Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Romance on the High Seas Blu-ray Movie Review

It's Magic.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 22, 2020

A buoyant musical masquerading as a rom-com, Michael Curtiz's Romance on the High Seas is best remembered as the acting debut of singer Doris Day. The 26-year old, who already had two #1 recordings under her belt, imbues the film with plenty of charm and musical power that easily overtakes its somewhat convoluted story. The initial setup concerns the turbulent marriage of Elvira and Michael Kent (Janis Paige and Don DeFore); Michael devotes all of his time to work and postpones their anniversary trips, while both are increasingly paranoid that the other has been unfaithful. After a passport photo mix-up with singer Georgia Garrett (Day), Elvira plots to make Michael jealous by sending Georgia on a cruise in her name, instructing her to mail letters at every port about all the fun she's having without him. Her plan backfires when Michael hires detective Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to tail Elvira and make sure she's behaving.

What sounds like an bad sitcom plot actually ends up yielding terrific results, mostly because Romance on the High Seas has so many fundamental strengths at its disposal. As the mistaken identity mix-ups pile high during this breezy 99-minute affair, we're often diverted from the plot by a handful of catchy music numbers, many with strong solos by the delightful Day and several others featuring expert choreography by Busby Berkely. The acting is uniformly strong and bolstered by a great script from Julius and Philip Epstein with additional revisions by I. A. L. Diamond, best known as the writer of Billy Wilder's The Apartment and Some Like it Hot. Also adding to its charm is outstanding production design with very stylish interior scenes that give the film a great deal of visual appeal. Although the story drags a tiny bit in the home stretch, it's wrapped up in a nice bow and really puts a firm stamp on this fun little production.

It might not be an bonafide career highlight for everyone involved, but Romance on the High Seas is still a very watchable and well-crafted film that still has the capacity to surprise and excite new audiences. I hadn't seen it in years but had no trouble getting reacquainted with its great characters, locations, and of course those memorable music numbers. Warner Archive Collection brings their usual top-quality touch for the film's Blu-ray debut, which is led by an extremely strong 4K-sourced transfer that easily outpaces the studio's own 2017 DVD release and earlier home video editions. Although the bonus features leave a little to be desired, this is still a high-quality release that die-hard fans will really enjoy. It might just be WAC's best-looking catalog release this year...and that's saying something.

Romance on the High Seas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive has outdone themselves once again with this outstanding 1080p transfer. Sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original nitrate negative, Romance on the High Seas absolutely sparkles with clarity and color, showcasing its terrific production design in ways that make the overall viewing experience so much more enjoyable. Fine detail and textures are perfectly resolved, from crisp double-breasted suits to stylish furniture and other props, while the silvery sheen of its nitrate stock also contributes to the film's extremely pleasing appearance. Colors are another star of the show, ranging from tightly coordinated interiors to the vivid rainbow hues of balloons, open markets, and tropical fruits. As usual, purists are this disc's target audience and they'll be thrilled with how natural everything looks due to a total lack of excessive noise reduction, compression artifacts, banding, or other such eyesores. It's rare that a film loaded with so many interior shots manages to be this visually impressive, but Romance on the High Seas may just be the most consistently stunning catalog title I've seen this year. Now, if WAC would just make the jump to 4K...

Romance on the High Seas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is less immediately impressive, it still represents a very strong effort that likely surpasses original theatrical showings. Dialogue and background effects are clear and well balanced, occasionally mixed with foley effects and diegetic music that sounds perfectly well-balanced. Of course the sporadic song breaks sound excellent as well, even if it's painfully obvious when someone's lip-syncing. No obvious defects could be detected including sync issues, drop-outs, volume fluctuations, hissing, or pops -- just pure, unfiltered audio that reliably gets the job done, often with several layers that work together almost seamlessly. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film; they're formatted perfectly and likewise have no obvious sync issues.

Romance on the High Seas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray arrives in a standard keepcase with attractive poster-themed art and a handful of DVD-era extras.

• Song Selection - Immediate access to all 11 of the main songs featured in the film, including "I'm in Love", "It's Magic", "The Tourist Trade", "It's You or No One", and more.

• Hare Splitter (7:09) - A classic Bugs Bunny short from 1948 which, unfortunately, has not been remastered in HD and is in pretty rough shape. Still funny, though.

• Let's Sing A Song From the Movies (10:43) - This 1948 installment of WB's "Memories from Melody Lane" offers a brief look at classic songs featured in early sound films, including Billie Holliday's "Am I Blue?" (as performed by Ethel Waters in 1929) and "By A Waterfall" from the outstanding Footlight Parade.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:21) - This fun promotional piece has been remastered in HD. Watch it here.

Romance on the High Seas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Curtiz's lightweight and fun Romance on the High Seas still plays well after more than 70 years thanks to a sharp script, catchy musical numbers, and fine performances including a breakout role for Doris Day. It also doubles as a great time capsule for the era with terrific production design and a wonderful eye for detail. All of these elements are supported perfectly by Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, led by an outstanding new 4K-sourced transfer that's among the studio's very best efforts this year. Although the bonus features leave something to be desired, this is otherwise a fantastic disc that belongs in the collection of any fan of classic comedy and musicals. Highly recommended!