Irma La Douce (1 Viewer)

[Ken_McAlinden]

Picked up this most recent MGM release of a Billy Wilder film. The anamorphic transfer is quite nice with brilliant colors, but like The Apartment and (less so) The Fortune Cookie, it from time to time suffers from a bad case of "the shimmers" when close-set horizontal lines are in the frame (such as the storefront gate that Irma stands in front of at various times). Overall, though, this was a great deal for $15 and I would recommend it to fans. Source element flaws are sporadically noticeable, but much less frequently than in the previously mentioned films. No extras are included beyond the amusing animated trailer.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

 

[Eric Paddon]

The no extras means that even if I get it, I have to keep my LD which has an isolated music/effects track. I know that doesn't mean too much but it's still a nice thing to have, making you feel like you're owning part of the raw film elements.

 

[Paul_D]

I'd count 'The Apartment' as one of my all-time favourite films, but I haven't seen 'Irma La Douce'. How does it compare? I'm sure it isn't better, but is it worth picking up?

 

[george kaplan]

I certainly don't consider Irma La Douce as good as the apartment, but I'd say if you like the Apartment (and Wilder's other films from that time frame) you'll almost certainly enjoy Irma La Douce.
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13-time NBA world champion Lakers: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I forgot to mention that the DD2.0 mono sound was none too spectacular, but this was the first time I've seen/heard the film, so I can't compare it to anything else. It has very little high-end, and the moderate low-end sounds oddly pumped up.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

 

[frank manrique]

I just viewed this movie on a FP system (Dukane 9015 D-ILA display device -calibrated- HT-PC for DVD playback, 12 foot wide custom built "scope" screen, etc.) and saw hardly any digitally-originated artifacts, though various degrees of edge enhancement are present.
On a more conventional non-progressive scan, inverse telecine-equipped set up -like a 36" Sony WEGA TV set and Sony DVP-560D standalone player- a degree of interline flicker or twittering and some "mosquito noise" were observed. It isn't the transfer; is the equipment...
-THTS
[Edited last by frank manrique on September 24, 2001 at 03:08 AM]

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I saw the shimmering on both my PC and a Sony WEGA. I am curiously not comforted by the fact that the artifacts will not appear on less than 1/2 of a percent of equipment out there when I have several DVDs which do not have this problem. It is certainly more than interlace flicker and I would not call it a digital artifact so much as a video artifact. The most obvious examples early in the film were the shot over the opening credits of Irma next to the grate and several instances of Hippolyte's suit. I will, however, reiterate that it is only occasionally distracting and the video transfer is otherwise more than acceptable.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA