Hoping to win back his estranged swimming coach wife (Esther Williams), a love-struck songwriter (Red Skelton) enrolls in a women’s college, and graduates summa cum laude in comedy! Red’s in rare form and Esther’s in formfitting swimsuits in this delightfully musical farce. Bathing Beauty begins with a splash: Xavier Cugat plays, Red clowns and Esther plunges into a pool. And from there things go, well, swimmingly. The college is lauded with pretty M-G-M starlets. Cugie shakes up more hot South American rhythms. Harry James swings into help North American sounds, and a fine cast including Basil Rathbone, Donald Meek, Janis Paige, and Margaret Dumont give expert support. The finale is a wowser of a water ballet, featuring Hollywood’s favorite bathing beauty swimming gracefully along alternating jets of water and flame. But Esther isn’t the only artistic lovely.
When production began, the film’s title was “Mr. Co-Ed”, with Skelton positioned to be the center of attraction, but M-G-M soon found out as filming continued, that the film was going to catapult Esther Williams into screen super-stardom, leading to the film being released with the title Bathing Beauty with Esther becoming one of the studio’s biggest stars in a series of Technicolor® aquatic entertainments for over a decade.
For thoughts on Bathing Beauty, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents Bathing Beauty with a dazzling new 1080p master transfer sourced from a 4K restoration of the nitrate Technicolor negatives. Warner Archive has been a godsend for Esther Williams fans as they once again release another fantastic presentation. There does not appear to be any digital nuisances such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such shortcomings. The natural film grain is deftly rendered with no locales causing any problems. The restoration has eradicated any previous trace of dirt or damage for an immaculate viewing experience. The film spotlights vibrant colors within the costumes and set design that shine off the screen with immediacy. Black levels are deep with unbelievable stability throughout. The level of detail and clarity is astounding with so much texture in all of the background elements. Warner Archive has knocked it out of the park.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures the story perfectly. Dialogue is slightly more important than your typical Esther Williams picture thanks to the inclusion of the witty barbs from Red Skelton. Every exchange comes through crisp and clear from beginning to end. The presentation balances exchanges with the bustling university environment and the musical breaks with magnificent clarity. Music is a prominent part of the narrative, and the track nails these elements wonderfully with the utmost fidelity. Warner Archive has provided a solid audio track that does not exhibit any obvious signs of age-related wear and tear. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided.
Special Features
- Mouse Trouble: A nearly eight-minute Tom and Jerry cartoon is provided here in HD. In this short, Tom turns to a book to finally catch Jerry, but things don’t go quite as planned.
- Main Street Today: A 20-minute live-action short that takes a patriotic look at production during wartime and how everyone must come together to contribute.
- Private Screenings with Esther Williams: A 48-minute TCM special on the career of Esther Williams in which the legend is interviewed and shares some great stories from the golden age of Hollywood.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Bathing Beauty brings along the comedic talents of Red Skelton to join the effortless grace of Esther Williams. The narrative is far from the realm of reality, but the film commits to it without an ounce of irony which allows it to play for the audience. The film is dated in many respects, but it remains light and enjoyable with catchy musical numbers and amusing banter. The film keeps a good pace to keep you from getting bored at any point. It is not perfect, but it is pleasant enough. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray with an excellent A/V presentation and a nice array of special features. If you are a fan of the talent involved, this release is worth a place on your shelf. Recommended
Bathing Beauty can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
