7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Classic black comedy which opens with Louisa Foster (Shirley MacLaine) donating a multimillion dollar cheque to the IRS. The tax department thinks she's crazy and sends her to a psychiatrist. She then discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be wealthy.
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly (I)Romance | 100% |
Musical | 36% |
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
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When one considers the possibilities of a Marilyn Monroe replacement, Shirley MacLaine doesn’t immediately spring to mind. However, 1964’s “What a Way to Go” endeavors to transform the actress into something of a glamour icon and sex symbol, weighing her down with Harry Winston jewels and keeping her spinning in Edith Head-designed costumes. Mercifully, she’s game to go wherever the picture leads, but unfortunately, “What a Way to Go” heads in multiple directions, often at the same time. It’s a farce from director J. Lee Thompson, and not always an amusing one, always playing loudly to the back row when a nice hit of subtlety would do just fine.
Color is the dominant force of the AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation, with pink the most prized hue in the feature, from coffins to cars. Even the 20th Century Fox logo is soaked in the stuff. Colors are handled with care during the viewing experience, capturing the shock value of primaries in fantasy sequences, and costuming retains its intended power. Skintones are satisfactory. Sharpness is adequate for the period, preserving cinematographic reach, presenting reasonable close-ups and textured outfits, while sets and their ornate decoration are open for inspection. Distances are welcome here, as the frame is often filled with activity, little of it subtle. Delineation is agreeable. Source is healthy, without major signs of damage.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix has an interesting range of music and comedy to manage, and it does so comfortably. Dialogue exchanges are clean, capturing purrs from MacLaine and bellowing from the rest of the cast, and comedy speeds are preserved, never hitting distortive extremes. Scoring is hearty, supporting the many moods of "What a Way to Go" with adequate instrumentation. Musical numbers also maintain emphasis, with crisp vocals and snappy dance sound effects. Atmospherics are basic but available.
"What a Way to Go" is impressively crafted, boasting cavernous sets, glorious color, and tremendous style, making it ideal eye candy and an interesting artifact from a transition period in Hollywood, with glossy endeavors such as this slowly losing popularity with the public. It's diverting at times, but its lack of control and absence of big laughs is disappointing, keeping the viewing experience uneven and periodically annoying.
1949
1982
1953
Indiskret
1958
1987
1941
1941
Limited Edition
1943
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1944
1955
1957
1953
Warner Archive Collection
1933
1934
2020
Warner Archive Collection
1957
1961
70th Anniversary Edition
1952
1951
1996