better ranges of grays and fresher blacks and whites. Density is superior and the larger your screen is, the more obvious of a difference you will see. There are a few areas where native limitations are more prominent and as a result clarity or depth are not optimal, but they never become distracting (see examples in screencapture #15 and 16). Debris, scratches, cuts, damage marks, and other conventional age-related imperfections have been thoroughly removed. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

My Man Godfrey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean. Clarity is also very good. These types of older genre film typically have some light 'thinning' in the upper registers if their audio tracks are no remastered, but this isn't the case here. Indeed, there is proper stability and lovely roundness. Hiss, crackle, hum, and other conventional imperfections have been removed.

My Man Godfrey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original, unrestored trailer for My Man Godfrey. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• The La Cava Touch - in this new video program, author Gary Giddins (Warning Shadows: Home Alone with Classic Cinema) discusses the history of My Man Godfrey and its many special qualities, from its excellent sense of humor to the marvelous performances of its stars. The program was produced in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Lux Radio Theatre - this radio adaptation of My Man Godfrey features William Powell, Carole Lombard, Gail Patrick, and Mischa Auer reprising their screen roles. It was originally broadcast on May 9, 1938. In English, not subtitled. (61 min, 1080p).

• Outtakes - a collection of vintage outtakes. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Effortless Art - in this video program, critic Nick Pinkerton discusses Gregory La Cava's professional career and cinematic style. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).

• Newsreels - presented here are two newsreels from the 1930s that reflect themes -- most notably poverty and homelessness -- that are represented in My Man Godfrey. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme and technical credits.

My Man Godfrey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The contemporary relevance of the content in this classic comedy actually feels a bit eerie. New York City's elitists organize a lavish scavenger hunt to entertain themselves and one of them picks up the perfect winning "item" at a popular dump -- a "forgotten man". She then hires the "item" to be her butler and together with the rest of her family discovers that, gasp, he is a human being. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release of Gregory La Cava's My Man Godfrey is sourced from a nice 4K remaster and represents a good upgrade in quality over previous home video releases of the film. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.