Rob_Ray
Senior HTF Member
A friend of mine got an advanced copy of the upcoming Thoroughly Modern Millie blu ray and gave me his thoughts to post here:
"The transfer looks very sharp, the colors are very good and it's very bright. But at 1.85 they are cutting picture at top and bottom. In fact just before intermission and at the end when the heart animation circles Millie & Jimmy's kiss before the bouncing Meers head, they slide into to correct ratio so the full picture can be seen - with black borders on the sides. At the end, it remains that way at 1.66 until the exit music starts over black. So Universal should understand that the movie was not intended for 1.85, and even though it could be shown that way if it had to be, it wasn't the creator's choice. During Jazz Baby, for instance, Channing's hands sometimes go out of frame at the top.
Two guys do the commentary, one a film scholar and one an art scholar (?). They often go on about unrelated topics just to keep filling the time. Sometimes their comments are good and well timed, but other times, important things go right by and they don't mention them, or they mention them well after the fact. The seem to keep filling the time any way they can - naming Julie's other films, talking about other musicals of the 1960s, and bringing up the movie of Mame again and again for some reason. I found myself often tuning them out, even though the movie audio is rarely heard during the commentary.
The trailers are the same Popular Prices one - used twice here in 2 different formats. One if the same from the DVD in 4x3, and then it has been scanned again HD and is cropped 1.85. So much for bonus material extras.
The sound seems great and the Overture, Intermission and Exit Music are intact."
"The transfer looks very sharp, the colors are very good and it's very bright. But at 1.85 they are cutting picture at top and bottom. In fact just before intermission and at the end when the heart animation circles Millie & Jimmy's kiss before the bouncing Meers head, they slide into to correct ratio so the full picture can be seen - with black borders on the sides. At the end, it remains that way at 1.66 until the exit music starts over black. So Universal should understand that the movie was not intended for 1.85, and even though it could be shown that way if it had to be, it wasn't the creator's choice. During Jazz Baby, for instance, Channing's hands sometimes go out of frame at the top.
Two guys do the commentary, one a film scholar and one an art scholar (?). They often go on about unrelated topics just to keep filling the time. Sometimes their comments are good and well timed, but other times, important things go right by and they don't mention them, or they mention them well after the fact. The seem to keep filling the time any way they can - naming Julie's other films, talking about other musicals of the 1960s, and bringing up the movie of Mame again and again for some reason. I found myself often tuning them out, even though the movie audio is rarely heard during the commentary.
The trailers are the same Popular Prices one - used twice here in 2 different formats. One if the same from the DVD in 4x3, and then it has been scanned again HD and is cropped 1.85. So much for bonus material extras.
The sound seems great and the Overture, Intermission and Exit Music are intact."
) it was the road show version, intact with the Overture, Intermission, and exit music. 
