Viewed – 30 December 2012. Blu-ray

I have always wanted to see this classic 1959 Billy Wilder comedy starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon & Marilyn Monroe.  It tells the story of two down on their luck musicians (Curtis & Lemon) who witness a gangland shooting.  Before long they are on the run, disguised as women and part of a traveling jazz band … this is where they meet sultry singer Sugar Cain (Monroe), and are soon battling for her attention.

Although not laugh-out-loud funny this has an innocent, amusing charm throughout, aided by enjoyable turns from Curtis & Lemmon clearly enjoying their cross-dressing escapades a bit too much.  Monroe shines, with gorgeous screen icon beauty and an infectious personality making it easy to believe the whole world could fall in love with her.  Yes its all rather gentle and lacks a bit of spark or convincing danger, but as a much loved classic this was still an entertaining two hours.

The Blu-ray comes in it’s original 1:66:1 ratio and boasts a clean, detailed image, with only brief moments of softness and shimmering.  Sound, remixed in 5.1 is equally pleasing without really surprising anyone. Extras consist of a commentary made up of archive interviews, nostalgic documentaries and a trailer. Pretty decent.

Verdict:

(the movie) 3 /5

(the Blu-ray) 4 /5

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