7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director, and a writer to achieve success.
Starring: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry SullivanRomance | 100% |
Drama | 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
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of five Academy Awards (but not nominated for Best Picture or Best Director) Vincente Minnelli's The Bad and the Beautiful is solid entertainment for aficionados of Hollywood's Golden Age. This winking melodrama, based on a 1949 magazine story by George Bradshaw, concerns struggling movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) and three former employees who hate him: director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan), actress Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner), and screenwriter James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell). Yet each owes their career to Shields so, at the request of fellow producer Harry Pebbel (Walter Pidgeon), an impromptu meeting is arranged to discuss his latest film pitch.
Warner Archive Collection's new Blu-ray edition plays firmly to the film's strengths, offering yet another top-tier A/V presentation including a recent
4K scan of the original camera negative. A trio of DVD-era bonus features are on board as well, including a feature-length Lana Turner
documentary and a baker's dozen of audio cues from Raskin's excellent score; all are, in some way or another, technically more polished than their
standard-definition counterparts.
Presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, The Bad and the Beautiful looks, well, beautiful on Blu-ray. No surprises here -- Warner Archive Collection has given it the usual white-glove treatment sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original camera negative. The resulting 1080p transfer is as wonderful as expected with rich image detail and loads of natural film grain; it certainly has the shimmering, almost silvery appearance of nitrate stock, although I am not 100% sure of its origins. Textures and fine details are uniformly crisp, while the framing itself is very stable with no obvious signs of judder or wobble. Shadow detail and contrast levels are likewise strong with surprising depth during a handful of outdoor scenes. Yet perhaps the most striking facet of The Bad and the Beautiful's overall appearance is how clean the picture looks; WAC is frequently able to apply extensive cleanup to their 2K and 4K scans, and this is no different. Overall, a truly five-star effort that represents one of their best-looking Blu-rays this year.
Likewise, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio offers a dynamic listening experience that all but defies the film's age. Dialogue is extremely crisp and the excellent score by prolific composer David Raksin is balanced nicely. Overall, it's a great effort that, while not as immediately striking as the video presentation, has its share of strengths. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and all applicable extras. Unlike many recent WAC Blu-rays, these are formatted nicely and not in all caps. I'd love for this to be the standard, but it's as random as a coin flip.
The Bad and the Beautiful is packaged in a standard keepcase with attractive poster-themed cover artwork. The on-disc extras are all ported over from Warner Bros.' excellent 2002 DVD, albeit with a few technical upgrades.
One of the original "meta" films about Hollywood's Golden Age, The Bad and the Beautiful remains a well-acted and entertaining affair, but those with a deep knowledge of the era will likely find themselves wishing it had a sharper bite. But the fitfully enjoyable story, while somewhat inaccessible to outsiders, was clearly crafted with care...so if this sounds like your cup of tea, it probably is. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, on the other hand, is an objectively strong effort with a nearly reference-level A/V presentation and the excellent bonus features from their parent company's 2002 DVD. This one's a no-brainer for established fans, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.
Warner Archive Collection
1941
1937
Warner Archive Collection
1949
Young Man of Music / Warner Archive Collection
1950
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1958
Fox Studio Classics
1946
Restored Edition | Warner Archive Collection
1937
Warner Archive Collection
1962
Limited Edition to 3000
1973
1934
1947
2018
1954
1941
1956
1975
1987
Warner Archive Collection
1946
1948