A Few Words About A few words about...™ "Lenny" -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Bob Fosse's 1974 non-musical, "Lenny," with Dustin Hoffman in the lead, as photographed by Bruce Surtees, is a black and white wonder.


The other wonder here is that it comes from MGM, and unlike most of their work, looks quite terrific. Not perfect, but damned good.


A bit of sparkle, which really isn't a problem, and a title sequence that comes on just a tad too hot, throwing the lettering into a bit of the soft realm. You can see it as it starts to fade, that just a point would have made things perfect.


But I'll complain no longer about this release, as everything else is spot-on perfect.


Rich blacks, lush whites and perfect grain.


A very special and wonderful film, from a director who left us far too early.


Another great one from the folks at Twilight Time, and as always inclusive of a monograph from the inimitable Julie Kirgo.


Image - 4.9


Audio - 5


Pass / Fair - Pass


Highly Recommended


RAH

 

[Interlepos]

This was the review I was hoping for. Can't wait to see it now on blu-ray. Thanks for the review.

 

[lukejosephchung]

Valerie Perrine gave one of the greatest performances of her long career as Lenny Bruce's Vegas showgirl wife Honey...been waiting for this to come out on blu for a LONG time and am THRILLED that the presentation is damn-near perfect!!! Thanks for the review, Robert!!!

 

[Oblivion138]

I definitely need to pick this one up while it's still around.

 

[Brian Husar]

Just got it and it's wonderful. Twilight Time is my new favorite. Only 3000 made but it always seems like they have more. Now if only Warner Bros. can release Star 80, and Universal can release Sweet Charity on blu ray and all the Fosse films will be represented on Blu ray...oh and Liza With An Z.

 

[trajan]

Just got it and it's wonderful. Twilight Time is my new favorite. Only 3000 made but it always seems like they have more. Now if only Warner Bros. can release Star 80, and Universal can release Sweet Charity on blu ray and all the Fosse films will be represented on Blu ray...oh and Liza With An A.

Warner Archives is releasing STAR 80 on dvd Feb 24.

 

[battlebeast]

Warner Archives is releasing STAR 80 on dvd Feb 24.

Does warner archive announce their titles early? Where can one find out about new releases other than their website on Tuesdays?

 

[Interlepos]

Warner Archives is releasing STAR 80 on dvd Feb 24.

It's a great film. Hopefully they will release it on blu-ray. DVD is kind of a dead format at this point.

 

[ahollis]

Does warner archive announce their titles early? Where can one find out about new releases other than their website on Tuesdays?

They list coming titles on their pre-order page but not all of the titles. There is always a surprise on Tuesday.

 

[zoetmb]

It's a great film. Hopefully they will release it on blu-ray. DVD is kind of a dead format at this point.

You, I and movie buffs on this and other similar Forums might consider DVD dead for our own purposes. But DVD has a 79% physical market unit share and a 70% $ share. After all this time, Blu-ray has only a 21% unit share. So DVD is far from dead.


Why that is is a bit of mystery considering that Blu-ray players have become quite inexpensive and there's plenty of low-priced Blu-ray titles. But the stats are the stats and the marketplace has clearly spoken.

 

[trajan]

You, I and movie buffs on this and other similar Forums might consider DVD dead for our own purposes. But DVD has a 79% physical market unit share and a 70% $ share. After all this time, Blu-ray has only a 21% unit share. So DVD is far from dead.


Why that is is a bit of mystery considering that Blu-ray players have become quite inexpensive and there's plenty of low-priced Blu-ray titles. But the stats are the stats and the marketplace has clearly spoken.

I still own a few dvds and would love to have them on bluray, but that may never happen. In any case.I think its better to have a dvd of a film than nothing at all. Yes, sometimes when I watch a dvd, I almost feel like I need a new eye prescription Some of the dvds do look quite good though, esp. the ones from Warner archives..

 

[Interlepos]

You, I and movie buffs on this and other similar Forums might consider DVD dead for our own purposes. But DVD has a 79% physical market unit share and a 70% $ share. After all this time, Blu-ray has only a 21% unit share. So DVD is far from dead.


Why that is is a bit of mystery considering that Blu-ray players have become quite inexpensive and there's plenty of low-priced Blu-ray titles. But the stats are the stats and the marketplace has clearly spoken.

