A traveling party of royals from central Europe arrives in England in 1911, as the host country prepares to celebrate the coronation of a new king. But when the visiting Regent (Laurence Olivier) goes to a musical theater, his attraction to American performer Elsie (Marilyn Monroe) makes it hard to stay focused. Soon, Elsie learns of a potential coup in the Regent’s home country, and it’s up to her to smooth things out — or watch as the nation hurtles toward instability.
For thoughts on The Prince and The Showgirl, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents The Prince and The Showgirl with a stunning new 1080p master transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative. From the earliest moments, you will be blown away by the vivid quality of the picture that proves to be another standout from the label. The film features some dazzling colors within the opulent costumes and production design that radiate off the screen. There is so much detail and clarity packed into every frame with a sterling amount of natural film grain intact. The film is virtually flawless with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected here. Black levels are deep with a pleasing stability throughout. Compression artifacts, banding and other such issues never show up in this transfer. When quality is so consistent, you can start to take things for granted, but Warner Archive should not miss out on all the praise they deserve for this one.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that is likewise quite amazing. This track handles everything that is thrown at it with perfect fidelity. Dialogue and background noises are represented faithfully along with the vibrant score from Richard Addinsell. The restoration has eliminated pretty much all age related wear and tear to the track such as hissing and popping. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being challenged by other elements. The more lively moments such as public fanfare are handled with ease and give the track a bit of life. Warner Archive has provided a disc that sounds wonderful in all respects. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Prince and The Showgirl is a bit inconsistent as an overall feature, but it provides a truly delightful and hilarious performance from Marilyn Monroe which makes this well worth a watch. At nearly two hours, the film is drawn out unnecessarily, and the story never really gives Monroe anything in the realm of a compelling romantic equal. The craftwork put into bringing this world to life is beyond questions, but the narrative needed a bit of fine-tuning. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that features a 5-star A/V presentation that really brings a whole new life to this story. If you are a Marilyn Monroe fan, you should consider this a welcome addition to your collection. Recommended
The Prince and The Showgirl can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
