Evans Above

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Warner Archive is releasing the Tennessee Williams 4-Film Collection Blu-ray. These collections are a great way to get a “starter pack” of an artist’s work. In this case, we get four films adapted from the works of legendary playwright Tennessee Williams: 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire, 1956’s Baby Doll, 1958’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and 1962’s Sweet Bird of Youth. Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Warner Archive, I had a chance to look at this release.

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Released in 1951 and directed by Elia Kazan, A Streetcar Named Desire sees an aging Southern Belle, Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh), move into the tenement apartment of her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter), and her violent, brooding brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). Blanche claims she left her teaching job due to anxiety, but Stanley believes otherwise. Though Blanche begins a relationship with Stanley’s kind friend, Mitch (Karl Malden), Blanche and Stanley are on a collision course. Brando, Hunter and Malden all reprised their Broadway roles. This release contains three previously excised minutes. While the themes of mental illness and domestic violence could be explored in a play, the wider audience of film saw Kazan having to do a dance around the censors of the time.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The video presentation is really nice. The clarity is there, though it can be a little soft at times. The real star here is the contrast. Kazan and cinematographer Harry Stradling play with light and dark, with the shadows perhaps reflecting what the characters are hiding from themselves and others.

On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono soundtrack as well as French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish tracks. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Slovenian, and Swedish. The mono track is mixed well, with the dialogue taking centre stage and the score supporting the emotional heft of the story.

There is no digital code for this movie. We do get a commentary, hosted by Laurent Bouzereau, that includes Karl Malden and film historians Rudy Behlmer and Jeff Young. There’s “Elia Kazan: A Director’s Journey”, a 60+ minute doc hosted by Eli Wallach. Kazan had controversy in his past (read about his testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee) and this piece does sort of step around that a bit. “A Streetcar on Broadway” has commentary on the play by Kazan, “A Streetcar in Hollywood” has Kazan talking about the adaptation, “Censorship and Desire” sees historian Rudy Behlmer talking about the difficult path getting the film made, “North and the Music of the South” is a profile on composer Alex North. Next is “An Actor Named Brando” and I’ll let you guess who that profiles. We also get a screen test of Brando, outtakes, audio outtakes, and multiple trailers.

1956’s Baby Doll is based on two of Williams’ one-act plays: The Unsatisfactory Supper and 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. A black comedy, it tells the tale of “Baby Doll” Meighan (Carroll Baker), a child-bride in a negotiated marriage with Archie Lee Meighan (Karl Malden), a bigoted owner of a failing cotton gin, who is eagerly awaiting his 19-year-old bride’s 20th birthday. That’s the day, stipulated in the marriage agreement, when he can finally consummate his marriage and he’s been counting down now for two years. Meighan also finds himself at odds with Silva Vacarro (Eli Wallach in his film debut), a Sicilian-American with a profitable cotton gin business. Baby Doll received both praise and condemantion. Reviews were mostly positive and it received multiple nominations from the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Wallach received a Most Promising Newcomer BAFTA, while Kazan and Baker won Best Director and New Star of the Year Golden Globes respectively. However, some religious leaders urged parishiners not to see the film and the Catholic Legion of Decency rated it “C” for “Condemned.” The film was banned in several countries.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The video presentation is beautifully clear, with great detail in faces, textiles, and settings. There’s only a few occasional moments of softness. The remastered transfer has deep black levels and a natural film grain. Warner Archive’s transfers are always impressive and this one is no different.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue is clear in the mix and there’s only some occasional hiss and crackle to speak of.

Baby Doll does not come with a digital code. We get a theatrical trailer and “See No Evil”, a featurette that includes interviews with Malden, Baker, and Wallach where they talk about the reception of the film in the context of other events of the time.

