In 1952, star Kirk Douglas, director Vincente Minnelli, producer John Houseman and screenwriter Charles Schnee teamed for what many consider the greatest drama ever made about Hollywood: The Bad and the Beautiful. Ten years later, they took another powerful insider’s look at the movie business, this time adapting a book by Irwin Shaw. Douglas portrays has-been screen idol Jack Andrus. Just out of a sanitarium, Jack grabs at a small role in a movie shot in Rome by a director (Edward G. Robinson) whose career is also on the skids. When the director falls ill, Jack takes over, realizing this is his last shot at personal and professional redemption. Trenchant, confrontational and intensified by Minnelli’s genius for color, Two Weeks in Another Town captures the passion of creative people facing the abyss.
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Video Quality
Warner Archive provided Two Weeks In Another Town with a fetching 1080p master transfer in 2.35:1 when it was released in 2018 from presumably a 2K scan of the Interpositive, but we cannot verify the origins. Regardless, Warner Archive delivered the quality you desire from them. The film is virtually free of deficiencies with no observable instances of damage or dirt detected. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such unpleasant shortcomings do not show up as an issue in this transfer. The natural film grain shows off a world of detail within the Milton Krasner cinematography. Setting aside some optical dissolves that have baked-in limitations, this transfer retains a consistent level of clarity. The hues on display within the costumes and the Roman environments are bold and vibrant. Highlights are firm throughout and black levels are deep. Warner Archive has put forth a fine effort.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that represents this movie without issue. Dialogue and environmental sounds work together with the score so everything has the appropriate presence. Exchanges come through crisp and clear with no elements commanding focus unnaturally. The more bustling moments are handled well and give the track a bit of texture. The score from David Raksin permeates the room with excellent fidelity. There is no notable age-related wear and tear to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. Warner Archive has provided a nice audio experience. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Theatrical Trailer (3:06)
Final Thoughts
Two Weeks In Another Town may be a bit too inside baseball for some audiences who do not care for the details of the Hollywood system, but director Vincente Minnelli brings enough humanity to the characters to make the emotions universal. Kirk Douglas does a nice job of selling the internal struggle of a man trying to overcome his demons and find redemption. The ensemble supports him quite well, especially the ever-reliable Edward G. Robinson. The film leans a bit overly melodramatic in spots, but it is an entertaining effort all the same. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a sterling A/V presentation but nearly nothing in the way of special features. Recommended
Two Weeks In Another Town 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
