A Few Words About A few words about…™ “Mister Roberts” – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[winstoncarolina]

It was Fonda and Ford's (sixth?) and last film and not a happy experience. Fonda loved the play and felt Ford was "joking up" the movie too much. The cantankerous Ford was apparently drunk most of the time as well, which didn't help matters. The arguments and friction mounted and finally Ford was taken off the film and Mervyn Le Roy was brought in to finish it, so there is a co-director credit. To save face, it was said Ford had to leave the film for surgery.

 

[John Skoda]

In his book, Josh Logan says he directed retakes too. They didn't want to have three credited directors, so they gave him co-screenplay credit.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I finally got this thanks to WAC’s latest sale. I had forgotten how cartoonish the film is. My guess is Ford didn’t direct a whole lot of the film, as it just doesn’t seem to be his style.
That said, WAC did a once again bang up job on bringing this to high def.

Cartoonish? How so?

 

[Alan Tully]

It was Fonda and Ford's (sixth?) and last film and not a happy experience. Fonda loved the play and felt Ford was "joking up" the movie too much. The cantankerous Ford was apparently drunk most of the time as well, which didn't help matters. The arguments and friction mounted and finally Ford was taken off the film and Mervyn Le Roy was brought in to finish it, so there is a co-director credit. To save face, it was said Ford had to leave the film for surgery.

Well to be fair to Ford, he only started to turn up to the set drunk after the blow-up with Fonda, & Fonda giving him the freeze treatment. The atmosphere on that set must have been unbearable, & I think that Ford really did have to leave the film for surgery. As for the cartoon element, I think that was Ford, his onscreen humour tended to be very broad, & that's probably some of what Fonda objected to.

Anyway, great looking Blu-ray. It looks like Warner have solved the faded Warnercolor problem, so Land Of The Pharaohs & Helen Of Troy anytime you like Warner

 

[jim_falconer]

Cartoonish? How so?

There were a number of “eye roll” moments during the film, that I felt have not aged well.

1) not one, but three “cat call” whistle effects as the crew is looking at the hospital
2).drunk sailors retiring from shore leave in a cargo net. Then one riding his motorcycle into the ocean...then in a very Jerry Lewis manner, running back into the ocean after it
3) the soap suds scene, overplayed by any and everyone who had a part in it.

I could go on, but I’m sure you get my point by now. As someone else mentioned, perhaps it was Ford putting all the juvenile humor in there, which lead to Fonda being upset with him. At least I hope that was the case.

 

[Robert Crawford]

There were a number of “eye roll” moments during the film, that I felt have not aged well.

1) not one, but three “cat call” whistle effects as the crew is looking at the hospital
2).drunk sailors retiring from shore leave in a cargo net. Then one riding his motorcycle into the ocean...then in a very Jerry Lewis manner, running back into the ocean after it
3) the soap suds scene, overplayed by any and everyone who had a part in it.

I could go on, but I’m sure you get my point by now. As someone else mentioned, perhaps it was Ford putting all the juvenile humor in there, which lead to Fonda being upset with him. At least I hope that was the case.

I liked those sequences which means comedy is much more subjective among us all. Cartoonish not to me.

 

[jim_falconer]

I liked those sequences which means comedy is much more subjective among us all. Cartoonish not to me.

Absolutely...for example, Ford’s humor in “The Quiet Man” was much less broad, which I feels ages much better.

 

[RolandL]

Sorry, the iPhone doesn't copy the colors correctly. The TCMHD broadcast is cropped compared to the Blu-ray.

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