The Philadelphia Story (1940) from Criterion on November 7, 2017 (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Budgell]

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary from 2005 featuring film scholar Jeanine Basinger
• New introduction to actor Katharine Hepburn’s role in the development of the film by documentarians David Heeley and Joan Kramer
• In Search of Tracy Lord, a new documentary about the origin of the character and her social milieu
• Two full episodes of The Dick Cavett Show from 1973, featuring rare interviews with Hepburn, plus an excerpt of a 1978 interview from that show with director George Cukor
• Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film from 1943, featuring an introduction by filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille
• Restoration demonstration
• PLUS: An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme

via https://www.criterion.com/films/29029-the-philadelphia-story

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, one of my all-time favorites has finally made it to 1080p.

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/amazon-pre-orders/

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This is in my all-time top five list, and I'll happily be purchasing this. It's an added bonus that it should be coming out either during or immediately before the November B&N Criterion sale, which just sweetens the deal, although this is one I'd gladly pay full price on.

Criterion has done some good work with Cary Grant in HD -- first the Charade BD, then Only Angels Have Wings last year and His Girl Friday at the beginning of this year. Here's hoping that Criterion continues to bring us more Cary Grant!

 

[PMF]

Ill be forever on a Criterion Grant.

 

[darkrock17]

Can't wait to add this my collection, just a few months ago I picked up His Girl Friday. Criterion never fails to deliver. Just need Bringing Up Baby and Arsenic & Old Lace and Criterion will have just about completed all of the great screwball comedies.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Fucking finally.

 

[Garysb]

Thanks to all who guessed Criterion's clue correctly so we knew this was coming. Love this film. No feature about the teaming of Grant and Hepburn who made 3 classic films between 1938 and 1940 and sadly never teamed again. For Hepburn the films followed one another with a long break for the Philadelphia Story on stage . Grant made other films in between.

 

[Robin9]

Fucking finally.

Are you really? Left it a bit late, didn't you?

 

[Will Krupp]

Finally, indeed! This was THE one that made me fall in love with "the movies" in the mid 70's when I sat down to watch it with my nana. She was only 21 when it first came out and it was one of her favorite movies of all time. I was only 7 but I was hooked from that first night and I've never looked back. We have been waiting for this for far too long but I have every confidence it's going to be stellar.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This was THE one that made me fall in love with "the movies"

That's a very cool thing to hear, and thank you for sharing! I can't say for sure, but it is possible that The Philadelphia Story may have been the first time I saw Cary Grant or Katharine Hepburn onscreen. (Jimmy Stewart I already knew and loved - that's why I rented the movie in the first place as a young teenager.) Do you ever have that feeling where, five minutes in, you already know that the movie is one of your all-time favorites? That's what happened to me here. That wordless opening scene with Hepburn breaking the golf club and Grant shoving her (which would actually be somewhat horrific in a dramatic film) was so beautifully done, the timing, the pantomime performances, and just told us so much about these two characters and their relationship without a single word being uttered, that I knew it was going to be favorite. And it just got better and better as it went on.

I will never tire of this movie, and this one comes to the desert island with me. There are plenty of other films for which a reasonable argument can be made as being the best example of Grant, Hepburn and Stewart, but to me, they were never better than they were here. Their characters here are often so close to their star personas that it's easy to imagine that if you hung out with these actors, this is what they'd be like in real life. That may or may not be true, but Grant's performance has all of the wisdom, wit and charm I'd want from Grant, Hepburn has all of the fierce intelligence and independence that I always imagined she was like, and Stewart is the wonderfully old fashioned, ever so slightly naive but so good hearted man that I'd imagine he'd be as well.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This is arguably the most well-known and well-regarded "classic" film yet to be released on disc in High Definition.

 

[rayman1701]

Yes!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This is arguably the most well-known and well-regarded "classic" film yet to be released on disc in High Definition.

Agreed. It's probably neck-and-neck with Bringing Up Baby, but since Philadelphia has Grant, Hepburn and Stewart, and is an Academy Award winner, I have to give Philadelphia Story a slight edge.

 

[Rob Willey]

My favorite movie coming to Criterion? Very nice...

For all the talk of Grant, Hepburn and Stewart, in my book Ruth Hussey and Roland Young steal the show.

 

[Robert Harris]

Just to bump the importance of this release a tad...

The original camera negative of TPS was reportedly lost decades ago, in the GEH nitrate fire. There have been no quality fine grains in service.

Not long ago, apparently during a new inventory, it was discovered that the OCN did survive.

WB/Criterion's 4k scan of that element was the first time it has seen the light of day in over half a century.

The new release, courtesy of WB, is a true cause for celebration.

 

[bujaki]

Just to bump the importance of this release a tad...

The original camera negative of TPS was reportedly lost decades ago, in the GEH nitrate fire. There have been no quality fine grains in service.

Not long ago, apparently during a new inventory, it was discovered that the OCN did survive.

WB/Criterion's 4k scan of that element was the first time it has seen the light of day in over half a century.

The new release, courtesy of WB, is a true cause for celebration.

This is indeed great news!

 

[darkrock17]

Just to bump the importance of this release a tad...

The original camera negative of TPS was reportedly lost decades ago, in the GEH nitrate fire. There have been no quality fine grains in service.

Not long ago, apparently during a new inventory, it was discovered that the OCN did survive.

WB/Criterion's 4k scan of that element was the first time it has seen the light of day in over half a century.

The new release, courtesy of WB, is a true cause for celebration.

Wouldn't the original negative of been found somewhere at MGM though and not at WB

 

[battlebeast]

I'd LOVE more Cary Grant from Criterion. Talk of the Town, She Done Him Wrong, The Awful Truth, None But the Lonely Heart...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Of that list, The Awful Truth is most likely (just had a 4K restoration completed), and Talk Of The Town next. I think the others are less likely but I'd gladly buy them all.

 

[DavidJ]

Just to bump the importance of this release a tad...

The original camera negative of TPS was reportedly lost decades ago, in the GEH nitrate fire. There have been no quality fine grains in service.

Not long ago, apparently during a new inventory, it was discovered that the OCN did survive.

WB/Criterion's 4k scan of that element was the first time it has seen the light of day in over half a century.

The new release, courtesy of WB, is a true cause for celebration.

Wow. I didn't know this. Cause for celebration indeed.

Like other posters, this is one of my all time favorite films. I've watched it many times and can't wait to watch it again via this Criterion edition.