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Operation Petticoat [Blu-ray]
(Blake Edwards, 1959)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Universal International Pictures (UI) Video: Olive Films / Olive Signature / Eureka (UK)
Disc: Region: 'A' / 'B' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)Runtime: 2:00:43.236 / 2:00:20.296 / 2:00:25.468 Disc Size: 21,853,836,997 bytes / 47,481,690,869 bytes / 35,976,877,323 bytes Feature Size: 21,764,222,976 bytes / 30,116,278,272 bytes / 35,233,951,104 bytes Video Bitrate: 22.00 Mbps / 35.00 mbps / 34.90 Mbps Chapters: 9 / 12 / 11 Case: Standard Blu-ray case / Standard Blu-rays case is cardboard slipcase / Transparent Case Release date: July 1st, 2014 / November 28th, 2017 / December 2nd, 2019
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 / 1.85:1 / 1.85:1Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 828 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 828 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English
1791 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1791 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
DTS-HD Master Audio English
1567 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1567 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles: • None / English (SDH), none / English (SDH), none
Extras: • None
•
Audio commentary by critic
Adrian Martin limited edition pressing of 3,500 units
• Trailer (2:23) • DVD
Bitrates:
Description: Rear Admiral Matt Sherman (Cary Grant) visits the submarine Sea Tiger on the morning of its decommissioning and reminisces about his time as the first commander of the boat, in 1941. Three days after Pearl Harbor, the sub is damaged during an enemy air raid in the Philippines; rather than abandoning her, Sherman and his chiefs refloat the boat. He's forced to accept the services of Lt. (jg) Nick Holden (Tony Curtis), who has no sea experience. Sherman appoints Holden -- a born conniver, deal-maker, and scrounger (his motto: "In confusion, there is profit") -- as supply officer, and through a series of burglaries and petty thefts he gets the Sea Tiger seaworthy again. Up to this point, the movie is an increasingly amusing service comedy, akin to the lighter moments of Mr. Roberts, running on Grant's wry exasperation and Curtis's cool arrogance, coupled with Arthur O'Connell's periodic sardonic yet optimistic jabs at their situation and Gavin MacLeod's fidgety nervousness.
The Film:
Directed by Blake Edwards from a screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and
Maurice Richlin screenplay, Operation Petticoat (1959) was
supposed to be a studio picture costing about a million dollars and shot
in black and white. Maurice Richlin explained, "The first choice of
romantic comedy writers was Cary Grant. When Cary said yes, the budget
jumped to more than three million (a lot in those days) and went into
color creating the now famous "pink sub". With a slight touch of
anarchy and a complete disregard for authority, Operation Petticoat
rates a perfect ten in the genre of service comedies. After the end of WWII, Adm. Matt Sherman (Cary Grant) reads over his log from the USS Sea Tiger, the submarine he captains. Sherman is about to turn over the command of the sub to Lt. Nick Holden (Tony Curtis), who is assigned to squire it until it is destroyed and replaced by a nuclear vessel. The movie unwinds in flashback as Sherman recalls some of the events in the sub's life--particularly how that life was renewed when he became determined to raise the Sea Tiger in the wake of an attack in Manila Bay. It's December 1941 and, with help from Holden, who secures the supplies and gear to help restore the badly damaged sub, Sherman and his crew take to the waters. Along the way, they are joined by five stranded nurses, a couple of Filipino families, and a goat. The sailors ferry them out of harm's way, especially enjoying the presence of the nurses--a chesty bunch who always seem to be passing the hot young sailors in the sub's very narrow corridors. They also paint the sub pink. There's not much story to speak of, and the jokes are more than a bit sexist, but the gags are bright and Blake Edwards's direction adroit enough to make OPERATION PETTICOAT an enjoyable time. A TV series was later attempted, but never came close to the energy of the movie. Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Operation Petticoat has a modest Blu-ray transfer from Olive Films. This is only single-layered and there are a few sequences where the black levels look crushed. It can also look a bit dirty and there are a few scratches and speckles. Colors are the most impressive attribute of the 1080P and there is some occasional depth. The black levels seem a shade inconsistent - probably due more to the source than the transfer. It is in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Detail is superior than SD could relate and it the weaknesses tend to look less noticeable in-motion. The Blu-ray video is imperfect but not fatally so - the visuals are less stellar than many might anticipate.
