Screen legends Gary Cooper (Desire, Beau Geste) and Carole Lombard (Hands Across the Table, Nothing Sacred) star along with the irresistible Shirley Temple (Since You Went Away, I’ll Be Seeing You) in Now and Forever. Penny (Temple) is a poor-little-rich girl whose father, Jerry (Cooper), a jewel thief and con artist, comes to claim her from his late wife’s stuffy relatives. Together with new spouse Toni (Lombard), Jerry has sworn to mend his ways and set a good example for his beloved daughter. He soon discovers that old habits die hard, especially when the best schools cost money that Jerry does not have. Directed by Hollywood great Henry Hathaway (The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Peter Ibbetson) and featuring unforgettable performances, this endearing tale of love, honor and sacrifice will touch your heart—now and forever.
For thoughts on Now and Forever, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Now and Forever makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master from a 2K master. For a film that is almost 90 years old, this is a pretty striking presentation. The luminous black-and-white photography shot by Harry Fischbeck sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a pleasing amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. There is still a pretty fine layer of minor nicks and scratches, but it is apparent that it has been cleaned up immensely. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a minor amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Kino Classics has done some great work here.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a solid enough DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie pretty well considering its place in early cinema. Dialogue and background noises are represented in harmony with all competing elements. The music rarely overpowers the dialogue or other important information. This track only presents with a minor amount of age related wear and tear and some hissing and crackles. At worst, the track sounds a bit thin when it comes to the music, which likely dates back to the source elements. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. The good folks at Kino Classics have done their best to provide the most stable track possible for this one.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin and Costume Historian Elissa Rose deliver a really informative commentary track in which they talk about how this film fit into the Depression era in which it was released, where Gary Cooper was at in his career, the performance of Shirley Temple, the background of the performers, and, of course, the costumes featured in the film and how they provide characterization for certain figures, among other topics. This is a well-researched track that is worth checking out.
- Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Now and Forever is provided here. There are also trailers for Desire, Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife, Love Before Breakfast, Nothing Sacred, I’ll Be Seeing You and Since You Went Away.
Final Thoughts
Now and Forever is a stirring drama which finds Gary Cooper navigating a character who is flawed but is struggling to be the best version of himself. Carole Lombard makes for an electric screener partner, but it is the young Shirley Temple who will steal your heart with her notorious cuteness. With terrific performances and assured direction from Henry Hathaway, this film proves to be a notable charmer from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports both a lovely A/V presentation and a fun commentary track. Fans of the performers involved will especially like this one, but anyone with a soft spot for old Hollywood melodrama should check this one out. Recommended
Now and Forever 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.
