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Pillow Talk patters onto Blu-ray with a lovely new transfer and a port of the special features from the 2009 DVD. The movie itself continues to amuse, now more than 50 years after its initial release. The pairing of Rock Hudson and Doris Day, the innovative use of split-screen, and a good dose of comic dialogue make for a lot of fun for a viewer. The material is certainly dated today, both in terms of its plot and its delivery, but it can still be appreciated both as a period piece and as a genuinely solid piece of filmmaking. The Blu-ray delivers the movie in the best possible light. The release is Highly Recommended for purchase or rental.
PILLOW TALK
Studio: Universal/Arwin Productions
Year: 1959
Length: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
BD Resolution and Codec: 1080p, AVC @ 30 mbps
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (@ an average 1.8 mbps)
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: Not Rated (Mild Innuendo)
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Starring: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter, Nick Adams, Marcel Dalio and Julia Meade
Screenplay by: Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin
Directed by: Michael Gordon
Film Rating: 4/5
Pillow Talk is the epitome of the classic Hollywood romantic comedy, even as the movie gently pushes around the edges of how far a 1950s comedy could go in dealing with bedroom matters. As a time capsule, it’s a wonder to behold. The pairing of Rock Hudson and Doris Day, with Tony Randall ably serving as a third corner to the triangle and Thelma Ritter stealing all of her scenes is practically irresistible. The basic story of the movie is easy to follow: Jan Morrow (Day) and Brad Allen (Hudson) unhappily share a telephone “party line” (due to insufficient phone lines in the early 20th century, many people had to share) but find the sparks flying when they meet in person. The fact that he’s almost a professional bachelor and she’s a single professional is enough to complicate this – except that Brad can’t resist playing a game and posing as an imaginary Texan named “Rex Stetson.” Add into the mix that Tony Randall’s character is friends with Brad and infatuated with Jan, and you have some great comic opportunities. The movie plays as much as it can with the ideas of mistaken identities and cross-purposes, while taking the time to include song performances by both leads and some fun split-screen sequences when two or three ends of a phone conversation are played onscreen at the same time. A mid-film bathtub sequence alone is a great example of matching choreography and comic timing. But the real joy of this movie is seeing Rock Hudson and Doris Day realize their mutual chemistry onscreen. And while the biographers will tell you that they were playing the movie very seriously, there is no mistaking the twinkle in their eyes.
SPOILERS HERE: PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS PARAGRAPH WITHOUT HAVING SEEN THE MOVIE. Of course, there is more than a little suspension of disbelief required here. Granted, watching the movie from a 2012 perspective is not what the filmmakers had in mind, but that’s part of the nature of seeing the movie more than 50 years after its premiere. To completely buy the premise of this movie, we must believe that Jan Morrow is a successful decorator with a beautiful Manhattan apartment, her own maid and an amazing wardrobe including multiple mink wraps. And yet we must also believe that in 1959 Manhattan, she cannot have her own phone line. (The included featurette mentions that the “party line” idea central to the movie started in a 1942 draft, at which time this would have been a much more believable problem.) Further, we must believe that Brad Allen is able to woo her under a false name with a fake Texan accent even though she knows his voice quite well. Then we are asked to believe that after she exposes his lie, that he would then hire her to redecorate his apartment and that she would take the opportunity to turn it into something out of a villain’s lair in the 1960s Batman TV series. Now, that part is actually the easiest part of the plot to buy – that she’d get one over on him for all the deceit, and do so in a way he’d feel in a personal way. But then the movie asks us to believe that after he sees what she’s done, he would march over to her apartment, kick in the door, carry her across Manhattan (during which time she repeatedly calls for help or the police and gets wisecracks in return), and then throw her into the mess of an apartment she’s created. And to top it off, as he’s at the peak of his fury over what she’s done, it only takes a quick look, a locked door, and a 1000-watt smile from her to melt him into a happy suitor again. This is a little much. On the other hand, this is Rock Hudson and Doris Day at the peak of their charisma and chemistry, and the audience is usually ready to go more than the extra mile for them. (And one could argue that the same logic jump is called for when watching a movie like Fletch, where Chevy Chase can get away with ruse after ruse because, well, it’s Chevy Chase and he’s playing Fletch…)
Pillow Talk was released on Blu-ray two weeks ago in the latest of Universal’s 100th Anniversary Collector’s Series releases. The Collector’s Series Blu holds a new 1080p AVC transfer and a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono mix, along with the special features from the 2009 50th Anniversary DVD release, as well as three of the 100th Anniversary featurettes from earlier this year. The Blu-ray package includes the DVD copy of the movie on a second disc and a 48 page booklet. Instructions for downloading a digital copy are also included in the package. Again, this release is Highly Recommended for purchase or rental, although I have a feeling the fans have already grabbed this. As a minor note, this is the fourth Blu-ray from Universal this year not to have a top menu. When you start the disc, the movie starts up, and you’ll need to access any functionality via the pop-up menu.
