Sweethearts Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Sweethearts Blu-ray Movie Review

Makeup and a break-up.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 4, 2024

The fifth of eight films featuring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy and MGM's very first three-strip Technicolor feature, W.S. Van Dyke's Sweethearts is a likeable musical drama with solid production values and another winning on-screen pairing for the beloved duo. Both were established singers long before appearing in films together, and the pair's on-screen chemistry is bolstered by the appealing combination of their respective soprano and baritone voices. While it's rarely considered the pinnacle of their collaborations and admittedly light from a narrative standpoint, Sweethearts nonetheless remains a crowd-pleaser for its full-color visuals and solid supporting performances by the likes of Frank Morgan and Ray Bolger, who would of course appear together in The Wizard of Oz only one year later.

Life imitates art... so it's fitting that Sweethearts focuses on musical duo Gwen Marlowe and Ernest Lane (MacDonald and Eddy), an off-stage couple who have toured together for six years performing the titular operetta for crowds of all ages. (In real life, MacDonald and Eddy were married to other people, but rumors of an affair persisted for decades.) Again with life imitating art, the pressures of burgeoning fame -- as well as the demands of handlers, namely Broadway producer Felix Lehman (Morgan) -- threaten to derail what appears to be an idyllic relationship. Further complicating matters is Hollywood talent scout Norman Trumpett (Reginald Gardiner); he's similarly pressured to sign the talented duo to his studio at the behest of Felix, who obviously wants to keep Gwen and Ernest on the stage.

Truth be told, Sweethearts is nothing more than the surface-level examination of an unspoiled relationship put to the test, one where an otherwise tempered love between two people is gradually compromised by almost everything and everyone in their lives when they aren't together. It's of course dressed up to be more than that -- not only with its then-revelatory three-strip Technicolor cinematography, but the number of musical numbers and other performances sprinkled (mostly organically) throughout its relaxed but steadfast 114-minute running time. I'll admit that despite MacDonald and Eddy's palpable on-screen chemistry and complimentary voices, it really took the efforts of a capable supporting cast to carry Sweethearts all the way to the finish line. That said, this remains an entertaining show more often than not, still valuable almost 90 years later for its lightweight charm and obvious time-capsule appeal.

Luckily, both the appealing music and drop-dead gorgeous visuals of Sweethearts are supported extremely well on Warner Archive's long-awaited new Blu-ray, whose recent 4K-sourced restoration offers a marked improvement over their own 2011 DVD for specific reasons mentioned below. Add in solid lossless audio and a nice little collection of period-specific bonus features and you've got a recommended purchase for fans of the cast and genre.

Sweethearts Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The best description of this 1080p presentation of Sweethearts is "a labor of love", as word has it that a complete restoration of best-available source elements was in the works for several years. In this case, fine-grain Technicolor separation master positives* were recently scanned at 4K resolution and treated to the boutique label's usual round of careful manual cleanup, resulting in a surprisingly lustrous, clean, and film-like picture that could easily be mistaken for one sourced from the original negatives. As seen in the included direct-from-disc screenshots, color reproduction and fine detail are both superb, showing off the lavish studio sets and staged musical numbers, as well as occasional insert shots such as the one seen above. Black levels run suitably deep, contrast values are handled exceedingly well, and no obvious compression-related issues were spotted on this dual-layered disc. This is quite simply a revelatory restoration and very important from a historical perspective, which makes it worth the price of admission alone.

* - As far as I know, the original Technicolor negatives for Sweethearts were one of many lost to time (perhaps the Eastman house fire?), although reportedly one reel of these negatives survived and was used in this restoration. If this is true, the fact that I can't be 100% sure which one it is speaks volumes about this restoration's consistency.

Sweethearts Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix doesn't follow far behind, capably presenting its mono source in an equally well-restored split-channel track that provides good balance between quiet conversations, sporadic arguments, showy song-and-dance routines, and moments where the original score (credited to both Victor Herbert and Herbert Stothart, the latter of whom would later work on The Wizard of Oz) takes center stage. It's a nicely prioritized, basic mix that gets the job done about as well as possible under the circumstances, largely free of age-related wear-and-tear while still retaining a bit of hiss so as not to risk damaging its original dynamic range. No real complaints here at all.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Sweethearts Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed art and a handful of era-specific extras.

• Original Pre-Recording Session Material (18:07) - This interesting audio-only supplement collects a nice handful of snippets from original on-set recordings made during production in 1938.

• Radio Broadcast of Sweethearts (29:38) - A condensed 1946 Screen Guild Players production starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, who dutifully reprise their lead roles.

• Pirate Party on Cantina Island [Excerpt] (2:52) - Actually titled "Cantina Isle" according to the title cards, this short but fun snippet of a 1938 pirate-themed variety short was directed by Gene Burdette and stars Charles 'Buddy' Rogers and Sterling Young, among others. It's in rough but watchable full color.

• Classic Cartoons - A pair of solidly restored color Merrie Melodies shorts from the WB vault.

• Count Me Out (7:25) - This enjoyable 1938 short stars Egghead, who sends away for a mail-order training kit in hopes of becoming a championship boxer. It doesn't end well, of course.
• Love and Curses (8:27) - Another 1938 short, this one follows an elderly couple as they remember life in "the gay 90s" via their old photo album, including a run-in with the dastardly Roger St. Clair.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (3:59) - This long-form promotional piece appropriately cuts away from black-and-white partway through and touts MGM's first use of then-new three-strip Technicolor.

• Song Selection - Instant access to all 15 main musical cues and performances from the film including "Wooden Shoes", the title song, "Pretty as a Picture", "Summer Serenade", and "Little Grey Home in the West".

Sweethearts Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

W.S. Van Dyke's Sweethearts was one of eight films featuring the talented team of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, both of whom showcase their usual amount of on-screen chemistry and robust singing ability. It's admittedly not the duo's finest film from a narrative perspective but still largely entertaining due to support from the rest of the cast and, of course, its lustrous three-strip Technicolor filmography, which was the first of its kind for MGM. Warner Archive's welcome Blu-ray goes all out from an A/V perspective, offering five-star support for the rich visuals with one of their best restorations to date as well as nicely rendered original audio to boot. Aided by a handful of appreciated bonus features, it's well worth picking up for fans of the cast and genre alike. Firmly Recommended.