6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Gilbert Wooley is a second-rate magician who is sent to entertain the troops in the pacific. During his time in Japan he becomes attached to a little orphan boy.
Starring: Jerry Lewis, Suzanne Pleshette, Sessue HayakawaComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Probably one of the more politically incorrect characters in Jerry Lewis’ arsenal of wacky personas is his buck-toothed Asian man, who pops up in various guises in several Lewis vehicles. This falls into the same at least somewhat (and perhaps even highly) objectionable style of portrayal that got Mickey Rooney into so much hot water in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but it was part and parcel of what was accepted in the “olden days” of mid-twentieth century entertainment (and of course, long before that). It may come as something of a surprise, then, how gentle and measured Lewis’ approach to Japanese culture is in The Geisha Boy, the second of his two 1958 Frank Tashlin collaborations (after the also recently released Rock- A-Bye Baby). As with a lot of the Lewis-Tashlin films, we’re offered a sort of schizophrenic approach that lurches between shtick-filled gags and heartstring pulling moments that feature Jerry’s softer, gentler side. Whatever one might say about Lewis’ manic comedic personality (and let’s face, just about everything has been said about Lewis in his long and legendary career), he almost always showed a sweet, endearing side in a lot of his films, even if that side verged on the cloying more often than not. The Geisha Boy follows the already well established formula of having Jerry creating pandemonium just about everywhere he goes, with interstitials allowing a little “breathing room” which offer Jerry acting more like a sane human being, in this case mostly with an adorable little Japanese boy who develops an attachment to Jerry’s character of a visiting (third-rate) magician with a USO touring show.
The Geisha Boy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As with the other Lewis Paramount features being released en masse by Olive, The Geisha Boy boasts a generally sharp and appealing looking transfer that offers excellent saturated colors, decent sharpness and clarity and overall pleasing fine detail. Flesh tones occasionally seem to be just slightly on the cyan side of things, perhaps a sign of age related fade. Olive releases never exhibit any signs of digital tweaking, and so both grain as well as damage remain entirely intact. This film features a bit more softness and damage than usual due to some stock and second unit shots, which don't quite match the sharpness and clarity of the studio bound sequences (see screenshot 14 of the train for a particularly egregious example).
The Geisha Boy features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mix which more than adequately reproduces the film's fairly unambitious sonic design. Dialogue and effects are very well presented and prioritized, and Walter Scharf's colorful score also sounds just fine. The track exhibits very little age related wear and tear, and aside from some minor hiss, there's little here to complain about, even if there's similarly little to get really excited about.
The Geisha Boy is on the lachrymose and saccharin side of things, but it still manages to deliver some hefty laughs along the way. This isn't the gagfest that a lot of the Tashlin-Lewis collaborations are, but the Tashlin penchant for weird little visual jokes is well on display and some of the physical humor is very funny as well. What's notable about this film is its kinder, gentler side, which may drive some people crazy, but which is probably the film's strongest element. Lewis and little Hirano interact beautifully, and the film also offers some good moments for Suzanne Pleshette in her first role. It's bright, colorful and only occasionally crazy, but The Geisha Boy actually holds up surprisingly well. This Blu-ray looks and sounds fine, and despite the typical Olive Films lack of any supplements, this release comes Recommended.
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