Plot: What’s it about?
Warner Bros has recently been releasing a line of films on Blu-Ray under the umbrella of the Archive Collection. These films are typically niche films that have small dedicated fan bases – essentially films that they feel are worth upgrading to the new format that are not particularly well-known. I have been steadily impressed with the films they have been releasing. The films have been diverse choices ranging from classic film noir to not-so-well-known musicals. I was excited when I received one of their new releases The Boyfriend. I am not the world’s hugest fan of musicals although occasionally I have been surprised by my enjoyment of a couple (Jacques Demy films in particular.) I went into this film with an open mind for two reasons: I have respect for what the Archive Collection has been releasing, and I like the director Ken Russell who directed the films Altered States and The Who musical Tommy.
The storyline for the movie is simple. An actress injures her ankle and her stage assistant Polly (played by fashion model Twiggy) must rise to the occasion and take her place. While she deals with the cattiness of her cohorts she begins to fall for one of the lead actors in the performance. All of this happens while a talent scout and Hollywood director are in attendance.
When the movie began, I was optimistic. It seemed quaint enough and the choreography was impressive. I also was pretty impressed with the shots that Ken Russell chose for the film. Then I began to grow bored with the characters, and the music. Then I just became bored. As the movie wore on, I realized that there just was not enough here for me to like. I didn’t feel any connection with the characters and that kept me from caring at all about the music or the dancing. It’s a shame because the movie is aesthetically pleasing. There are some beautifully thought out numbers that are performed, but I just did not feel grabbed by the film. Without that connection, it just seemed like a misfire to me.
Video: How’s it look?
Warner Bros. did a fantastic job on the transfer of the film using an MPEG 4 AVC codec of a new 2K restoration. Fans of the film should be very pleased with the meticulous attention to detail that this transfer has been given. This is essentially a film that was meant to be on Blu-Ray, with large set-pieces and intricate shots. The colors are bright and lovely and the clarity is top notch. The visuals are essentially as good as you can get for a film that is forty-five years old. Fans will be extremely pleased.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Warner Bros. have provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that sounds good, but the surrounds are used very infrequently. It’s a musical and the music benefits the most from the surround treatment, with very little immersion outside of the music. This is a very front speaker heavy mix. Clarity is very solid. I did not detect any dropouts or notable hiss. Fans will be pleased, but this track almost seemed misleading to even be called a 5.1 mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- All Talking… All Singing… All Dancing – a short but enjoyable archival behind-the-scenes feature that was used t promote the film. There are very shirt clips of Twiggy and Ken Russell as they discussed the film.
The Bottom Line
The Boyfriend is a good example of a film that has been given better attention than it deserves. I found the movie to be a bit flat and could not become invested in the characters. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t enjoy the film itself because Warmer Bros. have done an incredible job on the restoration of the film. While I may not plan to watch this film in the future, I will definitely be purchasing more Warner Bros. Archive Collection releases. If you are a fan than I would not hesitate to pick this one up. If you are undecided, I highly recommend a rental prior to a purchase.
