6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Captain Tom Reynolds and his band of skilled O.S.S. operatives are in WWII Burma to assist the Kachin natives in their insurgence against the advancing Japanese Army. On a trip to headquarters in Calcutta, he meets an imperious beauty, Carla, and an unlikely romance blossoms -- but Reynolds must return to the fight.
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Steve McQueen (I), Richard Johnson (I)War | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When people think of Frank Sinatra today, they're likely to remember the golden-voiced crooner
and high-living Rat Pack swinger who was equally comfortable hobnobbing with both mobsters
and the political elite. But in his heyday, Sinatra was also a huge movie star, the kind of name
that could open a picture. Star vehicles were built around him, and one such film was the World
War II tale Never So Few, which was released in December 1959 but is often listed as a 1960
film, because that's when most people saw it. The film was based on a novel by Tom T.
Chamales, a former operative of the Office of Strategic Service (precursor to the CIA), who had
led a detachment of indigenous guerillas in Burma (now Myanmar), attacking the Japanese
behind enemy lines. Chamales fictionalized his exploits, and screenwriter Milliard Kaufman
transformed them into a screenplay tailored to Sinatra. The director was John Sturges, who had
already turned Kaufman's controversial script for
Bad Day at Block Rock into an enduring
classic.
Never So Few (or "NSF") is principally remembered as the breakthrough role for Steve
McQueen, who, in a memorable bit of backstage lore, took on a supporting role originally
intended for Sammy Davis Jr., after a falling out between Sinatra and his fellow Rat Packer.
Director Sturges was so impressed with the newcomer that he would subsequently cast him in
major roles in The Magnificent
Seven and
The Great Escape.
But
NSF has a lot to recommend it
beyond McQueen, including striking location photography and a scorching role for sex
symbol Gina Lollobrigida, who, in that era, was famous as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the
World" (after the title of her 1956 French-Italian film).
NSF is part of the MGM film library now owned by Warner, and the Warner Archive Collection
is releasing it in a new transfer that aptly showcases the film's star-powered cast and colorful
locations.
Never So Few was shot in CinemaScope by William H. Daniels, who would go on to photograph
Sinatra in the original
Ocean's 11, Robin and the 7
Hoods and Von Ryan's Express
. To create its new 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, the Warner Archive Collection used an interpositive struck
from the original camera negative by YCM Laboratories in 2004, which was scanned at 2K by
Warner's MPI facility. Although the film dates from the tail end of the period when film stock
was subject to the problematic phenomenon known as "yellow layer collapse" (described here),
the negative of NSF was relatively well-preserved. After MPI's thorough color correction, using
Ektrachrome production stills as a reference, the effects of the deteriorating yellow layer are
observable only at dissolves. The color-corrected transfer has been subjected to WAC's
customary thorough cleaning to remove dirt, scratches and age-related damage. The result is an
impressively sharp and detailed Blu-ray image, with vivid colors in settings ranging from the
Burmese jungle to the lavish party thrown by Paul Henreid's wealthy merchant (see screenshot
16). The film's grain pattern has been naturally rendered and, for the most part, finely resolved,
with a slight but unavoidable coarsening in opticals (which occur primarily in dissolves).
Lollobrigida's elegant wardrobe and the bright outfits warn by the Kachin provide a suitable
contrast to the Army khakis worn by Reynolds and his troops. I doubt that the native costumes
are historically accurate, but they look great onscreen.
WAC has mastered NSF at its usual high bitrate, here 34.99 Mbps.
NSF was released to theaters in four-track stereo, and Warner used the original magnetic master
to remix the film in 5.1 for its 2004 DVD release. That same mix can be heard on the Blu-ray,
but now in lossless DTS-HD MA. It's a rich and full audio experience, surprisingly so for a track
that's nearly sixty years old. The lush orchestral score by Hugo Friedhofer (an Oscar winner for
The Best Years of Our
Lives)
expands across the front soundstage and into the surrounds. The
battle scenes may not be as thunderous or immersive as a contemporary mix, but they convey the
essential sense of chaotic violence. The dialogue is clearly rendered and appropriately prioritized.
The track is a fine example of how to do a remix that respects the original but delivers it with all
the advantages of modern digital technology.
Although NSF's language is ludicrously tame by contemporary standards, in 1959 the office of
the MPAA's Production Code was notoriously dainty, and the film's repeated uses of "Go to
hell!" were a big red flag. MGM had to drop out a few other words—notably "damn" and
"goddam"—to get the film approved for release. The omissions are barely noticeable, but for
years there have been rumors of an "uncensored" dialogue track that restores the omitted cursing.
In preparing its Blu-ray, WAC examined every audio element it could find: original stems;
optical tracks; U.K. releases; even video and broadcast versions. They all reflect the same
dialogue heard on the Blu-ray. All evidence indicates that the changes mandated by the MPAA
were "baked into" the soundtrack; unless a heretofore unknown source is discovered, that extra
sprinkle of salt in the dialogue is gone for good.
The sole extra is a trailer (1080p; 2,40:1; 2:42), which has been remastered in 1080p. Warner's 2005 DVD of Never So Few was equally bare.
NSF isn't a particularly great war movie, and it isn't even a heart-throbbing romance (you
can always sense the calculation in both the performances and the directing). But it's a great
Frank Sinatra movie, energized by the sheer star power of Ol' Blue Eyes at the height of his film
career. And even with minimal screen time, McQueen is magnetic. You can immediately see why
Sturges kept using him and why he too became a star. For fans of either (or both), highly
recommended.
1968
1967
1970
Warner Archive Collection
1962
1949
1978
Warner Archive Collection
1945
1944
1954
1949
1945
Fragile Fox
1956
Warner Archive Collection
1945
1952
1942
1978
Special Edition
1958
Warner Archive Collection
1951
65th Anniversary Limited Edition
1957
1970