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The Cary Grant Box Set
Holiday Only Angels Have Wings (Criterion Blu-ray reviewed HERE)
The Talk of the Town His Girl Friday (Criterion Blu-ray reviewed HERE)
The Awful Truth (Criterion Blu-ray reviewed HERE)
Comments: |
The Cary Grant Box Set as put out by Sony appear to be slightly different transfers than the old Columbia Tri-star releases from many years ago. But they don't appear to be extensively superior in the image department, but indeed they are marginally different (See our comparison below with His Girl Friday), but Holiday is finally seeing the digital light of day outside Region 2. NOTE: We have not fully compared all 4 duplicate film transfers with the initial Region 1 releases but are basing our assumption on the His Girl Friday comparison. Only Angels Have Wings could very well be improved - it looks the best by far of all the transfers. I think we should clear up one point. This box set is being advertised as 'All 5 discs are loaded with featurettes and commentaries'. There are featurettes with each disc but only His Girl Friday has a commentary track. This could be construed by some as misrepresentation.
The packaging is very nice - individual discs - no dual sides and
there are a number of very nice looking postcard sized images and
posters included in an envelope.
Differences include: 1) The
DVDs in the new set are region-coded for 1,2,3 + 4 where the old
Columbia's were set for regions 1,3 + 4 (all NTSC).
2) The host of subtitle (and DUB) options available on the initial
releases have been omitted (except on the new
Holiday) and only English and French subtitles are
included. The audio is original English only (no DUBS) on the new discs.
The films are some of the best of their period regardless that they
all star Cary Grant. Romantic and screwball comedies helmed by Hawks,
Cukor,
McCarey and George Stevens. The reasonableness of the cost make this a
financially sound investment even if you already own 2 of the initial
releases.
NOTE: From 'A.J.' in email - "I found a slight difference between
the Columbia and Sony releases of "His Girl Friday" that you don't
mention in your comparison review. Both have four featurettes, but the
first featurette is different. On the Columbia release it's called "Cary
Grant: Making Headlines", which is 4:57 long. On the Sony release it's
called "On Assignment: His Girl Friday", which is 8:46 long. In your
description, you list "Cary Grant: Making Headlines" on both, but your
capture of the featurettes menu for the Sony release shows a listing for
"On Assignment: His Girl Friday"." Thanks A.J.! |
Directed by
George Cukor
USA 1938
Barry's high-style comedy suited Hepburn wonderfully, and this satire on the egotism and selfishness of the upper classes (the wealthy) in the States gave her a vehicle so finely tuned that it paved the way for her even greater success two years later with an option on his The Philadelphia Story. Here she plays the older sister in a family which boasts an alcoholic brother and a younger sister engaged to a struggling lawyer (Grant) who brings a welcome note of dissension into the household. Naturally, he ends up with the sparky Ms Hepburn. Cukor's elegant grasp of the original drama ensures a silkily smooth transition from stage to screen. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: June 15th, 1938
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
Distribution | Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | |
Runtime | 1:35:45 | |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.57 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
Subtitles | English, French, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Sony Pictures Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Cary
at Columbia |
Comments: |
Lots of grain that looks more like digital noise and there are some damage scratches and marks. Overall it still looks quite acceptable although I'd love to see the same treatment that Only Angels Have Wings received. |
DVD Menus
Screen Captures
Directed by
Howard Hawks
A compelling character study crossed with nail-biting action,
Only Angels Have Wings is fully immersed within the male-centric world of Howard
Hawks. In the South American coastal town of Barranca a couple of likely looking fellows, Joe
Souther (Noah Beery Jr.) and Les Peters (Allyn Joslyn), are making their way
along the dock. One of the regular passenger ships has just docked, supplying
them with mail to be collected. However, the real perk is that they get the
first look at any newly arrived beauties. While their luck seems to be out, that
all changes when Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) strides down the gangplank, cowing the
ship's purser (Rafael Corio). As she wends a glowing path through the crowds,
Joe and Les set off in hot, though wary, pursuit.
Excerpt of Damian Cannon's review at Movie Reviews UK located HERE.