The third highest-grossing film of 1958, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was directed by Richard Brooks and stars Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, and Judith Anderson. While celebrating Big Daddy Pollitt’s 65th birthday, it’s decided to keep a medical diagnosis away from him. Big Daddy (Burl Ives), meanwhile, is trying to exert control over his sons and his estate. Eldest son Gooper (Jack Carson), is a successful attorney, but the favourite son is Brick (Paul Newman), a former football star with a drinking problem and a wife, Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor), that he refuses to sleep with. The Hays Code, Hollywood’s self-imposed moral guidelines that loomed over most productions from 1934 to 1968, puts its nose firmly into Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. If you’ve seen the play, then the version in Brooks and James Poe’s screenplay has been sanitized. While theatre audiences could handle Williams’ play exploring themes of homosexuality, it was felt that movie audiences couldn’t, especially when the leads were Newman and Taylor. If you’ve seen the play, you have to view the film version within this bubble.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Warner Archive’s transfer is from a 2K scan and it’s gorgeous. Facial features, hair, clothing and sets are sharp and detailed. The colours look great here and we could probably write a book just on the colour of Newman and Taylor’s eyes. Black levels are deep with details in shadows and reflections off of brass are bright. There’s a natural film grain and no sign of digital noise and compression artifacts.

On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack as well as French, German, Spanish (Latin American and Castillian), Czech and Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono tracks. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Spanish, Czech, Korean, Polish, Romanian, and Turkish. The all-important dialogue is clear and prioritized in the mix, while the score support the emotional beats of the story.

There is no digital code. There’s an audio commentary by Donald Spoto, who wrote biographies of both Williams and Taylor, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Playing Cat and Mouse” a piece narrated by Ashley Judd that looks at Newman, Taylor and the film’s place in their careers, and finally, a theatrical trailer.

The final film in the collection is 1962’s Sweet Bird of Youth, again directed by Richard Brooks. Chance Wayne (Paul Newman) is a chauffeur and gigolo to an older film star, Alexandra Del Lago (Geraldine Page). She feels her star is fading and travels with him to his hometown in Mississippi, where he’s reunited with the corrupt politician, Tom “Boss” Finley (Ed Begley), Finley’s ruthless son, Tom Jr. (Rip Torn), and the girl he left behind on his own way to seek stardom, Heavenly Finley. Like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, some elements of the stage production were changed for the screen, but not as much as happened with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In just a few years, the Hays Code’s sway over the studios would be gone.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It’s another beautiful looking transfer with crisp detail. The colour palette is more muted here with earthy tones and rich greens though there’s the occasional pop of red. Black levels are deep and whites are crisp and highlights off of glass and chrome shine. There’s a subtle grain structure and no real signs of digital noise and compression artifacts.

On the audio side of things, there’s a sole English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack with subtitles available for English SDH. Again, dialogue is all-important in a Williams’ play and it’s clear and prioritized in the mix.

There is no digital code. In terms of extras, we get the theatrical trailer, a featurette called “Sweet Bird of Youth: Chasing Time” which discusses the stage version and its adaptation, and a screen test with Page and Torn, who plays Newman’s role in the test footage. A little trivia: Torn and Page were married the year after this film and remained so until her death in 1987.

The Tennessee Williams 4-Film Collection Blu-ray gives packages together four the the legendary playwrights works. Amazing casts, excellent audio and video, a nice selection of extras. What’s not to like? Recommended.

I like the various actor collections that Warner Archive put out. It’s a great way to see a series of films from one artist. In this case, we’re looking at the Humphrey Bogart Collection Blu-ray, which gives us a sampling of his work including 1940’s They Drive by Night, 1944’s Passage to Marseille, 1945’s Conflict, and 1950’s Chain Lightning. Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Warner Archive, I had a chance to take a look.

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Directed by Raoul Walsh, 1940’s They Drive by Night stars George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as two brothers trying to make it in the cutthroat trucking industry. Along the way they encounter dangerous roads and a more dangerous woman. The cast also includes Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Gale Page, and Alan Hale Sr.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Based off a 4K scan of the original negative, the Blu-ray transfer has great clarity and detail from the facial features of the actors to the costumes on their backs. Blacks are deep and everything in the grayscale to the whitest whites looks good. The image doesn’t show any source scratches and digital artifacts and there’s a nice level of film grain.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. The mono soundtrack is mixed well, with room for the score and clear dialogue.

The Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. We get a 44 minute radio play adaptation where Raft is joined by Lana Turner and Lucille Ball. “Divided Highway: The Story of They Drive by Night” examines the film and filmmakers with commentary by film historians Leonard Maltin and Robert Osborne and Bogart biographer Eric Lax. We also get the 1938 Technicolor short “Swingtime in the Movies”, a spoof where a frazzled director is working on a Western. Bogart appears in a cameo. Finally, there’s the theatrical trailer.

1944’s Passage to Marseille is directed by Michael Curtiz, who had worked with Bogart on Casablanca two years earlier. Through a series of flashbacks, we follow the story of newspaper publisher Jean Matrac, who had been framed for murder and sentenced to the prison on Devil’s Island. He and four others manage a daring escape and get picked up by a French ship just as France surrenders to the Nazis. Will Matrac be handed over to the Vichy government collaborators or will he be able to join the Free French resistance? Bogart is joined in the cast by Claude Rains, Michèle Morgan, Philip Dorn, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, George Tobias, Helmut Dantine, John Loder, and Victor Francen.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Warner Archive’s transfer is from a 2K scan and it looks great. First off, kudos to the film’s design team and cinematographer James Wong Howe, who made a replica ship on a California soundstage look like it was shot on location. Details are sharp, though there is some softness when rear projection effects shots are used, but that’s the technology of the day. The image has a wide grayscale from deep blacks to crisp whites. There are no compression artifacts and it’s just a lovely presentation.

On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Despite its age, the soundtrack is absent of any issues. Dialogue is clear and the effects pack a punch. Max Steiner’s score also sounds great.

The movie does not come with a digital code. One extra, called “Warner Night at the Movies” contains 5 short pieces: a trailer for Uncertain Glory with Errol Flynn and Paul Lukas, newsreel footage of female Marines in training, the short “I Won’t Play” which stars Dane Clark as a soldier telling his buddies tales about Hollywood, “Jammin’ the Blues”, another short featuring a jazz jam session, and “The Weakly Reporter”, a Merrie Melody cartoon directed by Chuck Jones that spoofs war-time newsreels. Other extras include “The Free French: Unsung Victors”, which has historians giving us some context about the Free French resistance, “Breakdowns” which is a series of gag reels from various films, and finally the theatrical trailer.

Curtis Bernhardt’s 1945 film noir, Conflict, which stars Bogart, Alexis Smith, and Sydney Greenstreet, sees Bogart play an unhappily married husband who is accused by his wife (Rose Hobart) of loving her sister (Smith). When his wife dies after he sends her ahead on a trip, he begins to see signs that she may still be alive.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Warner Archive did the transfer from a 4K scan of the original negative. Details in faces, hair, clothing and locations are sharp. The grayscale is wide from deep blacks that still show detail all the way to light reflections on cars and rainy streets. The film grain is refined and natural.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue is clear and overall there’s only the occasional bit of hiss. The score adds weight to this moody thriller.

There’s no digital code for this movie. We get a trailer plus two Technicolor Merrie Melodies shorts: “Life With Feathers”, which marks the debut of Sylvester the Cat and “Trap Happy Porky” which features our porcine hero trying to outwit a cat and mouse who won’t let him sleep. We also get two Knox Manning narrated shorts: “Peeks at Hollywood” which has two young women stargazing for Hollywood stars and “Are Animals Actors?” which features animal acts. Finally, we get “Theater of Romance”, a radio play adaptation of Conflict also starring Bogart.

