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A Few Words About A few words about...™ Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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The incomparable William Powell, probably best known for his turn at bringing detective Nick Charles to the screen, opposite Myrna Loy, seemed to be bringing his film career to a slow fade, as 1950 neared.  With his greatest work in the 1930s-'40s,  he ended with a bang in 1955, playing the doctor on board James Cagney's ship, as directed by John Ford.

Speaking of Mr. Roberts, a Blu-ray would be appreciated.

As someone who has always had an love of deep sea fishing (generally catch and release) I'm not certain what my reaction would be if I ever hauled Ann Blyth aboard.

With just a few appearances on her CV, Ms Blyth, whose first major appearance was as Veda Pierce, Mildred's daughter in 1945, took a definite change of pace by playing...

well, you know.

I've always loved Mr. Peabody, and have always considered it a companion piece to Mrs. Muir.  Both beautifully filmed in the wonders of black & white.  Mr. Peabody by Russell Metty, and Mrs. Muir by Charles Lang.

As an aside, Mr. Peabody was both produced, as well as written for the screen by Nunnally Johnson, mentioned in another few words earlier today.  His is another monumental CV worth researching, when readers have a moment.

I began to view Mr. Peabody, which has arrived on Blu-ray from Olive with a bit of trepidation, and came away displeased by so many problems that could have been so easily digitally repaired -- and for not a great investment.

It appears that the film has been taken from a fine grain master, which in itself appears to have been beautifully  prepared.  At least as far as exposures and densities are concerned.

The problem is with great honking gobs of minus density, aka dirt on the original negative, which does not appear to have been properly cleaned before use.  With our digital toolbox, these just shouldn't be a problem.

Meaning those who purchase a Blu-ray should never know that they existed.

When film elements are original, the image takes on a beautifully graded appearance, with proper gray scale, grain structure and black levels.  It's all there.

This Blu-ray could have garnered a 5 rating, with just a tiny investment, and a bit of TLC.

Image - 3.5

Audio - 5

Recommended.

RAH

 

Johnny Angell

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Robert Harris said:
As someone who has always had an love of deep sea fishing (generally catch and release) I'm not certain what my reaction would be if I ever hauled Ann Blyth aboard.
Oh, she'd be a keeper. :) Disappointing that this blu isn't as good as it could have been. I keep reading stuff like this about Olive.
 

Kyrsten Brad

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Brad here. I guess this is what you get at times from boutique houses. Better than DVD but not what it could have been. This movie was on my Christmas list but now I might reconsider.On a related note I'm now composing a letter to Shout (and Timeless) to express my bitter disappointment with the "Aloha Bobby & Rose" DVD where the PQ sucks almost as bad as my Cleveland Browns did last night against the Rams. I'll post it later as a open letter.
 

Robert Crawford

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Kyrsten Brad said:
Brad here. I guess this is what you get at times from boutique houses. Better than DVD but not what it could have been. This movie was on my Christmas list but now I might reconsider.On a related note I'm now composing a letter to Shout (and Timeless) to express my bitter disappointment with the "Aloha Bobby & Rose" DVD where the PQ sucks almost as bad as my Cleveland Browns did last night against the Rams. I'll post it later as a open letter.
RAH gave it a 3.5 rating which means many of us would probably rate it a 4-4.5 score. IMO, that means most of us would be very happy with this BD. Having watched this disc several weeks ago I gladly concur with that happiness.
 

Robert Harris

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Robert Crawford said:
RAH gave it a 3.5 rating which means many of us would probably rate it a 4-4.5 score. IMO, that means most of us would be very happy with this BD. Having watched this disc several weeks ago I gladly concur with that happiness.
When it's good, it's beautiful.
 

Kyrsten Brad

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Robert Crawford said:
RAH gave it a 3.5 rating which means many of us would probably rate it a 4-4.5 score. IMO, that means most of us would be very happy with this BD. Having watched this disc several weeks ago I gladly concur with that happiness.
OK, y'all talked me into leaving Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid on my Christmas list. So it shall stay.
I see it is in glorious B&W. I've yet to see it but I'm one of those nutcases who would love a nicely digitally-colorized version. (That goes for the Ghost & Mrs. Muir too which I have on Blu).

On a somewhat related tack, I wonder what similarities this film would have with the 1984 Darryl Hannah film Splash ? And did the producers of Splash draw any inspiration from Mr. Peabody And The Mermaid ? I don't know if Splash is out on Blu yet (I don't believe it is but it should be) but a comparison would be interesting.
 

classicmovieguy

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A British film entitled "Miranda" was released in the same year as "Mr Peabody...". It was based on an earlier hit play, and several years later it received a sequel, "Mad About Men". Both films are highly enjoyable, and are closer in spirit to "Peabody" than "Splash".

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Poster - Mad About Men_06.jpg
 

ahollis

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classicmovieguy said:
A British film entitled "Miranda" was released in the same year as "Mr Peabody...". It was based on an earlier hit play, and several years later it received a sequel, "Mad About Men". Both films are highly enjoyable, and are closer in spirit to "Peabody" than "Splash".

