Screen legends and Holiday Inn co-stars Bing Crosby (The Emperor Waltz) and Fred Astaire (Daddy Long Legs) reunite for another dazzling Irving Berlin musical spectacular, Blue Skies. Dancing star Jed Potter (Astaire) and singer/nightclub owner Johnny Adams (Crosby) are both in love with songstress Mary O’Hara (Joan Caulfield, Larceny). She marries Johnny but his passion for buying and selling nightclubs drives them apart. So Jed steps in, hoping to win Mary’s heart—until fate steps in and changes the lives of all three. Wonderfully directed by the versatile Stuart Heisler (Among the Living, Beachhead) and featuring thirty Irving Berlin songs including the showstopper “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” Blue Skies remains one of the all-time great musicals!
For thoughts on Blue Skies, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Kino Classics presents Blue Skies with a beautiful new 1080p master transfer in 1.37:1 sourced from a new 2K master that allows the film to look better than it ever has. The level of subtle detail and clarity is stunning with a lovely amount of natural film grain intact. The black levels are incredibly deep with a pleasing stability throughout. Compression artifacts, banding and other such issues do not pop up as an issue in this transfer. The film features some splendid colors within the costumes and production design that pop off the screen with a great vibrancy. The film has been cleaned up immensely with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected here. This presentation is sure to impress classic musical fans who have been anxiously awaiting this one. .
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a lovely* DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this film really well. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. This track shows no discernible age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. (Almost) All of the sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the creative team. A key thing you will notice is the vibrancy and clarity of the Irving Berlin tunes. Despite the strength of this element, nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other important information. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Once the below issue is corrected, this audio presentation should be practically perfect.
*The only mark against the initial batch of Blu-Ray copies that were sent out is an omission during the audio remaster process of the tap track where you can actually hear the tap shoes in a substantial way. Kino Classics is aware of the issue and has already pulled the release until the corrected disc can be supplied at some point in the next couple of months. If you are one of the people to get the first batch from a retailer other than Kino Lorber directly, the company has instituted a replacement program here.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams provides a pretty decent and informative commentary track in which he discusses the jukebox nature of this musical, the background of all of the creative figures, how this film fits into the careers of those involved, the off-screen history that often overshadows the film, connections to other works and much more that makes for a fun listen.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Road To Morocco, Daddy Long Legs, Love Me Tonight, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Final Thoughts
Blue Skies finds Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby reuniting once again for a film that cannot quite match the heights of Holiday Inn, but nevertheless holds its own against other jukebox musicals. The characters in this film can be downright exasperating, but the performers bring a charm that keeps them on the right side of likable. The film features some spectacular song and dance numbers that director Stuart Heisler captures admirably. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an informative new commentary track. After the replacement program gets fully implemented, this will be a truly terrific release. Recommended
Blue Skies is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.