Finally, the collection contains 1950’s Chain Lightning, directed by Stuart Heisler. It’s an aviation adventure with Bogart as Lt. Colonel Matthew “Matt” Brennan, a retired WWII bomber pilot who accepts a job as a test pilot of an experimental high-speed fighter jet. Along the way, Brennan also reunites with a WWII flame, Jo (Eleanor Parker), who works for the owner of the aircraft company played by Raymond Massey. Will Brennan crash in either situation? The aviation sections are part of that early Cold War era “look at our power and science” battle between the USA and USSR. It’s interesting to note that the story of the film is credited to J. Redmond Prior. That was a pseudonym for the blacklisted writer Lester Cole, a member of the so-called “Hollywood Ten”, a group of writers who were blacklisted by the studios after they refused to answer questions about left-wing affiliations before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Cole’s credit was officially restored by the Writers Guild in 1997. I digress a bit here, but if you want to understand Hollywood and the era Chain Lightning was made in, that’s a rabbit hole to jump down.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The detail in the transfer is sharp, from the faces to the textiles and locations. The grayscale moves easily from inky blacks to crisp whites. There’s one scene where the highlights off Jo’s sequinned purse are so crisp and bright. There’s rarely any digital artifacts to speak of. It just looks really good.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. The soundtrack has a wide range, taking us from the roaring jet engine of the fighter plan to quiet moments between Bogart and Parker. Dialogue is clear and prioritized in the mix.

There is no digital code for this movie. In terms of extras, Warner Archive have included “Bear Feat”, a Technicolor Looney Tunes cartoon featuring the trio of Henry, Mama, and Junyer Bear as they try to become a circus act. We get the Joe McDoakes short “So You Want to Be an Actor”. Oart of a series of shorts that always sees McDoakes (George O’Hanlon) “behind the eight ball”, this one sees our hero trying to be an actor. The final extra is the film’s theatrical trailer.

I like these Warner Archive collections and the Humphrey Bogart Collection Blu-ray gives someone just learning about the actor a starter pack of four of his films from different times of his career. They all have great audio and video presentations and a nice selection of extras. Recommended.

Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 historical fiction, the 2025 drama Hamnet, co-written by O’Farrell and director Chloé Zhao, examines William Shakespeare’s family life with Anne Hathaway and hypothesizes that the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, may have inspired elements of one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley star as the couple and are joined in the cast by Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, and Noah Jupe. Universal has now released a 4K of the movie and I had a chance to take a look at it.

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The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded native 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The transfer does justice to cinematographer Łukasz Żal’s camera work presenting it in amazing detail. From worn wood and textiles, from faces to the outdoor settings, we get amazing clarity in the image. The colour palette is dominated by the muted, earthy tones of the English countryside. Black levels are deep and details are in the shadows and darker scenes without signs of crushing.

On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English Dolby Atmos soundtrack that folds back to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French, and Spanish. The subtle soundtrack is in keeping with the emotional tone of the story. The surrounds and heights place us into the environment gently while the subwoofer adds some weight to distant thunder. The score supports but does not overwhelm the story. Dialogue is crisp and clear.

The Hamnet 4K comes with a Blu-ray copy and a digital code, though once again, there’s no digital code for the Canadian version. In terms of bonus materials, we get a commentary by Chloé Zhao, “Family Is Forever” which has the cast and crew discussing the Shakespeare family dynamic, “Cultivating Creativity” which discusses the film’s creative process and includes one of the film’s producers, Steven Spielberg, and finally, “Recreating The Tudor Period” a piece that delves into the movie’s production design.

Hamnet is not an historical recreation, but an historical imagining that intertwines the facts we know about Shakespeare’s life with the possibilities of the areas that are less documented. Pair the story with great acting, and a beautiful audio and video presentation and Hamnet is easily recommended.

Warner Archive keeps releasing these great sets of movie collections focusing on a performer or genre. Today, we’re looking at six examples of Broadway musicals that made the leap to the big screen with the Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray. The set includes 1954’s Brigadoon, 1955’s Guys and Dolls, 1957’s The Pajama Game, 1958’s Damn Yankees, 1962’s Gypsy, and 1971’s The Boy Friend. Thanks to Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look. Let’s raise the curtain and take a look.

