- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,315
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Million Dollar Mermaid, a 1952 production, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, and starring Esther Wiliams, Victor Mature and Walter Pidgeon, used to be a breathtakingly gorgeous three-strip show, and now, as released by Warner Archive, it looks better than it has, with the exception of original dye transfer prints, which is comes near to equal.
I'd call it "breathtakingly gorgeous," and it should be known the others have placed it within that pantheon of the most beautiful three-strip productions.
The film is a reality-based production - Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, who came to the Colonies, first doing live shows at the Hippodrome in New York, and then moving on to Hollywood c. 1909, and entered silent films. I believe she the first to do a legit nude scene in Daughter of the Gods in 1916. The basic facts seem to be there, but as it film, it seems stilted today. I may have been in 1952.
Miss Kellerman did approve of Esther Williams playing her in the film, and one would presume some sort of compensation.
The upgrade here from the previous DVD, which was IP-based is enormous, as the previous incarnation had registration issues.
In the new Blu-ray some will note (you've got to look really closely) that printer functions are a tiny bit soft, as they were built-in, and and natural to the production.
Another magnificent three-strip from Warner.
My singular problem with the film?
Neither Ms Williams nor Mr. Pidgeon have Australian accents. But I guess if they did, they would have been dubbed a la Mad Max...
Image – 5
Audio – 5 (DTS-HD MA 2.0 - Monaural)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD - without a doubt
Recommended
I'd call it "breathtakingly gorgeous," and it should be known the others have placed it within that pantheon of the most beautiful three-strip productions.
The film is a reality-based production - Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, who came to the Colonies, first doing live shows at the Hippodrome in New York, and then moving on to Hollywood c. 1909, and entered silent films. I believe she the first to do a legit nude scene in Daughter of the Gods in 1916. The basic facts seem to be there, but as it film, it seems stilted today. I may have been in 1952.
Miss Kellerman did approve of Esther Williams playing her in the film, and one would presume some sort of compensation.
The upgrade here from the previous DVD, which was IP-based is enormous, as the previous incarnation had registration issues.
In the new Blu-ray some will note (you've got to look really closely) that printer functions are a tiny bit soft, as they were built-in, and and natural to the production.
Another magnificent three-strip from Warner.
My singular problem with the film?
Neither Ms Williams nor Mr. Pidgeon have Australian accents. But I guess if they did, they would have been dubbed a la Mad Max...
Image – 5
Audio – 5 (DTS-HD MA 2.0 - Monaural)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD - without a doubt
Recommended