USA 1939
Their reticence is surely misplaced though for when Bonnie discovers that
they're Americans, rather than local lechers, she practically jumps all over
them. Hence the trio soon find themselves in the Dutchman's (Sig Rumann)
combination shop-hotel-bar, where Joe and Les toss for who'll get to have dinner
with Bonnie. The loser, unfortunately, will have to go to work, flying the
nightly mail plane over the Peruvian Andes. Luckily for Joe he comes up trumps,
at least until their boss Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) crashes onto the scene. One
look at Bonnie and Joe's headed for the pilot's seat while Les gets dispatched
dockwards. Before any wooing can take place though, Joe's got to take off in the
soupy fog and successfully negotiate the 14,000 ft pass which serves as a
gateway to the interior.
Posters
Theatrical Release: May 12th, 1939
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
Distribution | Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | |
Runtime | 2:00:48 | |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.2 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
Subtitles | English, French, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Sony Pictures Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Angels:
Made in Heaven |
Comments: |
NOTE: Criterion Blu-ray reviewed HERE Aside from the cheesy menus this is the best disc in the package. It looks virtually like a brand new film - an amazing transfer. Fabulous, but its greatness tarnishes the rest of the set by comparison. In my opinion this film and DVD are worth the price of the entire boxset. |
DVD Menus
Screen Captures
Directed by
George Stevens
In this sparkling, risquée romantic comedy, three of Hollywood's top stars—Cary
Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman—play house together. Grant is a convicted
arsonist and murderer who's escaped from prison, and Arthur is his old
girlfriend who's fixing up her apartment to rent out to Colman, a famous law
scholar. The film features one of Grant's best performances (on a long list of
great performances); he's perfectly matched by Arthur, who was one of the silver
screen's finest comediennes. Colman, in a rare comic turn, is essentially the
straight man, although "straight" doesn't quite describe him. In addition to its
status as one of the great screen comedies, the film is a treasure trove of
homosexual undercurrents, many of which aren't all that disguised. Sideways
glances, beards, an asexual professor with an ambiguous relationship with his
"man," and a love triangle in which the men attempt to foist the woman on each
other—there are so many elements here, some quite brazenly so, that it's not
crazy to see homosexual themes in it.
USA 1942
Posters
Theatrical Release: August 20th, 1942
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
Distribution | Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | |
Runtime | 1:56:56 | |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.2 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
Subtitles | English, French, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Sony Pictures Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Talking
About: Talk About the Town |
Comments: |
Probably the second best transfer after Only Angels Have Wings. Good contrast, a smattering of film grain and conspicuously sharp. Minor speckles show up infrequently. Another, in the list of fabulous films from the boxset. |
DVD Menus
Screen Captures
(aka "Howard Hawks' His Girl Friday" )
directed
by Howard Hawks
USA 1940
Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's hit Broadway play, The Front Page,
has been filmed four times to date, and His Girl Friday is by far the
best version, thanks to not only the new screenplay by Hecht and Charles
Lederner, but to stars Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, director Howard Hawks,
and a new idea. The idea was to change one of the male lead parts to a female
role, allowing romance and the battle of the sexes to invade the story. Excerpt from Martin Hunt Taken from EUFS Programme 1995-96 |
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Theatrical Release: January 11th, 1940
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
1) Columbia - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT2) Columbia - Region 2,4,5 - PAL - MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT
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Box Covers |
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Coming to Blu-ray in the UK by Criterion 6 days later in January 2017: |
Distribution |
Columbia Tri-Star Region 1 - NTSC |
Columbia
Tri-Star
Region 2/4/5 - PAL |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 849 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:31:51 | 1:28:09 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:32:08.564 |
Video |
1.37:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.37:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,255,415,913 bytesFeature: 27,168,940,032 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.13 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes |
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Bitrate:
Columbia R1 . |
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Bitrate:
Columbia R2/4/5 |
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Bitrate:
Criterion Blu-ray |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0 ) DUB |
English, German, Italian and Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono) |
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps
1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit |
Subtitles | English Captions and French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese and Thai Subtitles as well as None | English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and none | English (SDH), None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Theatrical Release Date: January 11, 1940 Production Company: D3K Films Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1.00 ( Academy ratio
) Discographic Information: Edition Details: • Trailers (His Girl Friday, It Happened One Night Born Yesterday and Pal Joey).