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1954’s Brigadoon, directed by Vincente Minnelli from a screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner (who also wrote the 1947 musical), is a musical fantasy about a Scottish village that appears out of the mist for a day every one hundred years. When two Americans happen upon the village on this magical day, there is romance, but also events that may make the village disappear forever. It stars Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Cyd Charisse, along with Elaine Stewart, Barry Jones, and Albert Sharpe.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 2.55:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio. The video presentation is from a 2K scan and detail is super sharp, from faces and tartans to the soundstage locations. The colour palette is bright and the primaries leap off the screen like dancers. The grain pattern subtle and natural. One thing that does stick out is the slight colour shifts during optical dissolves, but otherwise this is great to look at.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Brigadoon originally had a stereo soundtrack but for this release the original elements have been remixed into a surround soundscape. Dialogue is clear and the musical numbers are bright and dynamic.

This disc does not come with a digital code. Extras include four musical numbers cut from the theatrical release and the film’s trailer.

Guys and Dolls, a 1955 musical written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, is based on the 1950 Broadway Tony Award-winning musical by composer and lyricist Frank Loesser. Set in Times Square, Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) needs $1,000 to host his ongoing craps game. To get the funds, he bets high-roller Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) that Sky can’t get a temperance mission worker, Sister Sarah (Jean Simmons), to go on a date to Havana. Add to the mix Nathan’s fiancée, Adelaide (Vivian Blaine), who wants him to go straight, a mobster, and the cops, and you have a recipe for musical hijinks.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 2.55:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio. Detail is quite good with the facial features and textiles (those suits!) but it’s the colour palette that steals the show with the various suits and dresses popping off the screen. Black levels are generally good, but we do sometimes get a lack of detail in darker scenes or backgrounds.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French, and Spanish. The original soundtrack has been remixed for 5.1. Dialogue is front and centre, though some musical and effects elements have made their way into the surrounds.

The disc does not come with a digital code. Extras include “From Stage to Screen”, which looks at adapting the musical to the screen, “More Guys and Dolls Stories” which is a compilation of behind-the-scenes info, direct links to some musical numbers, and a theatrical trailer.

1957’s The Pajama Game, directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen and choreographed by Bob Fosse, is a romantic comedy musical that mixes love into a wage battle between union and management in a pajama factory. Doris Day stars as the union rep, while John Raitt plays the newly hired manager. Most of the cast, including Raitt, were in the 1954 Broadway musical.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The transfer comes from a 4K scan and it’s a stunner. Details are sharp and the colours leap of the screen with bright reds and blues. The film grain is natural and there are no source or digital blemishes to speak of.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue is clear and the music os good, but given that several earlier musicals had stereo soundtracks to give the number some more sonic space, it’s a shame that The Pajama Game’s source material is mono.

There’s no digital code for this movie. We’re a bit light on the bonus features as well, getting only the deleted song “The Man Who Invented Love”, which was written for the movie version and but used, as well as a theatrical trailer.

1958’s Damn Yankees, is based on the 1955 musical and was directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen. The Broadway cast reprise their roles, except for the role of Joe Hardy, which is played by Tab Hunter. The cast includes Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, Russ Brown, Shannon Bolin, Robert Shafer, Rae Allen, Nathaniel Frey, James Komack, Albert Linville, and Jean Stapleton. A middle-aged fan of the terrible Washington Senators baseball team says he’d sell his soul to the Devil if his team could beat the Yankees. The devil obliges, turning him into a young, talented player (Hunter) but will he give up all that he had in order to get all that he wants?

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Sourced from a 4K transfer, we get a detailed video presentation with a fine grain. It’s the colours that stand out. Bright red lipsticks, pale blues, dark woods, rich blues, and the sun-bleached green of the grass on the baseball diamond. You know I have to say it: the video presentation is a home run.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. This is another musical that didn’t get an original stereo soundtrack, but despite that the music is still bright and dynamic and the dialogue clear.

Sadly, the only extras are the US and UK trailers. The Brits found the title offensive back then so there it was called “What Lola Wants.”

Mervyn LeRoy’s Gypsy is a 1962 musical based on the 1959 show. With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Jule Styne, it tells the tale of a domineering stage mothe, Rose (Rosalind Russell), who is trying to get her two daughters – June (Morgan Brittany), the younger, talented one and Rose (Diane Pace) – work as vaudeville headliners. When vaudeville dies off and years pass, June (Ann Jillian) leaves and Rose (Natalie Wood), still pushed by her mother, ends up as a burlesque performer. Karl Malden plays Herbie, an agent who loves Rose despite her flaws.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 2.41:1 aspect ratio. The HD restoration looks very good, with fine detail in the costumes and sets. Its the colour palette that catches your attention, with primaries popping off the stage. There’s no sign of digital noise or compression artifacts and the image retains a fine grain.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. We get a stereo mix here, but despite the dialogue being clear, the musical numbers come off a little flat.

There is no digital code. In terms of bonus features, we get two deleted songs “Together Wherever We Go” and “You’ll Never Get Away from Me” as well as the trailer.

The final movie in the collection is Ken Russell’s 1971 musical The Boy Friend, based on the 1953 stage version. Rather than just adapt the stage musical, writer/director Russell sets it as a play within a play…or a play within a movie. A small theatre is about to do a matinée performance of The Boy Friend when they learn the star has broken her ankle. The director (Max Adrian) convinces the assistant stage manager, Polly (Twiggy), to take her place. Meanwhile the cast learns a Hollywood director is in attendance and the cast goes gaga. The show must go on, but so must the hijinks. The cast also includes Christopher Gable and Tommy Tune.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The 2K scan brings the cinematography of David Watkin (Out of Africa, Chariots of Fire) to life. The detail is crystal sharp from facial features to the costumes and sets. The colour palette brings out the dark blues rich reds and other bright colours of the theatres production and cast. There’s detail in the shadows and a nice film grain too.

On the audio side of things, we have an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. The team at Warner Archive went back to the four-track stereo mix and revamped it into a 5.1 soundscape. Dialogue is clear, but the real star is the music which has some extra room to breathe in the extra tracks.

There is no digital code for this movie. We do get a promotional behind-the-scenes piece with Ken Russell and Twiggy and a theatrical trailer.

There was a time when musicals were all over the cinemas and the Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray gives us six great examples from a 17-year period. With great audio and video presentations, this set is recommended.

Written and directed by Craig Brewer, 2025’s Song Sung Blue is a biopic based on Greg Koh’s 2008 documentary of the same name. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson play Mike and Claire Sardina, who perform together as the Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder. The film is sentimental and melodramatic and chock full of Neil Diamond song performances. Sixteen to be exact. For some that will be a great thing and for others maybe not, but performances by Jackman and especially Hudson make it engaging. Universal is releasing a Blu-ray and I had a chance to take a look.

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The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The video presentation has great detail in the trio of facial features, textiles, and locations. The colour palette pops and black levels are good with details in shadows and darker scenes. It’s a clean transfer with no sign of digital compression or noise.

On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack, a descriptive video service track, as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 tracks. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French, and Spanish. The musical numbers sound great and dialogue is always clear and centred. The surrounds put you in the audience and the subwoofer gives nice power to the bass in the musical numbers.

Song Sung Blue comes with the Blu-ray disc and a digital code, though there is no code for the Canadian edition. Extras include a commentary track by writer/director Craig Brewer, extended performances of “Crunchy Granola Suite” and “Sweet Caroline”, Hugh and Kate discussing their characters’ love story, a piece with Brewer on bringing the story to life, and a featurette on the costumes.

Song Sung Blue is highly sentimental and melodramatic, but Hudson and Jackman are engaging to watch and the musical numbers are done well. With a very good audio and video presentation, I’m sure fans of Diamond will enjoy adding this to their collection.