Merrily We Live Blu-ray - Constance Bennett

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

(aka 'Dark Chapter" or "Love Without Reason" or "Take It Easy')

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
US 1938

The Kilbourne's are a curious lot. Henry, the irascible patriarch, has his patience duly tried by his three impetuous and irreverent children: Geraldine (Jerry), Kane and Marion. Mother Emily rounds out the clan and may be the most endearingly peculiar of them all, as she doesn't knit or collect stamps as a hobby, but instead takes in "Forgotten Men" intent on rehabilitating them.

However, after her latest protégé makes off with the family silver, Emily swears off any do-gooding... that is until the vacationing Wade Rawlins shows up at her doorstep and is mistaken as a tramp. Becoming the family's new chauffeur, Rawlins soon proves useful to the Kilbourne's in more ways than one. He also quickly grabs the attention of nearly every female about him especially and including Jerry's.

Billie Burke is not only reunited in Merrily We Live with her Topper co-stars Constance Bennett (Jerry) and Alan Mowbray (Grosvenor, the Kilbourne's long-suffering butler), but her performance as the delightfully daffy Emily also garnered her the only Academy Award nomination of her career (Best Supporting Actress). Joining the Topper trio is also a sublime cast including Brian Aherne, Clarence Kolb, Bonita Granville, Ann Dvorak, Tom Brown, Patsy Kelly and Willie Best.

A textbook example of screwball comedy, this Hal Roach production was directed by Norman Z. McLeod (Horse Feathers, My Favorite Spy) and received five Oscar nods in all, including for Norbert Brodine's sparkling cinematography and Charles D. Hall's art direction.

***

The wealthy Kilbourne family is tired of Mrs. Kilbourne (Billie Burke) hiring ex-convicts as servants. After a servant steals the family's silver, Mrs. Kilbourne agrees to never hire another drifter for help. But when a rough-looking man named Rawlins (Brian Aherne) arrives at her doorstep, she cannot help but hire him as the new chauffeur. As Rawlins catches the eye of their oldest daughter, Jerry (Constance Bennett), the Kilbournes realize that he may not be the vagrant he claims to be.

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Theatrical Release: March 4th, 1938

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Review: ClassicFlix - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	ClassicFlix - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:34:56.958
Video	1.37:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 24,142,765,097 bytes Feature: 23,964,432,384 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1821 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1821 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: ClassicFlix 1.37:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 24,142,765,097 bytes Feature: 23,964,432,384 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • None Blu-ray Release Date: August 28th, 2018 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

ClassicFlix Blu-ray to date:

Merrily We Live (1938)	Raw Deal (1948)	The Killer is Loose (1956)	The Man Who Watched Trains (1952)	The Noose Hangs High (1948)	T-Men (1947)	Tomorrow is Forever (1946)	You Only Live Twice (1937)

Comments:

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

ClassicFlix have put this little cracker 1938 comedy. (with some romance), to Blu-ray. Merrily We Live is on a single-layered disc with a very high bitrate and looks very nice with some grain and layered contrast. The 1080P has some depth and modest tightness and the 1.37:1 framed image is damage-free and exports a pleasing HD image.

ClassicFlix use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel (24-bit) in the original English language. There are no aggressive effects and alight score by Marvin Hatley (notable for 'Ku-Ku' in Flying Deuces) as well as the theme 'Merrily We Live' sung by an offscreen chorus during the opening and closing credits as well as Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! (The Boys Are Marching) sung a cappella by Bonita Granville. It supports the film well in the lossless. There are optional English subtitles (see sample) on the region 'A'-lockedBlu-ray disc.

Unfortunately, ClassicFlix have given us no supplements. This is a true bare-bones release, as is much of their output.

I quite liked this fun title - Constance Bennett is great! Extras would have augmented the Blu-ray value although the film still deserves an audience. Vintage film fans will enjoy!