‘Designing Woman’ Blu-Ray Review – Bacall & Peck Navigate A Rocky Romance With A Comedic Touch

After covering a golf tournament in Los Angeles, sportswriter Mike Hagen returns to his New York home with a tan. And with a fashion-designer wife he scarcely knows. Romantic pitfalls surface gleefully in this Vincente Minnelli-directed comedy featuring an Oscar®-winning* script and Manhattanites – an ex-flame (Dolores Gray), low-life hustlers (Chuck Connors, Jesse White) and an addled palooka (Mickey Shaughnessy) among them – who rub elbows and funny bones. Lauren Bacall plays the stylish title character. As Hagen, Gregory Peck gamely displays his comedic flair, pratfalling into a chair, slyly mimicking Bacall and coping with indignity as ravioli is served…in his lap.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive provided Designing Woman with a noble 1080p master transfer in 2.35:1 when it was released in 2018 sourced from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive. The label eliminated nearly all imperfections with no enduring damage or dirt detected. Outside of some of the limitations of optical transitions, you are blessed with a transfer rich with lush detail and clarity. The natural film grain brings out the nuances of John Alton’s cinematography. The film delivers vivid colors within the impeccable costumes and production design. This transfer delivers the utmost accuracy when it comes to the hues. Highlights remain solid during the runtime and black levels are largely deep. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues do not arise as an issue in this transfer. Warner Archive really pulled it off. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that holds up as well as one might hope. The jaunty score from Andre Previn establishes a lighter tone while avoiding unwanted anomalies. Dialogue and environmental sounds harmonize with the score so everything has a determined presence in the mix. Exchanges come through clearly with no elements stealing focus. The more bustling moments are handled deftly and give the track a bit of personality. There is no egregious damage to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. Warner Archive knows how to deliver what is wanted from them. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Helen Rose Interview: A five-minute archival piece in which the costume designer answers questions about the wardrobe of Designing Woman. 

• Trailer (3:31)

Final Thoughts

Designing Woman is a pleasant comedy that hits some familiar beats, but it manages to do so in a way that leaves you energized. There are some dated elements in the story, although not enough to ruin the fun. Gregory Peck turns on the charm to break down his traditionally stoic demeanor, and Lauren Bacall casts a spell that is not taken for granted. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports an amiable A/V presentation and a smattering of special features. If you typically enjoy screwball comedies, this is worth adding to the list. Recommended 

Designing Woman can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or 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.