Irma La Douce Blu-ray

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

(aka "Irma la dulce")

Directed by Billy Wilder
USA 1963

The stars and director of The Apartment reunite in the bawdy, charming and romantic farce about a French policeman (Jack Lemmon, Avanti!) who falls in love with a prostitute (Shirley MacLaine, Being There). Meet Nestor (Lemmon), a young man with a very complicated love life. To keep his beloved, the proud and profitable lady of the streets Irma la Douce (MacLaine), off the streets, he disguises himself as Lord X, who immediately becomes Irma’s sole client and means of support. But what’s a jealous boyfriend to do when the illustrious Irma claims that the man she’s really in love with is not the smitten Nestor, but the dotty old Lord himself? The wonderful character actors Lou Jacobi (Cotton Comes to Harlem) and Herschel Bernardi (Love with the Proper Stranger) co-star in this classic comedy co-written and directed by the great Billy Wilder (One, Two, Three). André Previn (Elmer Gantry) won an Oscar for his rousing score. The film also received Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a leading role (MacLaine) and Best Cinematography, Color (Joseph LaShelle, Marty).

Posters

Release: June 5th, 1963

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Comparison:

Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Masters of Cinema Spine #198 - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:23:05.743	2:22:46.766
Video	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,766,324,459 bytes Feature: 40,756,992,000 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,002,585,702 bytes Feature: 43,142,314,752 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.41 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Kino
Bitrate: MoC
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1557 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1557 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentaries: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps
Subtitles	English, None	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,766,324,459 bytes Feature: 40,756,992,000 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, author of How Did Lubitsch Do It? • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger • Original Theatrical Trailer Blu-ray Release Date: July 24th, 2018 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,002,585,702 bytes Feature: 43,142,314,752 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.41 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Brand New and Exclusive Interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard (26:43) • Feature Length Audio Commentary by critic and film historian Kat Ellinger • Feature Length Audio Commentary by film historian Joseph McBride • PLUS: A Collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Richard Combs, alongside a wide selection of rare archival imagery. • Trailer (03:53) Blu-ray Release Date: March 18th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 11

Comments:

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

ADDITION: (March 2019) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray: This appears to be the exact same transfer that was previously available on the Kino Blu-ray in Region 'A'. The bitrate on this dual-layered Blu-ray is slightly higher than the Kino, though this is not noticeable when comparing the two releases.

One of the great features of this new Blu-ray is a 24-bit 2.0 linear PCM audio track. This track is much better than the 16-bit DTS-HD Master audio track that was on the Kino Blu-ray in superior support of the higher end - notable in the film's score by André Previn (Bad Day At Black Rock, Dial 1119, Cause For Alarm!, The Fastest Gun Alive, Elmer Gantry, Long Day's Journey Into Night) who won an Oscar for "Irma La Douce". There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles on this Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The two wonderful commentaries, also found on the Kino, from Kat Ellinger and Joseph McBride once again show up on this new Masters of Cinema Blu-ray, as does the film's trailer. The new extra here is a 27-minute interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard. He covers a wide-range of topics, from the director's dismissal of the film as "too broad" to the film's origins as a musical. Sinyard's interview is well worth your time, especially if you are a fan of Wilder. Also new is a collector s booklet featuring a new essay by Richard Combs, alongside a wide selection of rare archival imagery.

Region 'B' fans would be wise to pick up this Blu-ray, as it is the same 4K-restored transfer that appeared on the Kino Blu-ray, only with a better audio track. The inclusion of the Neil Sinyard supplements and the previous two commentaries give it even more value.

***

ADDITION: (July 2018) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray: Kino brings us the Billy Wilder comedy, "Irma La Douce" from a brand new HD master of a 4k scan from the original camera negative. The film is housed on a dual-layered Blu-ray with a maxed out bitrate. The 1080p image has quite a strong amount of detail in the 2.35:1 frame, never looking too waxy. There is also an appropriate amount of grain here, giving a natural film-like appearance. There are occasionally noticeable instances of light damage, including surface scratches, and speckles. Though these appear frequently, they are mostly on single frames, and therefore not too distracting when viewing the film in motion.

NOTE: As sent to us in email by many (and thanks John): "Irma La Douce was not "shot in Technicolor". It was shot on Eastman color negative and processed by Technicolor. Original 35mm prints were manufactured using the dye-transfer system. No film was shot in Technicolor after 1955. So, any characteristic Technicolor look of this film would be from lighting, costuming, or art design, since it was shot with the same Eastman color process as thousands of other films."

The film is presented with a (16-bit) DTS-HD Master 2.0 track. Though a 24-bit track would have most likely resulted in a slightly better sound, this track is sufficient. The dialogue can occasionally sound a little unpolished, and somewhat muffled, but it gets the job done. André Previn (Bad Day At Black Rock, Dial 1119, Cause For Alarm!, The Fastest Gun Alive, Elmer Gantry, Long Day's Journey Into Night) won an Oscar for his work on "Irma La Douce" and his score punctuates the various scenes, giving them a weight or levity that would otherwise be absent. Some will recognize "Our Language of Love". There are optional English subtitles on the Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

Kino has kindly provided 2 audio commentaries for this release, and they are both worth your time taking different views of the film. First up is a track with film historian, Joseph McBride (author of How Did Lubitsch Do It?). Next we get the input and analysis of film historian Kat Ellinger (author of All The Colours Of Sergio Martino). Kino also include the film's trailer.

The original Broadway production ran for 524 performances and Irma la Douce is another successful Billy Wilder comedy although not at the level of his many masterpieces. Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine work so well together - supporting their own comic timing and adding some subtext of romance. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll catch Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Janice Rand of TOS - Star Trek). Two commentaries? and a Wilder, comedy? 4K-restoration? This Blu-ray has our recommendation!