Harriet Blossom (Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment) isn’t happy with her marriage to priggish bra manufacturer Robert (Richard Attenborough, The Great Escape), but there’s no reason for concern. Harriet gets by with a little help from above—she keeps a lover in the attic! And years later, when hubby finally notices, the end result of her secret tryst may not be what you expect at all. The marital/extramarital comedy The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom blooms with tongue-in-cheek fun, brilliantly bent performances (including Monty Python trouper John Cleese’s cameo portrayal of an exasperated postal clerk) and a colorful splash of paisleyed ’60s—London style. Based on the play by Alec Coppel (Vertigo), directed by Joseph McGrath (Casino Royale) and co-starring James Booth (Robbery), it’s “something a little different, even original…with a neat climactic twist” (The New York Times).

For thoughts on The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/z8nJQ7uSQdk?t=4265]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom with a beautiful new 1080p master transfer in 1.85:1 sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. The film features some dazzling colors within the costumes and production design that pop off the screen with a tremendous vibrancy. The film is practically pristine with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected throughout save for the odd moment. The level of minute detail and clarity is stunning with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. The black levels are pleasantly deep with a grand stability throughout. Compression artifacts, banding and other such issues do not pop up as an issue in this transfer. This presentation is another instance of Kino Classics delivering a top notch presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this film really well. The first thing you will notice is the richness and clarity of the score as it radiates out of the speakers. Despite the strength of this element, nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and background noises are represented in harmony with all competing elements. This track shows no discernible age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. All of the sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the creative team. You could not ask for better from Kino Classics. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer delivers an informative commentary track in which he discusses the work of Joseph McGrath, how this fits into the careers of the performers, the visual spectacle of the feature, the source material and real-life stories that inspired this film, the post-production flair added to the feature and much more that enriches the experience.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Apartment, The Children’s Hour, Irma La Douce, What A Way To Go!, Gambit, Sweet Charity and Two Mules For Sister Sara.

Final Thoughts

The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom is a really fascinating bit of British comedy that tackles relationships with a dry wit and comforting frankness. The emotional complexity of the romantic dynamics adds so much depth and feeling to the humor of the situation. Shirley MacLaine is endlessly charming as a woman trying to figure out what she wants from life, and the two men who play her paramours complement her famously. The way in which things develop and evolve make this one that you will want to revisit often. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an informative new commentary track. This film has been missing in action on home entertainment for a while, so it is nice to be able to gain access to such a strong version of it. Recommended

The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on February 28, 2023.

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.