Blu-ray Review In the Good Old Summertime Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Will Krupp]

I have a 55 inch Panasonic OLED. I have 2 players which I alternated DVD to Blu-ray with instantaneous switching. From a 3 metre distance there was only a little apparent resolution change between the two. The Blu was only slightly sharper. Close inspection showed that the DVD had some small edge artifacts whereas the Blu was clean. Grain on the Blu was sharply defined. I would have rated the video quality of the Blu as 4.5. As I said, not quite as good as some of Warner's recent efforts.

Thanks for answering!

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I'm hoping my copy arrives this week, but international shipping is very hit and miss.
Anyway, I'll be interested in doing a comparison between DVD and Blu ray on my 150 inch display with my 4k-capable Epson projector. It simulates 4k rather than being a native 4k projector which would send me broke!

 

[roxy1927]

I'd like very much to know your opinion because so far I've held off.

 

[lark144]

I just gave in and bought it from Amazon. I never owned the DVD, so I will have nothing to compare it to. But I have a feeling I'm going to find it exemplary. As the immortal Alfred E. Newman (no relation to the composer) once said, "What? Me worry?" And I don't even like the film. But I know I'm going to love the color. And there's always Judy's voice, to put the kibosh on any onset of ennui.

 

[John Maher_289910]

It;s my favorite of all the versionsof Shop Around the Corner. However, I haven't ordered it, because my sons asked me for a list of things I want for my birthday (Halloween), and this is one of many on that list.

 

[roxy1927]

I just gave in and bought it from Amazon. I never owned the DVD, so I will have nothing to compare it to. But I have a feeling I'm going to find it exemplary. As the immortal Alfred E. Newman (no relation to the composer) once said, "What? Me worry?" And I don't even like the film. But I know I'm going to love the color. And there's always Judy's voice, to put the kibosh on any onset of ennui.

How could you not like this film? It's like not liking puppies.

 

[lark144]

How could you not like this film? It's like not liking puppies.

I love "The Shop Around the Corner" so much, I have a dim view of remakes, and "In the Good Old Summertime" tries so hard to be wholesome, in a mostly inept, over the top way, it comes across as phony, just like Van Johnson's mustache. Besides, any film that waxes nostalgic about handlebar mustaches has my eternal enmity. I got it for Judy, Buster Keaton and Harry Stradling's Technicolor cinematography, which I found sublime. But much of the film, for me, has a kind of inferior, warmed over, zombie-like, perfunctory ambience to it, because I can't help comparing it to the Lubitsch, and finding this film lacking...well, in just about everything, except for the above named ingredients, even if this is "The most beloved film Judy Garland made in her MGM years", as Mr. Harris claims, though I thought that was "Love Finds Andy Hardy".

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Hoping to get my copy today because my order of Bugsy Malone, ordered at the same time, arrived late yesterday. I'll let you know, Roxy, how they compare, just as soon as I can.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Mine DID arrive today.
A quick overview confirms Will Krupp's opinion. There's a marginal improvement in image detail and overall colour gradings. But there's still a general softness to the image which is always apparent ... not too disconcerting but without the usual Blu ray improvement we've seen on other films of this vintage.
I'd recommend updating only for true Garland fans like me who see any improvement as more significant than they really are. We live in dreamland, which isn't too bad a place nowadays.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Mine DID arrive today.
A quick overview confirms Will Krupp's opinion. There's a marginal improvement in image detail and overall colour gradings. But there's still a general softness to the image which is always apparent ... not too disconcerting but without the usual Blu ray improvement we've seen on other films of this vintage.
I'd recommend updating only for true Garland fans like me who see any improvement as more significant than they really are. We live in dreamland, which isn't too bad a place nowadays.

Will Krupp stated there is a sizeable difference which is different than just a marginal improvement that you've indicated.

 

[OLDTIMER]

It appears that Anthony Clarke's assessment agrees with my previously posted assessment - that there are only marginal detail and colour improvements.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It appears that Anthony Clarke's assessment agrees with my previously posted assessment - that there are only marginal detail and colour improvements.

It looks that way, but opinions do vary based on what others have posted here including the actual review.

 

[dukiejosh54]

I personally noticed a pretty significant difference between the blu-ray and the DVD watching on my 75 inch 4k TV. Yes the restoration is not quite on the same level as other WAC releases like Take Me Out To the ball game but I remember reading that the print for ITGOS was damaged in the 1978 fire. The blu-ray release got delayed a good amount of time because of how much work it took to restore it, so I think it looks pretty good considering the circumstances. The DTS lossless audio is another improvement over the DVD's lossy audio.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I think we're all circling around the same wagon train. I just didn't see the scale of improvement I expected .. or was hoping for. It's still a pleasing Blu ray but I was hoping for a bit more. And yes, the robust sound is excellent.
Now I await eagerly news that For Me and My Gal is in the pipeline.

 

[Will Krupp]

I personally noticed a pretty significant difference between the blu-ray and the DVD watching on my 75 inch 4k TV. Yes the restoration is not quite on the same level as other WAC releases like Take Me Out To the ball game but I remember reading that the print for ITGOS was damaged in the 1978 fire.

This is the problem with a really fantastic transfer like BALLGAME as they knocked it out of the park with that one (see what I did there?) and now WAC is in the unenviable position of having to follow themselves.

For my money it IS a significant (or sizeable, I can't remember what I originally wrote but I'll take Mr. Crawford's word for it) uprade over the DVD for color and clarity.

 

[benbess]

I like The Shop Around the Corner slightly better, but this movie is a lot of fun. The picture quality is very good, although as some have mentioned not quite as impressive as some other Warner Archive 3-strip Technicolor movies. Funny, tuneful, and highly recommended. Look out for Liza Minnelli's screen debut at the age of the three in the final minute.

Buster Keaton was a real highlight of this movie! Especially after I learned from Matt Hough's review that Keaton's comic talents were behind the very funny meet-up between the two main characters.