7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Who will be the next Mrs. Corbett? Will it be the chic designer? The Miss Montana Pageant hopeful? The headstrong lady across the hall? It's a big decision for any boy to make for his recently widowed dad! Like father, like son. You'll like'em both when renowned child actor and future Oscar winner* Ronny Howard portrays Eddie and Glenn Ford is his dad. Vincente Minnelli (Gigi) directs, using his flair for vivid colors and balancing the film's humor with the real sense of loss a family feels over a loved one's passing. Shirley Jones, Dina Merrill and Stella Stevens portray the prospects under Eddie's self-appointed scrutiny.
Starring: Glenn Ford, Shirley Jones, Stella Stevens, Dina Merrill, Ron HowardDrama | Insignificant |
Family | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
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 | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Possibly overshadowed by a three-season sitcom of the same name starring Bill Bixby, Vincente Minnelli's The Courtship of Eddie's Father is a likable romantic comedy/drama starring Glenn Ford and young Ronny Howard well into his career but more than a decade before Happy Days. Wholesome with a clear path towards future TV success, this is a largely effective production whose director and stars elevate material that might otherwise fail to stand out in a crowd.
Its lightweight plot is matched just about perfectly with a fine grasp of tone from the reliably great Vincente Minnelli, who infuses The Courtship of Eddie's Father with a buoyant atmosphere that's aided by excellent cinematography and especially production design. While it shares quite a bit of visual DNA with other contemporary films of the era, such as Jack Arnold's Bachelor in Paradise starring Bob Hope, it easily stands out due to solid performances and an emphasis on crowd-pleasing entertainment. Yet while it's this same breezy tone that keeps The Courtship of Eddie's Father from feeling more "important" (almost like a big-screen TV pilot, which it kind of is if you squint hard enough), it still makes for solid family fare that's accessible, entertaining, and emotionally effective. Perfectly encapsulating the time and place in which it was filmed, it also has great time-capsule appeal, what with Tom's durable electric range (I had a similar one that finally died only last year) and a competitive game shot at the Paradise Theater's bowling alley.
Though perhaps a bit slight on paper, The Courtship of Eddie's Father nonetheless holds up a full six decades after its theatrical
run, thanks in no small part to Warner Archive's absolutely dazzling new Blu-ray. Headlined by another top-tier A/V restoration sourced from
first-generation elements, it's also supported by a few solid vintage extras including a very enjoyable DVD-era audio commentary featuring
its three leading ladies. It's a bargain at any price and one of my favorite discs this month, sitting just behind the boutique label's excellent
new edition of King Solomon's
Mines.
Sourced from a new 4K scan of the camera negative, Warner Archive's new 1080p transfer of The Courtship of Eddie's Father meets the extremely high visual standards achieved by the boutique label's strongest catalog Blu-rays. This is a deceptively fine-looking film with lots of terrific era-specific production design and great use of ultra-wide Cinemascope framing, which is well-suited to support its spaced-out conversations and crowded gatherings. Visual aesthetics aside, Warner Archive's typically stunning restoration work is in full effect here, with the raw 4K scan of its presumably well-kept source elements treated to a round of careful manual cleanup to erase virtually all signs of age-related wear and tear while retaining the filmic textures of its original stock. As such, fine detail and black levels are pitch-perfect from start to finish, aside from a few somewhat dodgy establishing shots and the optical opening credits, with dominant mid-range compositions that invite viewers to browse the full 2.35:1 frame and its nostalgic background elements. Color values are likewise exceedingly impressive, with reds and other warm hues being particular standouts that somehow show no traces of bleeding. Quality disc encoding keeps the show running at a high bit rate with no signs of banding, macro blocking or other compression-related issues. Overall, a true five-star effort that fans will love.
A reliable source informed me that Warner Archive's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix for The Courtship of Eddie's Father was sourced from the original mono magnetic master, with only light audio restoration needed. It's a terrific-sounding film with crisp dialogue and effects and a surprisingly rich dynamic range with plenty of room left over for composer George Stoll's original score. No age-related wear-and-tear was heard along the way including hiss, distortion, and drop-outs... just a cleanly-presented effort that gets the job done with no tangible room for improvement.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras.
This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with attractive vintage poster art and no inserts of any kind. The enjoyable extras are all carried over from SD releases dating all the way back to WB's 2004 "snapper case" DVD.
Vincente Minnelli's The Courtship of Eddie's Father is solid family-friendly entertainment (and the precursor to a popular sitcom later that decade), coasting by on the strength of its tone, direction, and performances even if the story feels a little "small screen". Warner Archive boosts its overall impact with another top-tier Blu-ray treatment that includes an outstanding A/V restoration and several choice extras. Firmly Recommended to fans and first-timers alike.
1970
1995
The Prince and the Pauper | + the 121-Minute International Cut from SD
1977
2003
1969
1986-1990
1956
1995
1966
2016
2016
1989
2016
75th Anniversary Edition
1944
2024
1955-1956
Warner Archive Collection
1964
Stephen Sondheim's Company
2011
Signature Edition
1979
2014