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Blu-ray Review Radio Days Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Matt Hough

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Radio Days Blu-ray Review

Woody Allen’s warm, nostalgic, and very amusing reminiscence of his preadolescent years in Rockaway Beach, Queens, makes Radio Days one of his most affable and engaging feature films. Filmed in burnished tones and outfitted with stupendous production design and an array of period music that takes the viewer on a journey right back to a six-year period before and during World War II when radio in all its various facets (entertainment, breaking news, favorite features for every member of the family) dominated everyone’s lives, Radio Days doesn’t attempt to tell much of a narrative story but rather offers glimpses into the lives of a myriad of characters both in “reel” life and in “real” life.

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Studio: MGM

Distributed By: Twilight Time

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HDMA (Mono)

Subtitles: English SDH

Rating: PG

Run Time: 1 Hr. 28 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

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Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: All

Release Date: 07/08/2014

MSRP: $29.95




The Production Rating: 4.5/5

A narrator (Woody Allen) recalls memorable days of his youth (Seth Green playing Joe, Allen’s alter ego) in a beachside Queens community living with an extended family in the same house. His parents (Michael Tucker, Julie Kavner), aunts and uncle (Dianne Wiest, Renee Lippin, Josh Mostel), first cousin (Joy Newman), and grandparents (William Magerman, Leah Carrey) are all wonderful eccentrics but also a close, loving family and all of whom enjoy the news and entertainment that radio provides them. Along with telling us about his family and their various adventures, the narrator also relates the tale of Sally White (Mia Farrow), a squeaky-voiced cigarette girl who longs to break into radio, either as a singer or an actress. Her slow but steady climb up the show business ladder plays in counterpoint to the various stories of the family as they live, love, and laugh their way through various crises both large (the looming world war) and small (the romantic escapades of Aunt Bea, the burgeoning of puberty for Joe, a new baby for the family).Woody Allen’s script weaves together these treasurable family reminiscences along with inventing a new cast of radio characters who all figure in ways large or small into his family’s saga: not only Sally White but also Irene and Roger (Julie Kurnitz, David Warrilow), a sophisticated couple of Manhattanites whose morning breakfast show recounts their nightly whirls along the Great White Way; the Masked Avenger (Wallace Shawn), crime fighter extraordinaire whose diminutive size in real life is masked by a booming radio voice; and Biff Baxter (Jeff Daniels), space-aged hero to tykes everywhere now fighting the Nazis. All of the escapades are connected by the rousing music of the period, often recordings by the original artists (Carmen Miranda, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, The Melody Men, Frank Sinatra) or recreations of popular songs of the day (Kitty Carlisle singing the song Bette Davis introduced to the world “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old,” Diane Keaton doing a melting version of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To”). Additionally, production designer Santo Loquasto has not only made that Rockaway house a model of 1940s domesticity, but he’s given us views of radio studios, the Stork Club, and a nightclub rooftop with the dazzling signs and flashing lights of a Broadway long gone but not forgotten. And in one magnificent moment, Allen takes his camera inside the Radio City Music Hall on Joe’s first visit to that historic picture palace (it’s showing The Philadelphia Story) making it seem like a little slice of heaven and bringing back to mind for those of us lucky to have seen the place a vivid recollection of its gargantuan luxury and class.Each viewer will find characters that he finds hilarious and unforgettable. Among the film’s best performers are Julie Kavner as the dry-witted mother, Josh Mostel as the fish loving, easily manipulated uncle, Renee Lippin as Aunt Ceil who is a constant comfort to her sister but a nag to her husband, Dianne Wiest as the lovelorn Aunt Bea (pieces of three of her going-nowhere dates all make memorable impressions), and Mia Farrow who walks away with all of her scenes in the astutely written role of Sally White. The film’s funniest moment, in fact, involves Sally who has witnessed a gangland hit and must be taken care of by hitman Rocco (Danny Aiello). He takes the pitiful girl home to ask his mother (Gina DeAngelis) where he should dump the body, and while Sally is served pasta with shrimp and peppers, the two discuss her murder until her charm and innocence gets the best of them, and they not only let her live but Rocco through his mob connections gets her a radio job, her big break into the business. But this is really ensemble playing at its very best, and this is one family that you’ll want to make return visits to enjoy and appreciate.


Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA

The film is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and in 1080p resolution using the AVC codec. Apart from a few dust specks, this is one beautiful looking transfer with warm, gorgeous color, realistic and appealing skin tones, and sharpness that’s wonderfully detailed. Black levels are quite good, and contrast has been consistently applied to produce an engaging, nostalgic image. The film has been divided into 12 chapters.



