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You and Me (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (29th September 2024). |
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The Film
 Sylvia Sidney (An American Tragedy), George Raft (Spawn of the North), and Harry Carey (The Long Gray Line) head up the cast of this powerful film from the great Fritz Lang (Ministry of Fear). When ex-convict Joe (Raft) gets a job in a department store, he falls in love with his co-worker Helen (Sidney) and, even though the rules of their employment strictly forbid it, the two secretly are married. However, when he discovers that Helen has been hiding the fact that she is also an ex-con, Joe becomes enraged and decides to rob the store, putting their relationship in jeopardy. With a screenplay by Virginia Van Upp (Affair in Trinidad) and Norman Krasna (Fury), as well as music by the legendary Kurt Weill (The Threepenny Opera), You and Me is a unique mix of crime thriller and romantic comedy which confounded audience expectations at the time of its release, but which has become a critical favourite in the decades since.
Video
From the book: You and Me was restored in 2K by Kino Lorber. The film’s original mono audio was remastered at the same time.I generally find that films made in the 1930s have a built in softness to them due primarily to a combination of the fiom stocks used and the fact that frequently camera negatives no longer exist. This being a film from 1938 it struck me as sharper than productions from the first half of the decade. Having just covered Powerhouse Film's The Lady is Willing (1941) it was interesting to contrast the two visual styles. The 1941 film is sharper with a more subdued contrast ratio, albeit still strong; Mitchell Leisen's film favours a darker aesthetic. Fritz Lang's You and Me is only a few years older but it's got a much more bold contrast with brighter lightening and deeper blacks. Shadow detail is decent and the mild crush I noticed in the other film is still present but there are more expansive highlights. I saw no blowouts. Grain is courser and there are more density changes particularly in scene transitions and opticals. Detail is not quite so pronounced due to the filtered grainy look of the film. It's strongest in closeups , obviously. But, tends to disappear in medium and long shots. I noticed the occasional tiny black mark and speckle and at 42 minutes a moving scratch for a few frames; it's very noticeable but gone almost as soon as you see it. The encode from Fidelity in motion is first rate as always; this is a film with greater challenges than the 1941 production. Overall however, this is a strong transfer of a great looking, entertaining film ('B+'). 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.37:1 / 94:03
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English HoH As with other films from around this time that I have in my collection, the sound has a very slight muffled quality due to recording techniques of the era. The slight hiss I heard on The Lady is Willing is a shade more pronounced but is still not an issue, especially for anyone familiar with Golden Age films. Dialogue is always crisp and clear, the score has some very mild distortion when played very, very loud but again that's probably how it always sounded. As with every .powerhouse Film's release I've covered for Rewind, the hard of hearing subtitles are top notch ('B-').
Extras
Audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns (2024) Rayns is always an interesting and reliable commentator be it in yaktraks like this or face to face in interviews and documentaries. He covers most aspects of this film that a fan would want to know and there's never a dull moment. Easy to listen to and filled with trivia, another winner from Rayns. He covers extensively the origins of the film, that Lang hated it (Rayn disagrees)Presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192Kbps). There are no subtitles. "The Department Store Opera: David Huckvale on Fritz Lang, Kurt Weill and You and Me" 2024 interview (27:09) "Crafting a Career: Lucy Bolton on Sylvia Sidney" 2024 interview (22:39) Another superb dissection of a film composer and musician by writer and academic Huckvale who's knowledge and enthusiasm seems to know no bounds when it comes to film and film music. Here the focus is Fritz Lang, Kurt Veil and You and Me. Bolton does a fantastic job covering the life of Sidney, one of the more interesting of Hollywood's leading ladies. Her life and career are thoroughly discussed. Presented in 1080p24 1.37:1 with uncompressed English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). There are no subtitles. Theatrical Trailer (2:32) Hilariously overblown narration is the key take away from this vintage promo presented in 1080p24 1.37:1 with uncompressed English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). There are no subtitles. You and Me Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (58 images) Excellent HD gallery of promotional images. 36-page liner notes booklet with a new essay by Farran Smith Nehme, an archival interview with Fritz Lang conducted by Peter Bogdanovich, an archival interview with screenwriter Norman Krasna, a contemporary profile of Lang and film credits Another great hard copy companion to the film, always superb I've yet to read one that didn't enhance my knowledge and enjoyment of the film.
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
Fritz Lang maligned this rather wonderful romantic comedy drama he made about two ex-cons trying to make things work despite the usual comedy misunderstandings. As a film, highly recommended due to the star power of Silvia Sydney and George Raft. Image and sound are as good as can be, extras are spot on and enhance enjoyment immensely, especially David Huckvale's piece on composer Kurt Veil. Highly recommended ('A-').
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