7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Powered by Walter Matthau's Oscar-winning performance as the quintessential All-American chiseler, THE FORTUNE COOKIE is a hysterically funny comedy that showcases filmmaker Billy Wilder at his uproarious best. Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) is one lucky guy! When he's accidentally clobbered by a 220-pound halfback, all Harry suffers is a slight concussion. All, that is, until Whiplash Willie (Matthau) — a legal scoundrel of the first order — arrives on the scene! For if Harry follows shyster Willie's advice and feigns a crippling injury, the two charlatans can split a cool million in phony insurance claims. But can Willie's world-class finagling dispel those ominous words that lie within the fortune cookie on Harry's hospital plate: You can't fool all of the people all of the time?
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Cliff Osmond, Lurene Tuttle, Les TremayneComedy | Insignificant |
Romance | 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, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Billy Wilder's "The Fortune Cookie" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by film historian Joseph McBride; vintage trailer for the film; archival interviews; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Fortune Cookie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an old but quite good master that was supplied by MGM. Delineation and depth range between good to very good, plus clarity remains consistently pleasing. Grain exposure is good as well, though a brand new 4K master will surely tighten up grain and make it even more appealing. I still think that density levels are very good, so if you view your film on a larger screen, you will not be disappointed. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The grayscale is very nice. However, there is some room for minor rebalancing work. Image stability is good. All in all, eve though it is easy to tell that the current master is old, the film has a fine organic appearance. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).
Teere 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
On my system the lossless audio track sounded very nice. In fact, I unconvinced that a new remaster a newly redone audio could produce meaningful improvements. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are excellent. I did not encounter any balance issues either. Can I be proven wrong? Of course, especially now that so many majors are producing new Dolby Atmos tracks for older films, but I could not identify anything that is problematic on the existing lossless track.
One of the most common criticisms you will encounter about The Fortune Cookie is that it isn't as consistently funny as it needs to be. Well, this film was conceived to perform as a satire and not all of the material in it is supposed to put a smile on your face. Walter Matthau won an Oscar statuette for his contribution to the film, but I think that his filmography features vastly superior work that could and should have been recognized by the Academy. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but good master that was supplied by MGM. RECOMMENDED.
Collector's Edition
1980
Warner Archive Collection
1941
1939
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1950
1975
1941
1947
80th Anniversary Edition
1936
1968
Warner Archive Collection
1936
1939
1942
1994
Warner Archive Collection
1937
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1941
1958
Warner Archive Collection
1945
1962
1982