Audio Rating: 4/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 sound mix is very emblematic of the mono tracks Woody Allen produced during this period of his film career. The dialogue has been masterfully recorded and is never compromised by the constant music or the occasional sound effect. No age-related artifacts in any way distract the viewer from the words and music being presented.


Special Features Rating: 2.5/5

Isolated Score and Effects Track: offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.Theatrical Trailer (1:28, SD)MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (2:06, HD)Six-Page Booklet: contains color and black and white stills, poster art on the back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s illuminating analysis of the movie.


Overall Rating: 4.5/5

One of Woody Allen’s most engaging and friendly comedies of the 1980s, Radio Days makes for a beautiful Blu-ray release. There are only 3,000 copies of this Blu-ray available. Those interested should go to www.screenarchives.com to see if product is still in stock. Information about the movie can also be found via Facebook at www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies.


Reviewed By: Matt Hough


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Malcolm Bmoor

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Has Woody Allen ever explained why so many of his films, with music scores that he takes very seriously, are issued in mono?
 

David Weicker

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Malcolm Bmoor said:
Has Woody Allen ever explained why so many of his films, with music scores that he takes very seriously, are issued in mono?
I always assumed it was because the majority of source recordings were mono.Other than songs performed by the actors (or scoring such as in Manhattan), almost everyone thing else is pre-stereo.
 

Lord Dalek

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Well he only just started making movies in stereo (initially 3.0, full surround since Whatever Works) in the last couple years because Philip Glass forced him to on Cassandra's Dream.
 

Will Krupp

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JohnMor said:
I've never seen this, so this will be a blind buy for me. Sounds right up my alley.
This is one of my personal favorite movies of the entire decade. I hope you like it!!

I had forgotten until now that this was coming and just ordered it thanks to Matt's review.
 

zoetmb

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I think it's because he personally listened to few modern recordings, preferring 1920s to 1950s jazz. Don't forget that when he wasn't shooting a film, he used to appear weekly at Michael's Pub in NYC playing clarinet with a dixieland jazz band. Even the futuristic Sleeper had a light jazzy score.

Allen was never a fan of any kind of rock music, which is why you never hear it in his films, except in that scene in "Hannah and Her Sisters" where his character is at a club with Diane Wiest and miserable.
 

Angelo Colombus

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One of my favorite and tempted to buy it but $30 is kinda high for me and i do already have the dvd. It has been shown on the MGM-HD channel a few times.
 

JohnMor

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Will Krupp said:
This is one of my personal favorite movies of the entire decade. I hope you like it!!

I had forgotten until now that this was coming and just ordered it thanks to Matt's review.
I'm sure I will. Just ordered, along with Born Yesterday and Violent Saturday.
 

Dave B Ferris

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After reading this review, I surfed-over to Amazon to see whether, stealthily (or otherwise), "Brooklyn Bridge" (TV series) has been released on DVD. Sadly, no.
 

Ejanss

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I remember it seemed like a refreshing bit of personal autobiography, in the middle of Woody's 80's phase of plagiarizing Bergman and Fellini (and Chekhov)--
Until I looked at the ending scene on the nightclub rooftop again, and....d'oh! Turned out Woody was just remaking "Amarcord" in Long Island all the time! (Right down to the crazy relatives, the no-narrative anecdotes, the distant wartime headlines, and the boys peeking on the teacher.)
And here we thought he was finally being original! :(
 

David Wilkins

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Has Woody Allen ever explained why so many of his films, with music scores that he takes very seriously, are issued in mono?

I think it's been stated in the past that he considers it unnecessary. As another poster mentioned, he only relatively recently started making movies in stereo, never mind surround sound. I tend to agree that it's unnecessary, with his movies being character and dialogue driven. I've never once had an awareness of mono sound in his work, that served as a distraction or sense of loss.
 

CraigF

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Yeah, that's always been a bit of a puzzler. And his indifference to "home video", his films are to be seen in a theater according to him, and you have to respect that. Even though I like to watch them at home too.

Speaking of unusual choices for sound formats, some of "his" BDs/DVDs have 3-channel sound, regardless of what the disc package may say. To me, this is a great compromise, the stereo for the music, the center for the dialog, I'm good with that. I'm fine with the mono too, especially since so much of the music he uses was created in mono.
 
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