Μύ It's been a while coming, but this UK DVD release of Howard Hawks' screwball comedy delight "His Girl Friday" is most welcome.
Previous VHS releases were simply awful with terrible sound and a nasty soft picture that just ruined the fun. Bin that tape for one of the wittiest, fast moving comedies ever made is waiting for you to enjoy.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture Restored from the original negative this bright transfer, with good contrast levels throughout, is a breath of fresh air for those of us that have been stuck with a near unwatchable VHS version for all these years.
Sound The mono sound mix is clear and precise, which is perfect for the rapid fire dialogue.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary Film critic and author Todd McCarthy proves a mine of information on the work of Howard Hawks. While he falters a little in the last third of the commentary, he makes a valuable contribution to this disc. His knowledge of the production of the film right down to details of the shoot itself is highly impressive.
Cary Grant: Making Headlines At only five minutes long, this brief history of Cary Grant's career is only of use to remind you what a big star he was. It's always a pleasure to see archive footage of a star who appeared as charming off screen as on it.
Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook This all to brief featurette with Todd McCarthy concentrates on Howard Hawks' relationships with the stars he worked with. You'll learn a lot more from the commentary.
Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop Russell was quite a star in her day and certainly a talented actress who rarely gets much in the way of recognition these days. It's good then to see this little featurette on her, even if it lasts for only three minutes.
The Funny Pages Another three minute gem, this time focusing on the production of the film.
Additional Extra Features Also on the disc is a vintage advertising gallery, cast and crew filmographies, and a theatrical trailer.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Region: 2
Chapters: 28
Ratio: 1.37:1 (fullscreen original Academy ratio)
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono)
Audio Tracks: Multiple languages
Subtitles: English and multiple languages
Captions: English
Menus: Static
Special Features Subtitles: None of the special features come with subtitles.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
