A Few Words About A few words about...™ Billy Budd -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

It's always interesting to see how a quality actor does, when he or she turns to directing.

For Peter Ustinov, it wasn't (like so many others) a one off.

He had been writing, and directing, since the '40s, creating the English dialogue for Lola Montes in 1955, along with some dialogue for Spartacus in 1960.

But his main directing credits began in 1961, with Romanov and Juliet. He followed that, a year later with the superb Billy Budd, which gave Terrence Stamp is first major role.

Warner Archive's new Blu-ray is one of the most beautiful black & white discs to come across the helm here, in many a moon. It's gorgeous.

The Allied Artists film was photographed in CinemaScope by the great Robert Krasker, it's a gorgeous image. Rich blacks, full gray scale, light grain structure. Clean and stable.

Image - 5

Audio - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Upgrade from DVD - Absolutely

Recommended

RAH

 

[Dick]

Thanks, Robert. I had my fingers crossed, but it's hard to type that way. Now I can uncross them. Love this film, as I've often said on this forum.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Amazon pricing dropped to $17.97 for this release.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm surprise more people haven't commented on this Blu-ray release. I watched it twice this morning as I wanted to listen to the Terence Stamp's and Steven Soderbergh's audio commentary. A wonderful video and audio presentation for an excellent film.

 

[commander richardson]

I'm surprise more people haven't commented on this Blu-ray release. I watched it twice this morning as I wanted to listen to the Terence Stamp's and Steven Soderbergh's audio commentary. A wonderful video and audio presentation for an excellent film.

This is a very good film indeed so well directed by Peter Ustinov . Wonderful picture and sound quality make the DVD which was not too bad anyway look second rate. The acting of all concerned is impeccable. Movies like this are what Warner Archive are all about..

 

[Robert Crawford]

This is a very good film indeed so well directed by Peter Ustinov . Wonderful picture and sound quality make the DVD which was not too bad anyway look second rate. The acting of all concerned is impeccable. Movies like this are what Warner Archive are all about..

It's been a long time since I last viewed Billy Budd in its entirety from beginning to end so it was a pleasure doling so twice this morning.

 

[Douglas R]

I'm surprise more people haven't commented on this Blu-ray release. I watched it twice this morning as I wanted to listen to the Terence Stamp's and Steven Soderbergh's audio commentary. A wonderful video and audio presentation for an excellent film.

The audio commentary isn't new. It was on the DVD. I'd often be far more keen to upgrade if studios provided more extras than were on the DVD versions.

 

[PMF]

Thanks, Robert. I had my fingers crossed, but it's hard to type that way. Now I can uncross them. Love this film, as I've often said on this forum.

With WAC, no finger crossing is required on the outcome of their discs.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The audio commentary isn't new. It was on the DVD. I'd often be far more keen to upgrade if studios provided more extras than were on the DVD versions.

Yeah, but I never listened to it and I bet you that most people that owned the DVD never did either.

 

[benbess]

The benefit of having an unwatched stack of blu-rays is that when the mood hits you for something you have some things to choose from. After watching some episodes of the old What's My Line? show on hbomax, I had a thirst for something serious with real substance, and so unwrapped my recently purchased blu-ray of this 1962 movie.

About twenty years ago I went through of phase of reading actual Melville novels, including Moby Dick and others, but somehow didn't get to Billy Budd. But from those earlier readings I appreciated Melville's blend of the realities of shipboard life with some tinges of the visionary and poetic.

I've enjoyed the performances of Terence Stamp since first seeing him as General Zod in Superman back in 1978, and as recently as last year with the neo-noir Last Night in Soho. He often portrays heavies, and it was a real surprise to see him in his first film role as someone completely different. Stamp was nominated for an Oscar for his performance and it really stands up.

Good direction by Peter Ustinov, who seems to listen to himself somewhat more than other directors when it comes to reigning in his often delightful tendency to steal scenes. Here he's rather restrained, but still has that amusing quality that made him a go-to actor from the early 1950s through the late 90s.

Robert Ryan as usual plays the heavy, and does a good job of it. In real life apparently he was a pacifist and a nice guy, in contrast to his screen image.

Anyway, this is a really strong movie with a wonderful screenplay. I more or less knew the ending, but otherwise didn't know much about the story, and the twists and turns were surprising to me.

Picture quality is excellent for almost all of it, but in the last few minutes there seemed to be a just a little bit of wobble or distortion of some kind, but nothing very concerning in a pretty much opening night quality presentation.

This movie seemed to give more of a feel of actually being on a ship than many Hollywood movies of this era, which sometimes seem to be on sets on dry land. This one has enough realism in that area to almost make you a slightly motion sick in a few scenes.

As for many others, Lawrence of Arabia towers over all other movies released in 1962 for me. But after Lawrence, this movie is a somewhere high up in my top ten for this year, along with To Kill a Mockingbird, Lonely are the Brave, Gyspy, Birdman of Alcatraz, Freud, Dr. No, The Manchurian Candidate, How the West Was Won, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, etc.

 

[mark brown]

Thanks for the reminder! My Billy Budd is still in cellophane somewhere around here!

 

[Capt D McMars]

Thanks for the reminder! My Billy Budd is still in cellophane somewhere around here!

I picked it up during the 4 for $49 sale. I have always watched it when it would come on TCM. An interesting story, great cast and beutiful interplay between characters. In some scenes it's what's not said rather that what is...I'm glad to finally have decent edition from the masters at WAC, Bravo!!

 

[Dick]

There are certainly undercurrents of a sexual attraction to Billy from Claggart, which, when he realizes this himself, is probably a large part of the reason he turns on Billy with such fury. There is a much more overt indictment of the British naval regulations that pretty much force Captain Vere to make the final decision he does. Incredible film, and I'm happy Ben brought this thread to the fore once again.

 

[bujaki]

I first saw Billy Budd in my boarding school in '63. Beautiful 35mm print. It was my first exposure to Terence Stamp. He did indeed look like the angel described by Melville. Next time I saw Stamp was in The Collector. No longer an angel.
BTW, Benjamin Britten's operatic version of Billy Budd is outstanding. Contrary to all expectations, Budd is a baritone and Captain Vere is a tenor. Claggart, of course, is a bass voice.

 

[John Skoda]

Robert Ryan as usual plays the heavy, and does a good job of it. In real life apparently he was a pacifist and a nice guy, in contrast to his screen image.

No one remembers it because it was a flop, but the same year BILLY BUDD was released, Robert Ryan starred, sang, and danced in Irving Berlin's last Broadway musical MR. PRESIDENT where he played a President Kennedy-ish character.

Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray sing "In Our Hide-Away" from MR. PRESIDENT

 

[bujaki]

No one remembers it because it was a flop, but the same year BILLY BUDD was released, Robert Ryan starred, sang, and danced in Irving Berlin's last Broadway musical MR. PRESIDENT where he played a President Kennedy-ish character.

Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray sing "In Our Hide-Away" from MR. PRESIDENT

I guess my name is Nemo.

 

[Trancas]

I first saw Billy Budd in my boarding school in '63. Beautiful 35mm print. It was my first exposure to Terence Stamp. He did indeed look like the angel described by Melville. Next time I saw Stamp was in The Collector. No longer an angel.

Like the male counterpart to Da Vinci's angel?