Saturday, August 30, 2014

BORN YESTERDAY: A CLASSIC ON BLU-RAY

I would love to say it had been years since I saw this movie but in reality I never had the chance. Perhaps I missed it on the late late show years ago (back when there was a late late show) or when it was first released on DVD. For whatever reason I missed it. The good news is that the world of DVD and blu-ray is giving those of us who are movie lovers a chance to go back and find all the great movies that we missed years ago. Thank goodness companies like Twilight Time exist.

For the rest of you who missed this film it tells the story of a millionaire who made his way to the top by bullying any and all around him. Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) is a self made man who takes control and uses his money to influence anything that stands in his way of making more money. On a trip to use his influence and cash on politicians he takes along his live in love Billie Dawn (Judy Holliday). Unfortunately Billie has less ability to move along with the hoi paloi than Harry does and her inability to mingle shows. So Harry hires a snooping reporter named Paul Verrall (William Holden) to teach Billie some finesse.

Verall enjoys the task at hand, helping Billie to read more and learn more about the world around her, one she never took much interest in before. But the more she reads and learns the less she likes the lifestyle she's living as well as the brute who is her benefactor. Along the way Billie and Verall begin to find an attraction to one another that working so close together brings. This triangle is even more problematic with the fact that while he treats her like a plaything Harry truly does love Billie.

While this all sounds serious the movie actually plays for laughs from start to finish. The education of Billie by Verall lends itself to some tremendous laughs as this empty headed blonde becomes an educated heroine. To watch as she seeks out knowledge, running to the dictionary to find the right word she's looking for or seeing the original documents that formed this country in awe make her someone you can root for. It's these moments that shine and make this movie all the more memorable.

Judy Holliday may be a forgotten face from Hollywood these days but as long as her films are brought to life via DVD another generation has the opportunity to discover her and the comedic sensibilities that she displayed in countless films. Perhaps the only drawback in this film is the Betty Boop styled squeaky voice she uses, perfect for the character but difficult to understand at times. Thank goodness for subtitles. Yes, I honestly had to use them here on and English speaking film!

The movie comes through fine in this blu-ray edition and it's so nice that someone like Twilight Time has kept it alive. As with most of their movies though if you want to own this one get it now. They limit the quantities of their blu-rays to only 3,000 and once they're gone, they're gone. If you're a fan of screwball comedy, of political comedy or of classic cinema then you'll want to make a point of adding this one to your collection today.

Click here to order.

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