DVD
Release Date: November 21, 2000 Chapters
28
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Release Information:
Aspect Ratio(s): Discographic Information: Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: December 2002 Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,255,415,913 bytesFeature: 27,168,940,032 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.13 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• New 4K digital restoration of The Front Page, made from a recently discovered print of director Lewis Milestone’s preferred version, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack• New interview with film scholar David Bordwell about His Girl Friday (25:05) • Archival interviews with His Girl Friday director Howard Hawks (10:27) • Featurettes from 1999 and 2006 about Hawks, actor Rosalind Russell, and the making of His Girl Friday - On Assignment: His Girl Friday (8:47) - Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook (3:23) - Funny Pages (3:28)
- Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop (3:14) Second Blu-ray
• New piece about the restoration of The Front Page (24:01)
• Plus: An insert featuring essays on His Girl Friday and The Front Page
by film critics Farran Smith Nehme and Michael Sragow Chapters 14 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray - December 2016: Criterion's Blu-ray of His Girl Friday advances over the SDs in the anticipated areas. It has more, and consistent, grain. The 1080P resolution naturally exports superior layered contrast (deeper blacks and more pure whites) and it looks sweet in-motion. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. It probably can't look much better. 'All good' on the video transfer front. Criterion utilize a linear PCM (24-bit) in the original mono. Dialogue is always clear and clean and the score (uncredited) is by Sidney Cutner and Felix Mills and adds some flavor sounding solid in the uncompressed. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on the Blu-ray disc is available in both region 'A' and 'B'. Criterion's notable supplement is a new (2016) 4K digital restoration of The Front Page, made from a recently discovered print of director Lewis Milestone’s preferred version. It is a different version from the previously released Kino Classics Blu-ray reviewed HERE.Criterion add many supplements for both films. There is a new 25-minute interview with film scholar David Bordwell about His Girl Friday. For Bordwell, co-author of Film Art: An Introduction (now in its eleventh edition!), His Girl Friday represents the apotheosis of classical Hollywood storytelling. The sheer gusto of the film's pacing, the economy of its structure, and its command of technique result in a whirlwind viewing experience that matches the chaos of the world of its characters. In this visual analysis, Bordwell illuminates the many elements of Howard Hawks's movie that demonstrates his mastery of his craft. There are 10-minutes of archival interviews with His Girl Friday director Howard Hawks and four featurettes from 1999 and 2006 about Hawks, actor Rosalind Russell, and the making of His Girl Friday - they are On Assignment: His Girl Friday (8:47), Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook (3:23), Funny Pages (3:28) and Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop (3:14). We get a desirable, hour-long, radio adaptation of His Girl Friday from 1940 and a teaser and trailer for the film. On the second Blu-ray (that houses the 4K digital restoration of The Front Page) there is a new, 25-minute, piece about the restoration of The Front Page and a, similar length new piece about playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht. Lastly are two radio adaptations of the play The Front Page from 1937 (58:45) and 1946 (31:42). The package has an insert featuring essays on His Girl Friday and The Front Page by film critics Farran Smith Nehme and Michael Sragow. Brilliant package from Criterion - such a marvelous, re-watchable, film - looking and sounding aces - and a bevy of supplements (and The Front Page) to indulge in. Our highest recommendation! *** ON THE DVD: The Columbia R1 disc is marginally superior. Slightly richer and deeper blacks. Other than the discs are pretty much the same except for some minor details (see Trailers listed above). I was surprised and thought the PAL would come out on top. Just goes to show you. Both are super quality and much better than all of the others out there. A Classic film and a worthy DVD production. Stick with the R1 but if you don't own it yet, you know what to do. I think most individuals would be happy with the slightly lesser R2/4/5... especially if you require the extra subs. Great job Columbia!(Note: His Girl Friday has recently entered into the public domain, and there have been multiple BAD versions released on DVD by other distributors.) |
DVD Menus
(Columbia Tri-Star - Region 1,3,4 - NTSC LEFT vs.
