One, Two, Three Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

One, Two, Three Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 29, 2019

Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental fearless on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; archival audio commentary by film historian Michael Schlesinger; and exclusive new video interview with critic Neil Sinyard. The release also arrives with a collector s booklet featuring new essays by film scholar Henry K. Miller, critic Adam Batty, and archival material. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The boss and his toy

In the United States, Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three was released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see my colleague Brian Orndorf's review of this release here.

One, Two, Three Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same old master that Kino Lorber licensed from MGM when they prepared this release of One, Two, Three in 2017. However, I actually think that this is a very nice master with strong organic qualities whose one and only weakness is the presence of various tiny specks and a few scratches/blemishes that very easily could have been picked up with modern digital tools. Indeed, delineation, clarity, depth, and fluidity are already very nice, and on a larger screen the visuals hold up remarkably well. To be perfectly clear, a higher quality 4K remaster would undoubtedly introduce better density and as a result some finer nuances will be further enhanced, but again I wish to underscore the fact that the visuals already have very strong filmic appearance. The grading is convincing as well; the blacks are rich and stable while the grays and whites are properly balanced. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments, such as sharpening and contrast boosting. Overall image stability is very good. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

One, Two, Three Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English: LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There are no technical issues to report. The audio is clean, stable, and free of age-related anomalies. The upper register is especially impressive because there isn't even a whiff of distortions/buzz, which tells me that when the master was prepared the audio was fully redone as well.

One, Two, Three Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for One, Two, Three. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Neil Sinyard - in this new video interview, critic Neil Sinyard explains how One, Two, Three came to exist and discusses some of its more interesting satirical overtones. There are also good observations about the evolution of Billy Wilder's career after the success he experienced with Some Like It Hot and The Apartment. In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival commentary was recorded by film historian Michael Schlesinger. The bulk of the information addresses the film's production history, the nature of its dialog and the satirical elements in it, the period in which the film was conceived, and its critical reception.

• Booklet - a collector s booklet featuring new essays by film scholar Henry K. Miller, critic Adam Batty, and archival material.

One, Two, Three Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One, Two, Three would have earned a very different reputation if it was released at the 'right' time. This is an old and flawed theory that has been circulated by individuals who simply refuse to admit that Billy Wilder made some very average films. The truth is that this film just isn't very good -- its characterizations for instance are so exaggerated that huge parts of it are practically unwatchable; plenty of the satire is shockingly unoriginal as well -- and because it always would have been compared to masterpieces like Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, a 'better' theatrical window would not have secured a different fate for it. I personally think that there are a few decent moments in it, like the enthusiastic dance before the commies, but find it pretty dull. Eureka Entertainment's recent release is sourced from an older but solid master that was provided my MGM.