VIDEO QUALITY 4 ½/5
Pillow Talk is presented in a 1080p AVC 2.35:1 picture that has been thoroughly accounted by Robert Harris in his excellent A Few Words About… notes, which I strongly recommend people to read. I’ll add that the jump in picture quality from the earlier DVD is a night to day matter. The colors literally pop off the screen, most noticeably in terms of Doris Day’s wardrobe, which includes a blue outfit that comes in varying levels of blue and multiple other outfits in primary colors. The Mercedes Benz presented to Doris Day by Tony Randall shows textures of red leather that are quite satisfying to behold. (Of course, there’s also the matter of the backings outside the set windows now being a bit more obvious, but that’s a small qualm.) And then there’s the massive color explosion seen in the closing scenes. One note regarding the grain levels here – from what I can see, the grain has been normalized down to the lowest visible level. This does not mean that grain is not visible – just that in places where you might expect the grain to be heavier, such as the split screen effects, it is not. I did not find this to be a problem – it’s something that makes the viewing appearance more transparent in this case.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
Pillow Talk is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix that accurately presents the mono mix of this movie in high definition. Dialogue and songs are clear, and the music is present without overwhelming anything else in the mix.
SPECIAL FEATURES 3/5
The Blu-ray Collector’s Series presentation of Pillow Talk comes the same special features as the 50th Anniversary DVD from 2009, coupled with three of the 100th Anniversary featurettes from earlier this year. The DVD edition, containing the same bonus features minus the 100th Anniversary pieces, is included in the packaging. The packaging also includes a 48 page booklet and instructions for downloading a digital copy.
My Scenes – The usual Blu-ray bookmarking feature is available here, allowing the viewer to set their own bookmarks throughout the film.
Commentary with Jeff Bond, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – This scene-specific group commentary was recorded for the 2009 50th Anniversary DVD edition of the movie, but it’s still quite helpful here. The gang has a lot of fun with the movie itself, with the backstage stories, and with the history behind it all. Among other things, they discuss the whole idea of the “party line” and how this was already anachronistic by 1959. When the movie gets into the final garish explosion of color, the gang laughs and notes that this is actually predating the wild colors to be seen in 1960s movies in just a few minutes. (One of the commentators says he’s looking for a long-haired Peter Sellers in the scene…) Julie Kirgo offers a pretty good explanation as to what the pillows in the end titles actually signify. As a technical note, the gang notes that you can always tell when a split screen moment is about to happen as the amount of grain onscreen suddenly increases. Except that with the new transfer, this is no longer the case…
Back in Bed with Pillow Talk (21:58, 480p, Non-Anamorphic Letterbox) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – This featurette is carried over from the 2009 DVD and it gets into more of the cultural resonance of the movie, as well as a discussion of the careers of the cast. The movie is discussed both as a product of the end of the 1950s and as a forerunner for what will come in the 60s, as well as having some elements that could still be considered current. (The independent female career woman lead, for example) The irony of Rock Hudson’s life is discussed, including the obvious reference within the film itself during one of the phone calls. The presence of Tony Randall as the third point on the triangle gets a good discussion as does the career of Thelma Ritter, who famously held an Oscar party after her nomination here to “Come and Watch Me Lose!”
