Fanny - Leslie Caron

Directed by Joshua Logan
USA 1961

A waterfront waif, Fanny, loves the young Marius, but doesn't stand between him and his dream of going to sea. Once he leaves, however, she finds herself pregnant, setting the stage for a marriage of convenience with Panisse, an old businessman and the best friend of Marius' father, César. When Marius returns from sea years later, he fights to win back the family he never knew he had.

Although it received mixed reviews on its original release in 1961, Fanny has grown in popularity among director Joshua Logan's fans, many of whom have hailed it as his best film. The film's enduring romantic allure is partly due to the stunning setting, shot on location in the Marseille region of France, and the charismatic pairing of French actress Leslie Caron and German star Horst Buchholz, who were at the height of their international popularity.

Fanny marks the only on-screen pairing of the screen's most famous French lovers, Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier. Since the two lifelong friends had risen to stardom making different types of pictures -- Boyer in character-driven comedies and dramas and Chevalier in light-hearted musicals -- they were not able to work together until they started playing character roles.

Excerpt from Turner Classic Films located HERE.

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 28th, 1961

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DVD Review: Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	2:13:40
Video	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.73 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Disc 2 - CD Music form the Soundtrack of Fanny • trailer DVD Release Date: June 17th, 2008 Keep Case Chapters: 24

Comments:

Firstly - the film is a real joy and desired by many fans to have a DVD release for the longest while. I believe this is the digital debut. From the bottom of the TCM review: "Fanny has become one of the most sought-after of Logan's films since it is not currently available on DVD. It usually turns up on cable in a pan-and-scan version that does not do justice to Jack Cardiff's Oscar-nominated cinematography."

The image quality is not bad at all - almost surprising from Image Entertainment. I expect the source used was in decent condition. Colors look slightly faded but detail has some strong moments. This is quite healthy but it does have some peculiarities - like the opening credits are in a 1.56:1 ratio - but once the director name, Joshua Logan, disappears it expands to fill the anamorphic frame. I also noted below a couple of frames with a strange digital square on the right edge. Good news is that it's brief but I had my radar up for more after that. It's a positive that I don't see excessive manipulation and the image is quite free of damage marks or speckles. It is dual-layered, anamorphic, progressive and tight to the frame edges - it is coded for region 1 - in the NTSC standard.

The audio seems a bit more problematic - it could just be me but I thought the sync was off a bit at times (nothing major) and the 5.1 doesn't really utilize it's potential. A wasted bump in my opinion but dialogue was always clear and the soundtrack with original music by Harold Rome sounded subtly stirring. I might give it small notch below the image quality but still very passable. I don't mean to complain too much - it's really not too bad considering.

Only a 4.5 minute trailer/teaser as a visual extra. There is a 2nd disc - that being an audio CD of the film's soundtrack. I listened to it in the car - sounded quite enjoyable.

So, a few missteps but for Image Entertainment it seems like a positive transfer with a much desired film finally reaching DVD status. Caron, Chevalier and Boyer are expectantly charming and Horst Buchholz gets a lot of air time. This film is very much worth watching and I was so glad to have had the opportunity to see it in this format - offered at a decent price. Thumbs Up!