Olive's new Signature Blu-ray is cited as a "New High-Definition digital restoration". It has a max'ed out bitrate but not a film-level restoration. It's richer and darker than Olive's own 2014 bare-bones 1080P transfer. It's a shade blue/yellow-leaning, still has direct, debris and speckles and the framing is now 1.85:1 - slightly cropped on top and bottom from the older 1.78:1, opened-up, rendering. There are still issues with inconsistency (softness, color bleeding) - bottom line is that it is better but still requires a deeper effort for the film to reach premium levels on Blu-ray.
I don't think I've ever seen three Blu-ray editions that have such different information in the frame. While the Eureka is, like the Olive Signature, 1.85:1 it is obviously cropped. I have no idea which is correct, but it exports more grain textures on Eureka's dual-layered transfer with a max'ed out bitrate. Skin tones are generally a shade cooler.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
More Olive (Signature) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray Captures
Audio :Olive use a DTS-HD Master mono track at a puny 828 kbps. I don't doubt it sounds authentic and some of the, more aggressive, effects (bomb expositions, fire) show a bit of depth. It's the score by David Rose and an uncredited Henry Mancini (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Experiment in Terror, Charade), that benefits the most from the lossless rendering. There are no subtitles and m y Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
The 'Olive Signature' audio transfer is more robust and 24-bit (as opposed to 16-bit.) So it has more depth, heavier bass response and it now offers optional English (SDH) subtitles. It is Region 'A'-locked.
Linear PCM 2.0 channel 24-bit handles the film's audio strongly perhaps not delivering the bass of the DTS-Master tracks, but seem competently clean and even. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on Eureka's Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.
Extras : No supplements - not even a trailer which is the route that Olive are going with most of their releases.
This is where Olive's new release make the most significant advance, imo. There is a new audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin who offers plenty of value with details of Blake Edwards' comedic style, and plenty of Cary Grant - very worthwhile to indulge. “That’s What Everybody Says About Me” has with Jennifer Edwards and actress Lesley Ann Warren talking about Cary Grant an the production for almost a dozen minutes. “The Brave Crew of the Petticoat” has interviews with actors Gavin MacLeod and Marion Ross with discussion of their career start and reminiscing about the production. It runs over 20-minutes. “The Captain and His Double: Cary Grant’s Struggle of the Self” has Marc Eliot, author of Cary Grant: A Biography for almost 1/2 hour. There is some Universal Newsreel footage of Cary Grant and the opening of Operation Petticoat at the Radio City Music Hall, archival footage of the submarine USS Balao, which doubled as the USS Sea Tiger in Operation Petticoat and a text essay in digital by critic Chris Fujiwara. The limited edition release is of 3,500 units.
Eureka only offer a trailer and being dual-format - a second disc DVD in the package.
Olive - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Olive (Signature) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Eureka - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
BOTTOM LINE:
Well I finally enjoyed the film, more power to the Adrian Martin commentary, and the a/v transfer has improved. Plus there are other extras. It seems more like correcting the weakness of the first bare-bones Blu-ray. Funny, cute film - some nostalgia here. The Olive Signature is the way to do and the extras make it valuable.
Well, Eureka have released the film is a solid a/v transfer for Region 'B'. That is about the gist of it. I continue to warm to Operation Petticoat but what a difference from the last Blake Edwards film I reviewed; Day of Wine and Roses (also with a Mancini score.) This is a nice distraction but the bare-bones status will be reflected in the price. Gary Tooze June 16th, 2014 November 25th, 2017 November 27th, 2019
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Gary Tooze
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