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Poster - Mad About Men_06.jpg
Thanks for the information. I just ordered both. I love Glynis Johns and looking forward to both.
 

Mark-P

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warnerbro said:
If you want this title, you'd better hurry. They're limited and won't be around long.
Where do you get this information? I've never heard that Olive releases are limited.
 

Brandon Conway

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Yeah, I'm sure that Olive doesn't do large runs of discs, but I've never heard of them being limited issue (meaning if it sells out they can't produce another batch).
 

Johnny Angell

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Kyrsten Brad said:
OK, y'all talked me into leaving Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid on my Christmas list. So it shall stay.
I see it is in glorious B&W. I've yet to see it but I'm one of those nutcases who would love a nicely digitally-colorized version. (That goes for the Ghost & Mrs. Muir too which I have on Blu).

On a somewhat related tack, I wonder what similarities this film would have with the 1984 Darryl Hannah film Splash ? And did the producers of Splash draw any inspiration from Mr. Peabody And The Mermaid ? I don't know if Splash is out on Blu yet (I don't believe it is but it should be) but a comparison would be interesting.
Mrs. Muir looks marvelous in b&w and I can't imagine color being an improvement. Ghost stories that go for a mood are just beter in b&w. Mr. Peabody, it's been so long since I've seen it, I don't remember just how good the b&w is. It just arrived via ups so I expect to have an opinion soon.

Splash and Peabody are VERY different movies. Since the following is a key point of the movie, I'm spoilerizing it:

In Splash, the mermaid is real, she exists. In Peabody, there is some serious doubt. In Splash, the mermaid finds a young man to be her lover, in Peabody the mermaid finds an older man going through a mid-life crisis. We are left to wonder if he imagined it all.

When I saw this movie as a child (I was and am fascinated by mermaids), I thought the movie was about a man who finds a real mermaid. Now, a century later, what I see in the movie has changed very much. :)

I don't think the producers of Splash drew much inspiration from Peabody. I do like both of these movies very much.
 

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warnerbro said:
If you want this title, you'd better hurry. They're limited and won't be around long.
If you miss them, Netflix is streaming them.
 

Kyrsten Brad

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Brad here. Hooray, OOHH-RAH!! Got permission from my lovely wife (Kyrsten) to order Mr. Peabody & The Mermaid along with Splash (from JB HiFi). Turns out Kyrsten loves mermaid movies (that aren't specifically for kids like Disney's The Little Mermaid) and we'll be having a mermaid double feature next month (triple feature if I include The Little Mermaid in the showing which I already have on Blu).
Something tells me we'll be watching Mr. Peabody & The Mermaid when our friends decide to pay us a visit with their adorable little girl (age 3) and we'll have to switch to The Little Mermaid or Frozen or Pirate Fairy.

Well actually that only happens on Saturday mornings when I'm watching my Jonny Quest , Space Ghost, Star Trek-The Animated Series or New Adventures of Superman DVDs of course.


Splash is so ordered. Mr Peabody & The Mermaid is this Friday (payday).
 

Kyrsten Brad

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classicmovieguy said:
A British film entitled "Miranda" was released in the same year as "Mr Peabody...". It was based on an earlier hit play, and several years later it received a sequel, "Mad About Men". Both films are highly enjoyable, and are closer in spirit to "Peabody" than "Splash".

attachicon.gif
cc52e360495a61740abe4539c0bb55bf.jpg
attachicon.gif
Poster - Mad About Men_06.jpg
Brad here. Both look like winners to me. Get them for the gorgeous ladies but good to see David Tomlinson in Miranda. I think I just read here that both parents from Mary Poppins (which includes Tomlinson and Glynis Johns) were in this film (Miranda). Hmmmm.
Would like to see both come to Blu. Especially since Glynis Johns is still with us and would make a nice commentary piece.
 

JoHud

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Johnny Angell said:
In Splash, the mermaid is real, she exists. In Peabody, there is some serious doubt. In Splash, the mermaid finds a young man to be her lover, in Peabody the mermaid finds an older man going through a mid-life crisis. We are left to wonder if he imagined it all.

When I saw this movie as a child (I was and am fascinated by mermaids), I thought the movie was about a man who finds a real mermaid. Now, a century later, what I see in the movie has changed very much. :)
But Peabody had the comb! A vital clue that the mermaid may have indeed been real. That and the question of how Peabody survived from drowning...if not the mermaid, how? And the bite marks! Though there is an element of doubt, I agree. Sorta like near the ending of The Time Machine where similar doubt is cast upon they viewer until McDowall discovers the exotic flower in his pocket--except TTM decided to erase those doubts at the tail end while Peabody is still unable to truly know if it was fantasy or reality.

I kinda like that part of Peabody & the Mermaid...it has that element of mystery and fantasy similar to "real" mermaid tales. It adds to the mermaid mythology by keeping the truth in the shadows while also imbuing it with a dream-like quality
 

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