You’d think chilled borscht pulses in her veins. She’s Ninotchka Yoshenka, a lovely yet severe Soviet envoy sent to Paris to rescue wayward comrades from the perils of champagne and capitalism. But there may be a thaw in Ninotchka’s Cold War. She meets Steve Canfield, a smoothly brash American who won’t take “nyet” for an answer. Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse recapture the magic of their The Band wagon pairing in this musical based on the same-titled 1955 Broadway hit and on the famed 1939 Greta Garbo comedy Ninotchka. Set to witty Cole Porter tunes, spiked with laughs and featuring the two leads dancing the Eugene Loring-Hermes Pan choreography into timeless emotion, Silk Stockings shows why elegance and fun never go out of style.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive provided Silk Stockings with a pleasant 1080p master transfer in 2.35:1 when it was released in 2016 sourced from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative. This one was one of the films captured with the Eastmancolor process, a type of film that historically has caused many issues during the restoration process due to the degradation of the elements. The team at Warner Archive and MPI have moved figurative mountains to get the film to look as stable and consistent as possible, although there are some imperfections that could not be avoided given the state of the source.

The label has eliminated most of the obvious imperfections with no serious instances of damage or dirt detected. The transfer does have a somewhat softer quality, but there is still plenty of detail and clarity to delight in. The cinematography of Robert J. Bronner is replete with natural film grain that is further accentuated and somewhat coarse due to the state of the negative. The colors are one of the film’s greatest strengths, but once again the state of negative causes a bit of inconsistency from scene to scene. Highlights are in good shape and black levels are largely deep outside some intrusion of elevated blacks. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such anomalies do not emerge as an issue in this transfer. Warner Archive has done well with what they had at their disposal.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a fierce DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this musical comedy to life with great vibrancy. The song-and-dance numbers are the star of the show, and every Cole Porter tune comes out with a valuable strength. You will not experience any obvious anomalies or age-related limitations. Dialogue and environmental noises work in tandem with the score so everything has a dynamic presence in the mix. Exchanges come through clearly with nothing stealing focus from what is important. The bustling moments are handled well and give the track a bit of texture. There is no damage to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. Warner Archive has done some great work with this one. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

Cole Porter In Hollywood – Satin and Silk: A ten-minute archival featurette hosted by Cyd Charisse in which she discusses the musical adaptation of Ninotchka, her partnership with Fred Astaire, the direction of Rouben Mamoulian, preparing her accent for her character, and more.

Paree, Paree: A 21-minute short film starring Dorothy Stone and Bob Hope that features songs from Cole Porter.

Poet and Peasant Overture: A nine-minute performance by the MGM Symphony Orchestra.

Trailer (2:57)

Final Thoughts

Silk Stockings is a hilarious and invigorating movie musical that shows Fred Astaire still in full control of his powers and Cyd Charisse sizzling on screen like no other. The comedic ensemble play things quite broadly, but the caricatures largely land with cutting satire. This movie is constructed with great care and delivers in all the ways you want from a Cole Porter musical. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a strong A/V presentation and lovely special features. Don’t miss this if you are a fan of the genre. Recommended

Silk Stockings 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.