7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Quick-tempered but likable Biff grimes falls big for beautiful Virginia Brush, but he's not the only young man in the neighborhood who's smitten.
Starring: James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack CarsonComedy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
As if it weren't obvious already, Raoul Walsh's Strawberry Blonde confirms what most men have known for decades: Betty's always a better choice than Veronica. This charming comedy starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, and Rita Hayworth may be over 80 years old -- and it mostly takes place in the 1890s -- but it's still as accessible as ever, providing you don't mind overused music cues and/or extended flashbacks. It's the kind of crowd-pleasing fare that's solid enough for "movie night" yet equally easy to enjoy as a light and breezy afternoon matinee.
Though it contains a few surprisingly dark narrative twists -- at least one unexpected death, and even a potential pre-flashback murder attempt when Hugo stops by Biff's office with a toothache -- Strawberry Blonde's otherwise light tone and winning performances keep things breezy and enjoyable during this tale of a short, cocky, and kinda funny-looking man learning to live with Olivia de Havilland. It's further buoyed and only slightly dragged down by its constant use of period-specific musical standards -- most notably "The Band Played On", which seems to playing in part or in whole at least once every 15 minutes. Those watching it for the first time may also be slightly put off by its extended flashback format, a narrative tool that's not exactly handled with utmost care and, as a result, requires new viewers to "settle in" rather than enjoy it as a purely linear story. Yet for its already-noted strengths and several others, Strawberry Blonde is inarguably worth watching for fans of lightweight romantic comedies laced with a hint of melodrama.
A welcome change of pace for both prolific director Raoul Walsh and certified star James Cagney (who had long been typecast in serious tough-guy
roles, aside from occasional diversions like the outstanding Footlight Parade), Strawberry Blonde is, for the most part, what could best be called "a breath of fresh air"
and a medium-sized career highlight for all involved. True to form, Warner Archive resurrects this enjoyable show for new life on Blu-ray, pairing a
predictably great new A/V restoration with a small but appreciated assortment of period-specific bonus features.
I've probably done at least a couple hundred Warner Archive Blu-ray reviews at this point, so you'll pardon me if I'm running out of ways to praise their consistently solid restoration work. Long story short, what we have here is a sterling 1080p transfer sourced from a recent scan of the original nitrate camera negative which, if you're at all familiar with the boutique label's track record, means that it's about as good as it gets for the format. Fine detail and textures are predictably strong -- especially in the areas of costume and production design -- and close-ups are almost startlingly clear and crisp. Even wide shots, many packed with background characters and small details, run smoothly and without any hitches. This perfectly-encoded dual-layer disc shows no flagrant signs of posterization, banding, excessive noise reduction, or sharpening, which gives it a very authentic appearance overall that likely exceeds most original theatrical showings. It's absolutely a five-star effort and, without question, will please fans of this era of filmmaking.
This DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, likewise restored from that original nitrate track, follows suit with a clean and largely damage-free sonic experience that feels very true to its source. The dynamic range is overall very good with only trace amounts of thinness or stress at the high end, which is good news due to the abundance of (admittedly kind of repetitive) song cues, from the opening orchestral performance of that 1895 banger "The Band Played On" allllll the way to the post-show sing-along of... "The Band Played On". (Damn guys, it's a great song, but this is pushing it.) Conversations and background elements are likewise crisp with very little hiss and only trace amounts of crackle, again reminding us of Warner Archive's light but tasteful restoration technique: remove most signs of damage, but not at the expense of original textures. It's an appreciated effort and likewise shows almost no tangible room for improvement, meaning that Strawberry Blonde sounds as good now as it likely did back then. Maybe even better.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras.
This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. Bonus features include several era-specific shorts, advancing upon Warner Archive's mostly barebones 2009 DVD edition.
Raoul Walsh's Strawberry Blonde is an infectiously charming and almost unavoidably sentimental romantic comedy whose trio of lead performances still make it fun to watch more than 80 years later, as its celebration of a long-gone era -- the "gay 1890s", or at least the middle and upper-class end of it -- make the experience basically timeless by contemporary standards. Although its use of period-specific musical standards borders on maddeningly repetitive and the "extended flashback" format seems a little hokey, it's almost impossible to watch this without cracking a near-continuous smile. Warner Archive's Blu-ray keeps the party going with another outstanding A/V restoration and a handful of appropriately vintage extras. Firmly Recommended for die-hard fans and newcomers too.
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