6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray, THE BRIDE COMES HOME is a screwball comedy set against the backdrop of Chicago during the Depression. At the center of a romantic triangle is Jeanette Desmereau (Colbert), a socialite left penniless by the stock market crash who takes a job as a writer for a men's magazine . Her two on-again, off-again suitors just happen to be her hard-boiled editor Cyrus Anderson (MacMurray) and the company's wealthy owner, Jack Bristow (Robert Young). Complicating matters is the fact that Cyrus was originally hired to be Jack’s bodyguard and is constantly fighting his boss’s battles for him. Tempers flare, opposites attract and true love wins out at the end in this fast-paced delight featuring memorable comic turns by supporting players Edgar Kennedy, Donald Meek and William Collier Sr.
Starring: Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, Robert Young (I), Donald Meek, Richard CarleRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 3% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Wesley Ruggles' "The Bride Comes Home" (1935) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by author and film critic Lee Gambin as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Bride Comes Home arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a pretty rough master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. I don't know when it was prepared, but the surface of the visuals has some very particular patterns that were quite common on masters that were prepared on old telecine equipment. To be perfectly clear, I am not speculating that this is how the master was prepared, what I am pointing out is that it does not have the type of proper grain structure that is usually present on newer masters. There are other anomalies as well. For example, a lot of the visuals can have a slightly blurry/watery appearance -- which by the way is directly related to the patterns I mentioned above -- so on a larger screen delineation and depth can be quite underwhelming. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, like digital sharpening or contrast boosting. However, in darker areas there is still quite a bit of black crush, so most fine nuances are lost. Image stability is good, but there are some shaky transitions. There are various blemishes, black spots, and scratches that are often easy to spot. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I did not have trouble following the dialog. However, from time to time there is noticeable 'thinning' and even some minor background distortion that can affect clarity. Dynamic balance is decent, but this is another area where meaningful improvements can be made. Occasionally, in the upper register you will notice light hiss, but I did not find it distracting.
We all know that when two people fall madly in love sometimes they do silly things -- this is one reason why being in love is such a special experience. But they don't permanently expunge logic from their lives. The Brides Comes Home seems willing to seriously argue the opposite, and to prove its case tells such an utterly unbelievable romantic story that I barely finished it. I am sorry, but I just don't believe that a sane woman can have her heart melted by an imbecile like the one Fred MacMurray plays. Kino Lorber's release of The Bride Comes Home is sourced from a pretty rough master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. If you are a fan of any of the stars that made the film and absolutely have to have the release in your library, consider picking it up only when it is heavily discounted.
1946
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Warner Archive Collection
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Warner Archive Collection
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