A Few Words About A few words about...™ Some Like it Hot -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Once again, we have an extraordinary film, one of the greatest in the hundred plus years of cinema's history, finally released to Blu-ray, and in a very acceptable form. In many ways, this is similar to The Misfits, less the audio problem.


When an extremely important film makes it way to home theater via the Blu-ray format, it should (now that things have settled reasonably as far as DNR and other elements that may go bump in the night) be a reason for celebration. And if discs aren't selling off the shelves, releases like Some Like it Hot could be the reason.


The quality, both visually and sonically, is very, very acceptable. But that cannot be what those great wise souls who created the format had in mind for Blu-ray. It is easily possibly for a release of films such as these to knock one's socks off.


And this doesn't.


It's just really very nice and okay.


Black levels are fine, along with shadow detail, but grain and overall resolution are lacking. Whether because of element selection, or the use of an extant master, we are not at that point where a new Blu-ray of a classic film should be.

Some Like it Hot, from M-G-M via Fox is Very Highly Recommended, albeit with technical shortcomings.


RAH

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Agree. I suspect this is the same transfer used for the 2006 DVD. Perfectly watchable and reasonably attractive but a classic like this needs an upgrade...

 

[Robert Crawford]

It's not the only MGM/UA title through Fox that is alright, but could've been better.







Crawdaddy

 

[Eric Peterson]

That's disappointing to hear. I'll probably just hold on to my DVD for awhile...and if I catch this on sale, I may consider quadruple dipping on this title. I purchased this on DVD at least 3 times and still have my Criterion LD to boot!


I may be the biggest Billy Wilder fan on this board....but for some reason, this film just barely cracks my top 10 for Wilder. I'm much more anxious for an upgrade on the bulk of his remaining filmography (which probably needs the upgrade much more!!)


Bring on:

• Witness For the Prosecution
• The Apartment
• One, Two, Three
• The Fortune Cookie
• Avanti
• etc..., etc....
• .....and while we're at it, where the hell is "Five Graves to Cairo" and "A Foreign Affair"?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

One superior aspect of the 2006 DVD: it includes the original mono audio, but the Blu-ray does not...

 

[Scott Calvert]

It looks like film. It's not a first gen element but there's nothing wrong with the actual transfer outside of a little gate-weave. I'll take a not perfect element given an good scan over an old, noisy, digitally fubared scan of a perfect element every time.

 

[Ransom Stoddard]

I owned the UK Special Edition prior to this and it is a significant upgrade from that release. The ugly edge enhancement is gone. The digital noise is gone. There is now a fine layer of grain, And the old release was a cropped a bit, there is more viewable picture here.


I'd say the most offensive part of this release is the cover art.