Chemistry 101: The Film Duo of Doris Day and Rock Hudson (5:13, 480p, Non-Anamorphic Letterbox) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – This brief piece is carried over from the 2009 DVD, and it focuses specifically on the three movies to feature this duo: Pillow Talk, Send Me No Flowers and Lover Come Back. And of course, all three movies featured Tony Randall. There’s a brief discussion about how they referred to each other onset as Eunice and Ernie, since neither particularly cared for their stage names.
Trailer (2:21, 480p, Non-Anamorphic Letterbox) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – The theatrical trailer (which spoils a good part of the plot) is included here, as it was on the 2009 DVD. It’s a great marker of how much the picture quality has improved from with the new transfer.
100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics (9:13, 1080p) (BLU-RAY ONLY) – This high definition featurette is repeated from the To Kill A Mockingbird and All Quiet on the Western Front Blu-rays.
100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era (8:41, 1080p) (BLU-RAY ONLY)– This high definition featurette discussing the early years of the studio is repeated from the March batch of standard definition catalogue releases. It covers some of the great achievements of Laemmle’s work but falls short when it comes to explaining the end of that era.
100 Years of Universal: Unforgettable Characters (8:18, 1080p) (BLU-RAY ONLY) – This high definition featurette quickly examines many of the famous characters featured in Universal releases over the past 80 years. The gallery includes various horror movie monsters from Dracula to Jaws to Jurassic Park, and moves on to cover memorable performances by Al Pacino (Scarface), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski).
SD DVD – (2.35:1, Anamorphic) – As a bonus, the digibook also contains a standard definition DVD of this new transfer. The sound is presented in an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mix (at 448 kbps) The special features from the 2009 DVD are also included here, but the new 100th Anniversary featurettes are not..
Booklet – A 48-page commemorative booklet is included in the packaging. There’s a nice introduction by Leonard Maltin, followed by minimal biographical material on the cast. (No mention is made of the revelations at the end of Rock Hudson’s career, although this was touched on in the commentary and the featurettes.) A few pages from what looks like an editor’s script are included here, identifying scenes by cut and reel. Some poster art is included, along with a few trivia notes about the movie and the careers of the cast.
Digital Copy – Instructions are included in the packaging for downloading a digital copy of the movie to your laptop or portable device. The instructions include a deadline of December 31, 2013 for activation.
The movie and special features are subtitled in English, Spanish and French. The usual chapter and pop-up menus are present. As I said, there is no Main Menu, but you can access everything you need via the pop-up option. I do need to note that this tendency is becoming a bit annoying, in that you have no option but to start the movie right away. You can pause it in its first moments, but I’m not a fan of the idea of being thrown right in. I’m sure that there are many readers who will have the opposite impression and would rather get on with it, but this is not a trend of which I’m a fan.
IN THE END...
Pillow Talk is a classic romantic comedy with Rock Hudson and Doris Day that gets a lovely Blu-ray edition here. The fine extras from the 2009 DVD are carried over and coupled with a great new HD picture. The movie may have dated a bit, but the fundamental things still apply. The release is Highly Recommended for purchase or rental.
Kevin Koster
May 17, 2012.
Equipment now in use in this Home Theater:
Panasonic 65” VT30 Plasma 3D HDTV – set at “THX” picture mode
Denon AVR-3311Cl Receiver
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray Player
PS3 Player (used for calculation of bitrates for picture and sound)
5 Mirage Speakers (Front Left/Center/Right, Surround Back Left/Right)
2 Sony Speakers (Surround Left/Right – middle of room)
Martin Logan Dynamo 700 Subwoofer
