The British comedy classic I’m All Right Jack by the Boulting Brothers featuring Ian Carmichael, Richard Attenborough, Peter Sellers, and Terry-Thomas arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in the U.S. via Kino Lorber Studio Classics – featuring a stellar remaster and a few extras.
The Production: 3.5/5
Upper class twit Stanley Windrush (Ian Carmichael) seems to fail at every attempt for managerial positions. He resorts to seeking employment through a labor service, finding his true calling as a forklift driver for a munitions factory. Unbeknownst to Windrush, his hiring makes him a pawn in shady contract dealings and also enraging the union workers. The labor union foreman Kite (Peter Sellers) brings work to a halt over the offense of a non-union worker being hired. Meanwhile, Stanley also has the hots for Kite’s daughter, which doesn’t improve things a bit. Also starring Richard Attenborough, Terry-Thomas, Dennis Price, Margaret Rutherford, and Liz Fraser.
While I’ve heard of the famed Boulting Brothers comedies from this time period, I will admit that I hadn’t really seen much of their work. The satire on business and labor. There’s a scene in a candy factory that I swear must have been an inspiration for the “idea room” in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. There’s some humor that hasn’t aged as well, such as a brownfaced Arab businessman and some frank discussion of Black workers. While a good comedy, I do feel that it cops out a bit in the ending, offering too much of a “both sides” argument between business and labor. Still, this features so many great British talents at their height and some just about to reach stardom (like Sellers).
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Usually when Kino Lorber omits remaster sources on their Studio Classics releases (rather than “New 4K remaster” or the like) it means an older master, but I’m All Right Jack arrives on Blu-ray from a quite stellar-looking remaster by StudioCanal. Presented in 1.66:1 and the usual Kino AVC high-bitrate encode, it’s a lovely black and white presentation. Very little damage, dirt, or scratches. Film grain appears intact, though, the image tends to become soft during opticals like fades and dissolves. Contrast and detail are also lovely, especially the textures of clothing and machines.
Audio: 4/5
The original monaural soundtrack to I’m All Right Jack is presented as a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track. Fidelity is fine for the most part, while some dialogue tends to be a little tinny and uneven, while perfectly clear at other times. It’s not the most active sounding film, but there is a sequence in a candy factory that has a lot of interesting sound effects. No obtrusive noise or damage can be heard.
Optional English SDH captions are provided.
Special Features: 2.5/5
- Audio commentary by authors and comedy historians Gemma and Robert Ross
- Interview with actress Liz Fraser (9:56 HD)
- Theatrical Trailer (3:07 HD)
- Additional Trailers for The Road to Hong Kong, Two-Way Stretch, The Ladykillers, and The Party
Overall: 4/5
I’m All Right Jack is a who’s who of 50s British comedy, a lovely remaster, and some good extras make this a must-have for fans and worth a blind-buy if you’re into this sort of film.
Current Home Theater setup (as of 01/2019):
Monitor:
Samsung 60" LED 4K UHD (UN60J7090)
Players:
Primary - Sony UBP-X700 UltraHD Player
Secondary - Sony BDP-S5500 Blu-ray 3D Player (all region modded)
Sound:
VIZIO 5.1 Soundbar SB-3851C0
Other Players:
PS3
Apple TV (4th generation)
3-D Glasses:
Samsung Active Shutter (4x)
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