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

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (March 2022): Imprint have transferred Arthur Hiller's The Out of Towners to Blu-ray. It on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and the image is clean (a very few speckles) and shows pleasing depth in the outdoor sequences. The darkness has thick texture visible that appears noisy but is palatable representing 'film' well in an adept HD presentation.

NOTE: We have added 28 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Imprint use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language (although my software identifies it as "Chamorro".) The Out of Towners has no aggressively violent moments but is sprinkled with emotional dialogue that is exported consistently. We get another excellent score by Quincy Jones (In the Heat of the Night, The Getaway, The Slender Thread, The Pawnbroker, The New Centurions, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs) adding to the more idyllic opening setting to the anxiety and despair felt throughout the rest of the film. Imprint offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historian Lee Gambin. Lee is thorough and well-prepared finding depth in the characterizations, gestures, dialogue and direction. I'm always impressed by his analysis identifying the well thought-out aspects of the production while referencing similar films and comparisons found in Simon, Hiller and Lemmon's respective careers. There is a trailer and the package has a slipcase cover.

The general public enjoyed Arthur Hiller's The Out of Towners more than critics. It doesn't have the depth of Simon's own, later, The Prisoner of Second Avenue although it tries to share that vibe of navigating the trappings of the big city environment with Lemmon, again, playing the beaten-down victim through his overt body language and dramatic facial expressiveness. It's tone is dark and has characters in a "strange land" with neurosis, bad luck, physical comedy and disillusionment that is very amusing, to a point. It borders on black comedy with torturous events engulfing the, potentially relocating, couple. Every facet of their trip is sabotaged through circumstances of failed planning, ineffective personal service and deceptive, unsympathetic criminals. Lemmon has such great timing and Sandy Dennis supports him well as the foil both seeing a silver lining and offering warnings of excessive caution. Its cuteness doesn't circumvent the overwhelming discouragement, imo. The Imprint Blu-ray is the first 1080P transfer of The Out of Towners that I am aware. It offers a commentary and handsome packaging. Lemmon and Simon fans will get the most out of this one.

Gary Tooze