Start the Revolution Without Me Blu-ray review
Jul 18, 2026- Permalink
Bud Yorkin’s 1970 period comedy Start the Revolution Without Me stars Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland in the dual role of mismatched identical twins separated at birth. One set is raised as aristocrats, while the other set get the peasant life. It’s the start of the French Revolution and the aristocratic DeSisi brothers are tasked with protecting Louis XVI, while the dim-witted Coupé brothers are part of the angry mob trying to overthrow him. Mayhem ensues when the twins are mistaken for each other. The cast also includes Hugh Griffith, Jack MacGowran, Billie Whitelaw, Victor Spinetti, and Orson Welles as the narrator. Warner Archive has now released the movie on Blu-ray and thanks to them and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.
The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The Blu-ray transfer comes from a 4K scan of the original elements and Warner Archive has once again done a great job. There’s great detail in every palace room, every period costume, and every facial exprssion. Though the colour palette is mostly muted, the aristocratic primaries and other lush tones pop. Whites are bright and dark levels are deep without any real sign of crushing. While an occasional soft shot occurs, none warrants the guillotine.
On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Despite the revolution, comedy is still king. It needs understandable dialogue, which is clear and well-prioritized in this mix. The score fits perfectly with the film’s action and period.
The Start the Revolution Without Me Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. We do get an audio commentary from Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, and Bud Yorkin, a theatrical trailer, and two classic Warner Bros. cartoons that fit the subject of the film: 1950’s The Scarlet Punpernickel and 1956’s Napoleon Bunny-Part.
Wilder and Sutherland make a fun comic duo in both of their settings and the supporting cast is stellar. Warner Archive does its usual great job with the audio and video and there’s a fun selection of extras. That’s why the Start the Revolution Without Me Blu-ray is recommended.