Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray Movie Review

"Ya gotta jump, ya gotta jive, ya gotta dance to be alive! You do a rock-a-beatin' boogie!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 25, 2024

Oh man, did I learn a few things about the history of rock n' roll while watching director Fred F. Sears's Rock Around the Clock. 1) Everyone was smoking in rock venues. It's like fog settling over the crowd. How anyone could sing, dance or play an instrument without hacking up a lung is beyond me. 2) No matter how grumpy or curmudgeonly an audience might be, rock n' roll had the power to soften even the hardest heart. No one was immune to its sway. 3) Talent agents frequently bargained with people's lives and allowed marriage arrangements into contracts. It only makes sense. Don't ask questions. 4) Rock n' roll musicians loved hoisting their instruments into the air. Presumably this was to push the expensive instruments above the low-lying cloud of cigarette smoke, preserving the integrity of the wood and brass in the process. 5) Drugs were not a part of the rock n' roll scene. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. Just ask Rock Around the Clock. 6) Only the purest motives -- never sex or money -- drove bands to stardom. It was all about the music and getting the music to the people. Like the 1956 film, which absolutely, definitely, positively did not involve, in any way, the shooting of a feature-length movie as quickly as possible to be released at a perfect time in which to take advantage of the burgeoning music genre and its hungry young fans. And finally, 7) No bands were harmed in the making of this commercial. Um, film. I mean film. Rock Around the Plot has an incredible story at its core. Seriously. It wasn't a thinly veiled excuse to film bands performing hit songs. Seriously. Move along...

Talent agent Steve Hollis (Johnny Johnston) and his bass-playing pal Corny (Henry Slate) quit their big band gigs and hit the road, where they happen upon Haley and his band in a Podunk farming town. Although they don't quite know what to make of the Comets' music ("It isn't boogie, it isn't jive, it isn't swing… it's kinda all of 'em!"), they know a hot prospect when they find one and promise to secure them a legitimate shot at the big time. Complications ensue, including romantic ones. Haley and his band are on fire; they're lip-syncing, but the recordings of "See You Later Alligator," along with the title tune and others, are filled with snap and crackle, the musicians are great, the stage show is a riot, and the dancing siblings are amazing. Directed by Fred F. Sears and produced by Elvis film producer Sam Katzman, Rock Around the Clock features Bill Haley and His Comets, Alan Freed, the Ernie Freeman Combo, The Platters, Tony Martinez and His Mambo, and Freddie Bell and His Bellboys.

Obviously, the draw of Rock Around the Clock is its musical performances. Is anyone actually here for the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat drama of Steve and Corny's quest to bag the latest and greatest bands? Or to thwart Steve's lady-nemesis and get one up on her scheming ways? Or to see two happy kids get married? Of course not. The film features the loosest of loose plots; clearly a point A to point B bit of storytelling to feed the audience the next rock n' roll hit. And the hits just keep on comin'. Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock", "See Ya Later Alligator", "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie", "ABC Boogie", "Happy Baby", "R.O.C.K.", "Mambo Rock", "Razzle Dazzle" and "Rudy's Rock". Tony Martinez's "Cuero", "Mambo Capri", "Sad and Lonely" and "Codfish and Potatoes". Freddie Bell and the Bellboys' "Teach You to Rock" and "Giddy Up a Ding- Dong". And The Platters "Only You and You Alone" and, my personal fave, "The Great Pretender". It's heavy on Haley, sure. But he's the headliner here and, narratively, the first band Steve discovers and begins to follow.

And it's as quaint and nostalgic a trip down oldies-memory-lane as you could hope for. (Again, so long as you ditch the script, the cheeseball acting and the requisite romantic subplots and hurry along to the music.) There's a spirit of eagerness and pure, untapped joy to the band's performances, even the songs that are lip-synced within an inch of their life. If you came for the '50s rock, and more to the point, if you have Elvis films littering your collection -- which, come on, are primarily as much a vehicle for the music as Rock Around the Clock -- then this one surely is for you. It's only a shame Sony isn't also releasing Don't Knock the Rock (also 1956), the film's less successful sequel, or the Chubby Checker- starring Twist Around the Clock (1961), which somewhat hilariously is an almost beat for beat remake of Rock Around the Clock, just as its sequel, Don't Knock the Twist (1962), which, you guessed it, is a barebones rehash of Rock's Knock sequel.

Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rather than return to the original film elements and create a more faithful master, Rock Around the Clock is presented at 1.85:1 (like its 2007 DVD predecessor) rather than 1.37:1, as it was originally projected in theaters in 1956. You would never know it, though, as the resulting widescreen presentation doesn't offer many visual clues that portions of the top and/or bottom of the image has been cropped out of existence. A good deal of thought has gone into the 1.85:1 framing of each sequence, which is a relief. That said, it's still disappointing that Sony didn't use this as an opportunity to right matters, or even to present both a 2007 1.85:1 version and a new 1.37:1 remaster of the film on a single disc. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. The presentation we get is quite striking at least. Contrast is vibrant and filmic, grain is intact, black levels are deep (without affecting shadow delineation), and detail is almost always excellent. There are numerous soft shots, but each one traces back to the original source. Likewise, grain is typically tight and refined, though in some instances it becomes larger and more muddy. Again, the most likely culprit is the elements. Rock Around the Clock ultimately impresses enough visually to warrant strong consideration, especially when its price point has dropped to near-bargain levels.

Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix doesn't offer much of an upgrade from its 2007 DVD counterpart unfortunately, although you can readily perceive a slight uptick in clarity that's to be expected with a lossless track. The real problem is that voices are thin, sometimes to the point of sounding canned and tinny; no doubt a product of the era and the original sound design but still a distraction. The musical performances fare much better but they too have moments of inconsistency. None of it spoils the experience all that much. Anyone able to overlook the shortcomings of a nearly seventy year old film won't have much trouble getting past the mono audio's flaws. But once again I can't help but wonder if Sony would have been able to right matters had the studio started from scratch rather than utilizing the film's 2007 remaster.

Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only extra on the Blu-ray release of Rock Around the Clock is an audio commentary with writer/journalist Barry Forshaw and novelist/critic Kim Newman.

Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Love the early American rock of the 1950s? Then you'll find plenty to enjoy in Rock Around the Clock, which exists for its musical numbers. Skip the plot, skip past the romance, the tit-for-tat showmanship subplot and you're left with Bill Haley and His Comets, Tony Martinez, The Platters and Freddie Bell. Is it a great movie? God no. Adjust your expectations accordingly. The Blu-ray is hit or miss as well, with a strong video presentation (alas, presented at a cropped-for-widescreen 1.85:1 instead of 1.37:1), a so-so lossless mono track, and a decent audio commentary that masks an otherwise empty supplemental package. But at the price Rock Around the Clock is running at on Amazon? Well, that makes it a much easier pill to swallow.