Timothy E
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10 Blu-ray
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1979
Rated: R
Film Length: 2 hours, 3 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.4:1
Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French Dolby Digital 1.0, Spanish (Castilian & Latin) Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Release Date: February 1, 2011
The Movie
Blake Edwards’ 10 is the original comedy from 1979 that made Bo Derek a household name.
George Webber (Dudley Moore) is a successful songwriter who seems to have it all. Wealth, success, and a girlfriend (Julie Andrews) who tolerates him. George is having a mid-life crisis, and a glimpse of Jenny Hanley (Bo Derek) on her wedding day sends George off the deep end as he becomes obsessed in his pursuit of this stunning young bride.
Director Edwards wrote the loosely autobiographical screenplay, as he did for virtually all of his films. 10 is Edwards’ amusing meditation on aging as it relates to pursuing one’s dreams and desires, themes which he revisited in different ways in other films like That’s Life and Switch. 10 includes a small portion of the slapstick and farce that was Edwards’ trademark in films like The Party and the Pink Panther films. Dudley Moore gives a fine performance as a successful schmuck who probably would not know what to do with Bo Derek if he ever did succeed in catching her, as the film demonstrates to great effect, as Moore’s character discovers whether a perfect 10 is reality or merely fantasy.
Video
10 tends towards softness much more than modern blu-ray transfers. This apparent softness is likely due to the film stock used on many films in 1979. The video quality tends towards graininess and seems to be true to how the film appeared originally on the big screen. Color accuracy is excellent with no compression artifacts perceptible. DNR and edge enhancement are not apparent. There is one scene in what would be the first reel in which some (extremely minor) film weave is visible for a few seconds. It is almost imperceptible, and most viewers will not even notice, and this is the only noticeable flaw on what is otherwise a fine transfer.
Audio
The English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track is adequate, given the limitations inherent in the original recording. There is none of the crackle, hiss, or inconsistency of sound volume that can still persist after digital cleanup. The audio is probably as good as, or slightly improved over, the original theatrical presentation.
Special Features
The special features are minimal but include what may be all of the worthwhile promotional material still in existence for this film:
A Dream... a Fantasy... a TEN! (4:26): This promotional featurette was produced and released at the time of the film’s release in 1979. It features footage of director Edwards and the cast behind the scenes during production.
Trailer (2:47): Original vintage trailer for 10.
Conclusion
10 is an entertaining if not exceptional comedy from the writer-director who created the Pink Panther series. I do not consider 10 among the best of Blake Edwards’ films, however, even an average Blake Edwards film deserves recommendation over the best films of many other directors. 10 is best remembered today as the film that made Bo Derek a screen icon in her cornrow hair style. The video and audio quality are seemingly accurate to, or perhaps even a small improvement over, the original theatrical presentation for this film. The special features are minimal, and it is regrettable that Edwards did not record audio commentaries for many of his films before he passed away on December 15, 2010. This film comes recommended, even if it does not score a 10 out of 10 as implied by the title.