Sony - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC RIGHT)
Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
1) Columbia - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) Columbia - Region 2,4,5 - PAL - MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Columbia - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) Columbia - Region 2,4,5 - PAL - MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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Directed by
Leo McCarey
USA 1937
In this Oscar-winning farce, Cary Grant (in the role that first defined the Cary Grant persona) and Irene Dunne exude charm, cunning, and artless affection as an urbane couple who, fed up with each other's infidelities, resolve to file for divorce. But try as they might to move on, the mischievous Jerry can't help meddling in Lucy s ill-matched engagement to a corn-fed Oklahoma businessman (Ralph Bellamy), and a mortified Lucy begins to realize that she may be saying goodbye to the only dance partner capable of following her lead. Directed by the versatile Leo McCarey, a master of improvisation and slapstick as well as a keen and sympathetic observer of human folly, THE AWFUL TRUTH is a warm but unsparing comedy about two people whose flaws only make them more irresistible. *** A superbly lighthearted production, and the epitome of 1930s screwball comedies. Grant tells wife Dunne that he is going on a short Florida vacation, but then spends his time playing poker with the boys, establishing an alibi by burning himself under a sunlamp. When he returns home he finds his wife absent; then she appears with D'Arcy, a dashing voice teacher. Both Grant and Dunne assume that the other has been unfaithful and, after a rousing round of accusations, they decide to accept a 90-day interlocutory divorce. Excerpt from TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide located HERE |
Posters
Theatrical Release: October 21st, 1937
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Blu-ray
1) Sony - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC - LEFT2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT
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Box Covers |
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Coming to Blu-ray in the UK by Criterion 6 days later in April 2018: |
Distribution | Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | Criterion Collection - Spine # 849 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:30:30 | 1:31:02.457 |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.2 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 44,824,020,335 bytesFeature: 27,046,232,064 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.45 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
Bitrate Blu-ray | ||
Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit |
Subtitles | English, French, None | English (SDH), None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Sony Pictures Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • In
Love With Cary Grant : Inside the Awful Truth
DVD Release Date: February 7th, 2006 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 44,824,020,335 bytesFeature: 27,046,232,064 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.45 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• New interview with critic Gary Giddins about director Leo McCarey (24:02)• New video essay by film critic David Cairns on Cary Grant's performance (15:59) • Illustrated 1978 audio interview with actor Irene Dunne (6:53) • LUX RADIO THEATRE adaptation of the film from 1939, starring Grant and Claudette Colbert (59:39) • PLUS: An essay by film critic Molly Haskell Blu-ray Release Date: April 17th - 23rd, 2018 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 19 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion - Blu-ray - March 2018: Criterion's Blu-ray of The Awful Truth is described as a "New 4K digital restoration". The 1080P resolution naturally exports much richer grain textures and superior layered contrast (deeper blacks and more pure whites) and it looks luscious in-motion. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. It probably can't look much better. Compared to the DVD it shows more information in the 1.37:1 frame on all four sides of the frame. The 4K looks wonderfully film-like. So impressive. Criterion utilize a linear PCM (24-bit) in the original mono. Dialogue is always clear and clean and there is no credited score but has music; Joyce Compton (dubbed) as Dixie Belle Lee performing My Dreams Are Gone With the Wind as well as Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy Home on the Range and Dunne singing La Serenata. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on the Blu-ray disc is available in both region 'A' (North America) and 'B' (UK). Criterion's notable supplements include an hour long LUX RADIO THEATRE adaptation of the film starring Cary Grant and Claudette Colbert that originally aired September 11th, 1939. There is an excellent new 1/4 hour video essay by film critic David Cairns on Cary Grant's performance in The Awful Truth and the influence on it by director Leo McCarey. I was appreciative to watch the 24-minute interview with critic Gary Giddins (author of Warning Shadows: Home Alone with Classic Cinema) about director Leo McCarey and his improvisational working methods and how the film cemented the screwball comedy genre. Lastly on the Blu-ray is a 7-minute illustrated 1978 audio interview with actor Irene Dunne conducted by scholar James Harvey. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by film critic Molly Haskell.Brilliant non-sensical action, witty dialogue and a classic screwball pace. Performances carry the fun vibe and this is one of my favorite of this genre. Our highest recommendation! |
DVD Menus
Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
1) Sony - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC - TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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Box Covers |
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Coming to Blu-ray in the UK by Criterion 6 days later in April 2018: |
Distribution | Sony Pictures - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | Criterion Collection - Spine # 849 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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