Of course the change won't happen overnight, but quality wise DVD is dead. Putting movies out on Blu-ray is an investment into the future. Only putting them out on DVD seems a bit disappointing in 2015. I'm not saying forget DVD, I'm saying they should consider both.


Take the movie Elvis (1979) as an example. That film had never been available on DVD until 2010, but when it was finally released, they released it on both formats. That was also a film nobody thought they would ever see on Blu-ray.


Star 80 has been available on DVD since the early days of the format, and a widescreen DVD has been available from Europe since the mid 00's. An HD version has been shown on TV. That's why it's a little bit disappointing only to get a DVD after all this time. But it's finally in widescreen, and that's great.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

The blu-ray does look fantastic. I had not seen the film in a very long time and it is a film that I really like but the story is very much a downer because Lenny really does destroy himself and he had to spend as much time it seemed explaining what he did as doing it. The film does make it clear that the world in which he lived really beat Lenny down and you wonder had he lived a while longer to see his act and his views become accepted what he would have talked about then. It is a great story and is really larger than the man himself and I think that is what crushed him.


I mean what the guy got arrested for you can do on television and comedians work as dirty as they can now and outside of exposing yourself Janet Jackson style during prime time nothing is "obscene"...and most of today's comics put almost none of the thought that Bruce put into his performances. We still live in a world filled with hypocrisy though so if Lenny was alive today I'm sure he'd find plenty to rail about.


I always end up feeling emotionally drained watching this film. Hoffman I thought really nailed Bruce though and this is a movie well worth the emotional beating it doles out.

 

[albert_m2]

DVD is hardly dead. Most TV shows are not even coming out on blu, not to mention the low likelihood of countless catalog titles.

 

[bruceames]

Both DVD and Blu-ray complement each other. The more viable titles get released on Blu-ray and for the rest there is DVD. I think close to 1000 new-to-DVD catalog movies get released every year on DVD, even now. The format keeps on chugging along as if Blu-ray wasn't even there, lol.


It would help Blu-ray's cause tremendously if BD-r was a viable way to release movies, like DVD-r is for DVD. The DVD-r medium virtually reinvigorated catalog output for DVD, that was waning in the late 2000's. BD-r would make it viable to release just about any title (condition of the master aside), just like DVD. But unfortunately the medium is too unstable and so DVD's library continues to grow at a rate 3-4 times that of Blu-ray, even at this late hour.


As for Lenny, it's on my to buy list. Glad it's got such a favorable review.

 

[Tom Stears]

Is this a fairly safe blind buy? I really like the trailer and can't rent it first.


Thanks,

Tom

 

[Bob Cashill]

If you don't go in expecting a lot of laughs, or even any laughs, it's fine. Fosse really wanted to show the grind of a trendsetting, controversial comedian's life, and as I recall he had Hoffman do the routines over and over again, until there was nothing left but flop sweat, anxiety, and desperation. It's been years since I've seen it but that's the what I recall; very good but punishing, which could be said for a lot of his work, not that I intend that as a criticism.

 

[Oblivion138]

Take the movie Elvis (1979) as an example. That film had never been available on DVD until 2010, but when it was finally released, they released it on both formats. That was also a film nobody thought they would ever see on Blu-ray.

Elvis was only released on Blu-ray in the UK. It's Region-free, of course, but there's still no US release in sight.

 

[Interlepos]

Elvis was only released on Blu-ray in the UK. It's Region-free, of course, but there's still no US release in sight.

I know, but the point is still the same. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray simultaneously over there, region free. This has happened with several older films in the US. Like the recent Sorcerer (1977) restoration.


I agree with a lot of points here. DVD is still alive and well, and should not be discarded completely. It's just that Blu-ray is on another level as we all know - presenting films they way they should be seen and experienced.


By the way, Lenny is a great film - featuring a magnificent Dustin Hoffman performance - and I would recommend it as a blind buy to anyone.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I think it is safe as a blind buy as long as you understand this is a sad story...not a comedy...that focuses on how much of a mess Lenny's life was. It's pretty much the story of a man in a downwards spiral even as he is growing in popularity. Yes, there are clips of Hoffman doing his routines but for the most part this is about how ugly his life was...the harassment, arrests, the drugs, the mistakes in his marriage...his self destructive path and the destruction it caused others in his personal life.


The acting is great, the film looks wonderful, Fosse does a great job...but Lenny Bruce was a mess and the film pulls no punches. I think it is a challenging film but worthwhile in that the message is pretty potent.