Summertime Blu-ray - Katherine Hepburn

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Summer Madness')

directed by David Lean
UK / USA 1955

With this sublimely bittersweet tale of romantic longing, director David Lean left behind the British soundstage to capture in radiant Technicolor the sun-splashed glory of Venice at the height of summer. In a tour de force of fearless vulnerability, Katharine Hepburn portrays the conflicting emotions that stir the heart of a lonely, middle-aged American tourist who is forced to confront her insecurities when she is drawn into a seemingly impossible affair with a charming Italian shopkeeper (Rossano Brazzi) amid the ancient city’s canals and piazzas. Lean’s personal favorite among his own films, Summertime is an exquisitely tender evocation of the magic and melancholy of a fleeting, not-quite-fairy-tale romance.

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Middle-aged Ohio secretary Jane Hudson (Katharine Hepburn) has never found love and has nearly resigned herself to spending the rest of her life alone. But before she does, she uses her savings to finance a summer in romantic Venice, where she finally meets the man of her dreams, the elegant Renato Di Rossi (Rossano Brazzi). But when she learns that her new paramour is leading a double life, she must decide whether her happiness can come at the expense of others.

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An American spinster’s dream of romance finally becomes a bittersweet reality when she meets a handsome—but married—Italian man while vacationing in Venice. Katharine Hepburn’s sensitive portrayal of the lonely heroine and Jack Hildyard’s glorious Technicolor® photography make Summertime an endearing and visually enchanting film.

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 21st, 1955 - NY, NY - USA

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Comparison:

Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. RAN - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover			BONUS CAPTURES:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 22 - Region 0 - NTSC	RAN - Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Criterion Collection - Spine # 22 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) This edition (without any extras) is also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:40:03	1:39:44.978	1:40:36.780
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.84 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,460,387,856 bytes Feature: 23,291,326,464 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 27.96 Mbps	1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,891,813,378 bytes Feature: 30,190,657,536 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 35.87 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate: RAN Blu-ray
Bitrate: Criterion Blu-ray
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	None	Japanese, None	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Collection Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (2:11) • 2 page liner notes by David Denby DVD Release Date: August 25th, 1998 Keep Case Chapters: 18	Release Information: Studio: RAN Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,460,387,856 bytes Feature: 23,291,326,464 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 27.96 Mbps Edition Details: • Trailer (2:14 in 480i) Blu-ray Release Date: June 8th, 2012 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 21	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,891,813,378 bytes Feature: 30,190,657,536 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 35.87 Mbps Edition Details: • New interview with film historian Melanie Williams (21:47) • Interview with director David Lean from 1963 (22:04) • Audio excerpts of a 1988 interview with cinematographer Jack Hildyard (13:01) • Trailer (2:15) PLUS: An essay by film critic Stephanie Zacharek Blu-ray Release Date: July 12th, 2022 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters: 13

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (June 2022): Criterion have transferred David Lean's Summertime to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration". It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Colors shift from their own 1998 DVD (created from a 35mm internegative) looking passive but significantly tighter. Its high attribute the fine grain that propels it notably over the decade-old Japanese 1080P. It shows more information in the accurate 1.37:1 frame with more information on the left edge. The Criterion's HD presentation showcases the Technicolor with impressive balance in pastels. It's a shade dark and not overly vibrant. It looked exceptional on my system.

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a liner PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The sounds of canal transportation, a train - but mostly passive notes and open-air dialogue. The score is by Alessandro Cicognini (Miracle in Milan, Ulysses, Terminal Station, De Sica's Bicycle Thieves, Shoeshine, Umberto D. etc.) and supports the film effectively with some surprising bass notes - exemplifying the expression and warm, adventurous tones of the film. Notable are Icini's Summertime In Venice and Gioachino Rossini's Overture to 'La Gazza Ladra'. It's a wonderfully passive and contemplative soundtrack that sounds pristine in the uncompressed. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray includes a new 22-minute interview with film historian Melanie Williams author of David Lean. She expands upon the director who's career spanned five decades and encompassed everything from the intimate black-and-white romance of Brief Encounter (1945) to the spectacular Technicolor epic of Lawrence of Arabia (1962.) Included is a 22-minute interview with director David Lean originally broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Close-Up on April 7th,1963. Lastly are more than a dozen minutes of audio excerpts from an interview with cinematographer Jack Hildyard conducted by Alan Lawson and recorded on January 7th,1988, as part of the British Entertainment History project. In them, Hildyard discusses his early career and working with director David Lean on Summertime. The Blu-ray package as liner notes with an essay by film critic Stephanie Zacharek.

David Lean's Summertime is a brilliant locational romance sharing themes of loneliness, insecurity, blossoming love, how locations can shift emotional states, repressed desire and abandonment apprehension. There are psychological subtleties and I would have appreciated a commentary on Criterion's Blu-ray. Katharine Hepburn steals the camera exuding desperate glances that seek protection and encouragement. There's no defined plot as it meanders through Venice with the main character and her caring street urchin, Mauro. Summertime is a beautiful film that centers meek acceptance and gentle, modest satisfaction of adventurers that life has to offer - without ruining it with further expectations. Nice to see it finally come to a stellar digital representation via Criterion's 4K Blu-ray restoration with valued extras. Absolutely recommended!

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ADDITION: RAN - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - June 12': David Lean's Summertime gets the Blu-ray treatment out of Japan and it looks quite nice. Only single-layered but there is a decent bitrate on the bare-bones disc. The frame shows more information than Criterion's SD (from way back in 98'). There is some grain and the Venetian sights can be very impressive in 1080P. The image is brighter and things tighten in the higher resolution although colors may have lost some steam. There is lossless stereo sound with a nice supportive score and optional Japanese subtitles on the region 'A' Blu-ray disc.

NOTE: Like Tell Them Wille Boy is Here the opening credits (one minute 29 seconds) are heavily picture-boxed.

I still like Summertime and enjoyed the HD presentation. Nice to know it is available on Blu-ray now.

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ON THE DVD: This is a bit of an odd-duck Criterion - one of their lowest bitrates, no subtitles and is appears it could have been from an analog source, although it is filled with good film grain and the brilliant Technicolor makes it impossible to question. Criterion claims "new digital transfer was created from a new 35mm internegative" and I don't have the wear-it-all to argue. Bottom line is the image looks as wonderful as the film. No extras to speak of, but for the Criterion collector - or David Lean fan, this a good purchase. I forgot how much I enjoyed this film will I recently saw it again.

Gary W. Tooze

Thomas says (1998):

I have owned three copies of Criterion's "Summertime", and I returned each of them for defects in the transfer. The image as a whole is beautiful, but when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong. In one DVD Katherine Hepburn's face dissolved into huge squares for the duration of several seconds. In the other defective DVD, the movements of the speaking mouths of the Brazzi and Hepburn were replaced by black and white bars. I forgot what the problem in the third disc was, but I returned that one as well. All came from the first printing of the DVD, and each happened at different moments in the movie. Since I really love the movie, I kept trying to get a non-flawed transfer, but no luck yet.

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Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. RAN - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT