Plot: What’s it about?
I recently have been working my way through some of Warner Bros new Archive Collection releases. I have been really happy with the work they have done on these releases and have appreciated the eclectic nature of what they have released thus far. One of the releases that I was most excited by was a little film from 1994 by the Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi called The Hudsucker Proxy. The film at the time was a box office bomb, only doing $2.6 million at the box office on a $25 million budget, and received mixed reviews. As a child, this was one of my very favorite films and was my introduction to both the Clem’s and Sam Raimi. This was the first time in years I had seen the film so I sat down with my wife and kids and we watched it together.
It’s New York City in December of 1958. At Hudsucker Industries, the CEO and leading stock holder Waring Hudsucker decides to jump out of a window on the forty-fourth floor to his demise. This puts the shareholders on the board in a perilous position of having the stock go completely public in that coming January. One of the most ruthless members of the board, Sidney J. MussBerger (Paul Newman) proposes that they find a “grade A dingdong” a “real jerk” they “can push around” to be the new president of the company. The resulting shift will cause the market to undervalue the stock and allow the board to purchase the stock at a reduced rate and then they can just terminate the new President, their proxy. Fresh from business school in Muncie, Indiana, Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) arrives on a bus. Applying at Hudsucker Industries he is given the a job in the mail room. In a twist of fate, Norville is sent to deliver a very important blue letter to MussBerger and reveals himself to be so inept that MussBerger sees the potential for him to be the proxy they have been looking for. This is confirmed when Norville pulls out a sheet of paper with a circle on it and says that it’s a product “you know… for kids?” Norville is made president and immediately hires a secretary that is really an ambitious journalist named Amy Archer that wants to smear him as an imbecile in the papers. Norville begins to go to work to get his idea into production as the hula hoop. As the product begins to do unexpectedly well, the board members become increasingly worried. Norville also begins to buy into the positive press as the product succeeds.
The Hudsucker Proxy had me laughing just as hard as an adult as I did when I was nine years old. It is a mixture of a comedy and absurdist fantasy that I still found appealing today, but it was too much for the critics of yesteryear. It’s a shame that they couldn’t see the value in the film. There are so many things to enjoy here. The dialogue is fast and furious and hilarious in the fashion of a Preston Sturges film. Paul Newman is absolutely fantastic as the villainous MussBerger. Tim Robbins gives one of his funniest and best performances as Norville Barnes. The compositions by Carter Burwell are perfectly crafted. The cinematography by Roger Deakins is top notch and the set design is excellent.
I hope that people give another chance to this film, because I really love it to death.
Video: How’s it look?
Warner Bros. did an incredible job on the transfer of the film using a brand new scan in 2K. Fans of the film should be very pleased with the meticulous attention to detail that this transfer has been given. I had not seen the film since I watched it a hundred times on VHS, and I was absolutely blown away. This is not just one of the best transfers that Warner has released, this is one of the most impressive transfers that I have seen any studio release. Surprisingly enough (probably due to the lack of supplements) the film fit into a BD-25, but don’t let that dissuade you. I didn’t see signs of any artifacts Andy he film didn’t have any type of a DNR style quality. It looks flat out fantastic.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Warner Bros. have provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that sounds exceptionally good. The score is so engrossing that I constantly questioned whether or not this was a stereo or a surround mix. The truth of the matter is that if I had not personally looked to see what the track was, I would have guessed it was a 5.1 mix. The back speakers are consistently active and the score by Carter Burwell plays beautifully through all the speakers. Clarity is very solid. I did not detect any dropouts or notable hiss. I am going to go ahead and give a perfect score here because I can’t imagine another 2.0 track sounding this good.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
The Hudsucker Proxy is a misunderstood classic from the Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi. I was curious how the film had held up and found myself laughing like an idiot from the beginning until the end. Performances are fantastic and it reminded me just how much I miss seeing Paul Newman onscreen. Warner Bros.’ transfer of the film is jaw-droppingly beautiful. It is unfortunate that there were no real supplements, but if you are a fan than I highly recommend purchasing it immediately.
