A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Boy Friend -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[haineshisway]

Not Glenda - Glenda has her foot in a cast.

 

[Will Krupp]

Is it Antonia Ellis during Maisie's attempt to upstage Tommy Tune during the Charleston? She's certainly working.....!

 

[AnthonyClarke]

That upstaging scene is a classic!

 

[Joel Arndt]

Antonia Ellis is excellent in her role. She made an impression on me the first time I saw this. Too bad she didn't appear in more films.

 

[Matt Hough]

Antonia Ellis is excellent in her role. She made an impression on me the first time I saw this. Too bad she didn't appear in more films.

I agree. When I saw the movie in a theater all those many years ago, I was convinced she would be the breakout star of the film. The role certainly did wonders for Sandy Duncan's career after she earned a Tony nomination for the Broadway revival.

 

[haineshisway]

Stay tuned for A PEEK AT THE BOY FRIEND, coming this evening

 

[MatthewA]

Is this the unedited version?

I highly doubt Warner Archive would pull a Disney and do to it as they did with their own musical from 1971 which was also cut twice before being restored in the 1990s. That year, Twiggy was up for a Golden Globe against Angela Lansbury for Bedknobs and Broomsticks in a role Julie Andrews turned down years after Angela punted on the role Julie got an Oscar for*; Twiggy won for playing an actress playing a role originated by Julie. Unfortunately, a grouchy Oscar burned out on musicals ignored them (and Bedknobs was also up for the score adaptation Oscar that went to Fiddler, as was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which Paramount distributed but is also now Warner's lock stock and barrel and has been since they bought out David L. Wolper) as they handed Best Actress to Jane Fonda for Klute; Bedknobs, of course, took home naught but the last Special Effects Award that would be given out regularly until Star Wars made sci-fi blockbusters the new roadshow musicals.

Disney should be looking at what Warner Archive is doing and saying "hey, we should do that for our films." But they don't. These at least don't have any trade-offs with the previous DVDs. I'm glad to see that Warner Archive is still paying attention to detail and not making it necessary to own multiple copies of a single film if you want both supplements and HD picture…or even the whole dang movie itself!

*While they tend to dominate the music and Best Animated Feature Oscars (which is to some a way of saying animated films aren't "real" movies), Disney movies are routinely ignored for acting awards come Oscar time. Take away all the "adult" imprints, and no one else has won an Oscar for acting in a Disney movie, not counting the special awards given to James Baskett (whose all-too-short life mattered more than Disney wants to admit), Bobby Driscoll, and Hayley Mills.

 

[Jonny_G]

wasn't 'The Boyfriend' released in 70mm in the UK - which would have been five front/mono surround

 

[Robert Harris]

wasn't 'The Boyfriend' released in 70mm in the UK - which would have been five front/mono surround

Doubtful. Probably 3 front, mono fx channel

 

[cinemiracle]

wasn't 'The Boyfriend' released in 70mm in the UK - which would have been five front/mono surround

Not in London .Australia and New Zealand both had 70mm prints.

 

[DP 70]

I am sure the Empire in London run a 35mm 4-track Mag print.

 

[ahollis]

Watched it last night. What a beautiful transfer. No complaints from me.

 

[John Maher_289910]

I always really want to like this film, but I find it almost a complete failure, on every level. Granted I don't like Russell, as a film maker, so that's its biggest issue; but, Twiggy (who I like) is such a cipher, almost completely void of any talent, that the big, bloated mess just collapses around her. Still, I have a soft spot for it, because I saw it with my mother and grandmother, when it was in theaters, and they both LOVED it, particularly Tommy Tune (who really is the only person in it, with any talent worth recognizing.) I'll definitely be skipping it, but am glad that they've done a nice job with the transfer.

 

[Virgoan]

I'm absolutely over the moon about this Blu ray! It looks amazing. And I cannot get enough of the dance numbers. Twiggy and Christopher Gable are perfection in their roles. Tommy Tune and Antonia Ellis are remarkable.

 

[Will Krupp]

I'm absolutely over the moon about this Blu ray! It looks amazing. And I cannot get enough of the dance numbers. Twiggy and Christopher Gable are perfection in their roles. Tommy Tune and Antonia Ellis are remarkable.

I agree with everything you wrote Ron, but l have to give a loud shout out as well to the very funny performance by Russell favorite Georgina Hale as "Fay." That VOICE! I love her in "It's Never Too Young" (performed by Dulcie in the original musical but by Fay in the movie) and I find her a scream all the way through.

All of them, really. I think the entire cast is perfection.

The first time I saw this (as a teenager) was on late night TV in the early 80's in a panned and scanned, very brown print. The movie depressed me. It was only after seeing better (and more complete) prints over the years that I started to warm to it and "got" the joke. I NEVER imagined it could look this stunning. Bruce Kimmel is completely correct in the post he wrote in the other thread that the colors are positively perfect in every way. What a dazzling disc. I would go so far as to say it's probably the best looking transfer I've seen from that era. It looks like it could have been shot yesterday (and I mean that in the best possible way!)

 

[ahollis]

This is ready to spin in the magic Blu-ray machine tonight for a few friends that have never seen it, let alone heard of it or Twiggy. Yes, their young. Lol.

 

[KPmusmag]

I like the movie and think it is well done, however, the slightly out-of-tune music is charming for about 1.5 hours and then my teeth start to hurt.

 

[Will Krupp]

I like the movie and think it is well done, however, the slightly out-of-tune music is charming for about 1.5 hours and then my teeth start to hurt.

Lol, I can see how the uncut version may, at times, resemble an incredibly rich dessert that there's a lot more of than you originally thought when you first took it.

 

[Jim*Tod]

Just got this blu ray. What a quantum leap in terms of image quality and sound. I have never seen this presented this well. AMAZING!!!!

 

[PMF]

I just hit a string of "Likes" on many Posts from this thread.
It's not that I agree with anyone by knowing the picture, itself;
but, rather, all of the comments of "The Boy Friend" as a film entire;
or as a restoration;
or as a WAC success story via Mr. Feltenstein;
as its just getting me all the more pumped up about my first-time viewing of it.
And it's all going to happen on this very night.
Did 'ja hear me Mr. haineshisway? "Not tomorrow, not today, but yesterday..."
That's right...a first-time viewing of something restored, both visually and with a loaded full-coat of 5.1 sound.
Oh yes, and a film-buffs nirvana; the original running time as seen by everyone in the world but, here, in America.
For a first-timer, the conditions and circumstances just couldn't get any bit better.