Some Like It Hot (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Video: As I said, the video is a noticeable improvement over the Special Edition, with less distortion of images, greater (but still natural) contrast levels, less flaws in the film, and greater sharpness throughout. The 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation looks as good as it ever has, remastered in High Definition.

Audio: Normally I don't care for the 5.1 tracks that they try to lay on a classic that originally had a mono audio track, but this time I have to say that it works. You get speaker separation without the overly pristine sense of technology intruding—though if you're a purist, the original mono is still an option, as it was on the Special Edition. So is French 2.0, with subtitles in English and French.

Extras: The commentary track features comedy writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and while their remarks vary from the muddled (where it seems as if they're talking to themselves in half-sentences) to the profound, their insights are right on the money. They're especially good when they talk comparatively, explaining why we'll never see another film like "Some Like It Hot." Wilder and his writing partner, I.A.L. Diamond, had the courage to trust audiences to "get it" rather than following conventions that would lead viewers by the nose. The opening segment, Ganz and Mandel point out, is all serious, so we're a good 20 minutes into the film before we even suspect it's a comedy. Could you get away with that today? No, the writers conclude, emphasizing how the studios and "money men" think a comedy should get at least one big laugh within the first few minutes to set the tone and pull audiences along. Today, the writers remind us, no one trusts the audience to laugh unless you can get them laughing right away. Another thing is that today's films wouldn't pay a star top-dollar and let them wait in the wings for the first 24 minutes, as Monroe did. Nor will you see Sugar helped by Jerry/Daphne so she becomes endeared to him when it's Joe/Josephine/Junior who's her love interest. Writers today take short-cuts, Ganz and Mandel admit, and when they get on a roll they're good to listen to. Unfortunately, they tend to drown out Paul Diamond (son of I.A.L. Diamond) and the edited-in clips of Curtis and Lemmon that are sometimes so clumsily inserted that it borders on overlapping dialogue.

Two new short features on "The Making of" and "The Legacy" of "Some Like It Hot" offer liberal doses of Wilder, Diamond, and Lemmon in vintage interview clips, along with new interview material from Curtis (including some pretty bizarre comments) and remarks from Diamond's widow. We learn about Monroe's fear of the camera and her lack of concentration, as well as the "girls'" test run inside a women's rest room on the MGM back lot. Though they had a female impersonator coach them, Curtis and Lemmon were still recognized by one of the actresses. Frank Sinatra instead of Lemmon? Mitzi Gaynor instead of Monroe? It almost happened, we learn. There's a nice blend of anecdotal information and recollection here, along with plenty of outrageous remarks from Curtis (who talks about the erection he got when Monroe would "flop" on top of him). The other new extras are four postcards of MGM artwork, a lobby card and an individual caricature of Curtis, Monroe, and Lemmon.

Rounding out the extras are holdovers from the Special Edition: Leonard Maltin interviewing Tony Curtis, a short collection of interviews with the "girls" who played in Sweet Sue's band that could have been more interesting, a "virtual hall of memories" that's really a stills gallery, the original theatrical trailer, and a collector's booklet.

Bottom Line: "Some Like It Hot" is classic Billy Wilder, classic Marilyn Monroe, and classic Jack Lemmon. If Wilder had asked me whether to pair Lemmon with Curtis I would have said, "The guy from 'The Vikings'? Are you kidding me?" But it turned out to be inspired casting, which is something you can say about every part, even the smallest walk-ons, in this iconic film. It's no wonder that the American Film Institute voted it #14 on its list of the Top 100 Films of all-time. And MGM has come up with a two-disc set (with classy packaging) that's worthy of the film.

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---