My Sister Eileen (1955)
Starring: Jack
Lemmon, Dick York, Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, Bob Fosse, Tommy Rall, Kurt
Kasznar, Horace McMahon
Company: Twilight Time
My Review and Thoughts:
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Another wonderful choice by Twilight Time. Was super excited
to see this. This is my first time seeing this movie and so it was an ultimate
treat. I love watching movies I had no knowledge of, it’s like an adventure, and an
exploration into classic Hollywood. I am usually quite good at seeing the older
films specifically when it stars a wonderful cast, but for some reason this one
has passed me by over the years. What better way to experience this older
beauty than on a wonderful High quality, High Definition 1080p perfected
product. Twilight Time did another fantastic job at refreshing and bringing out
an older film for a new generation.
The plot of the film goes as follows. 2 sisters Ruth and
Eileen move to New York. Ruth wants to be a writer. Eileen wants to be an
actress. Both girls after a time fail to seek what they wish to be. So, begins
the antics in trying to make it. There are lies and changes coming. Ruth ends
up telling lies that Eileen, her real sister, which she writes about is a
figment of her imagination and that she really is Eileen. She does this because
all the writing she had done on her sister gets points and remarks and praises,
so she thinks by taking over her sister’s persona, she can move forward. Lots
of music and comedy run rampant in classic Hollywood style.
Starring truly an icon of cinema. It’s hard to believe this
master talent. Comedy genius is no longer with us. He gave the world of cinema
so many laughs, so many perfected performances that one can only watch and be
totally amazed by his reality in bringing so many memorable characters to life.
To be honest he has starred in so many of my favorite films. But the point is,
many think of him as a comical actor, yes, he starred in amazing comedies, but
he also starred in perfected films of seriousness. All one must do is look at
his long career. Close to 100 performances in his life time. From the
masterpiece comedies such as The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, to my all time
personal favorite Grumpy old Men. I mean from the great The Odd Couple, to the
one and only 1979 classic The China Syndrome. I absolutely loved him in 1991’s
JFK. His acting talent could be funny and bleak, all the way to serious. He was and will
always be one of the greatest of Hollywood. In My Sister Eileen, he plays the
part of Robert Baker to a golden ticket. There really is nothing bad you can
say about Lemmon’s acting ability.
Also starring the
wonderful Dick York. York was a fantastic actor that I feel never got the
stardom he deserved. He is most famous for the TV series Bewitched. Sadly, he
had a horrible degenerative spinal problem which altered his career and caused
him to be bedridden for many years of his life. But he did leave the cinema
world with great characters. He shined in many ways on screen from TV to
feature film, most notably in 1960’s amazing Inherit the Wind, which might I
add Twilight Time has released on a special edition Blu-ray. They also released
Cowboy which he starred in.
The one that really needs no introduction starring in this
is the amazing Janet Leigh. That’s right the scream queen herself. All one must
do is define the shower scene in Psycho and always remember her. She garnered one
of the most prolific death scenes in all of movie history. But, she was so much
more than that. She truly was a goddess in front of the camera. It was amazing
seeing her in this.
Audio/Video:
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Yet again no flaw what so ever. The audio and video are
perfection. The imagery is vibrant and very crisp to the eyes. The audio is
spot on perfection. I saw no flaw in this wonderful new transfer to High Definition.
LANGUAGE: English
VIDEO: 1080p High Definition / 2.55:1
AUDIO: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA / English 2.0 DTS-HD MA
SUBTITLES: English SDH
Extras:
Slim pickings here but you do get the wonderful Isolated
Music Track (with some dialogue and effects) The Composer involved with this
feature film are: Jule Styne (music)/Leo Robin (lyrics), George Duning and
Morris Stoloff (musical adaption/direction).
Part of the music wonderment for the film is George Duning.
Duning was a true golden
ticket of music perfection. He was nominated for many
Academy Awards in his career. He worked on such memorable films as 1955’s The
Man from Laramie, 1955’s Picnic which might I add, that both where Twilight
Time releases on Special Edition Blu-ray's. 1956’s The Eddy Duchin Story, which
might I also add Twilight Time released on a Special Edition Blu-ray. Also
composed for the film Cowboy which Twilight Time also has released on Special
Edition Blu-ray. He also worked on another Twilight Time choice of release,
Miss Sadie Thompson. He truly mastered
so many realities in music, from TV to major motion picture. From a personal
favorite of mine 1957’s 3:10 to Yuma, and another personal favorite the 1978
Disney TV movie, Child of Glass, to working on the original Star Trek Series.
Twilight Time honored this music god with this special feature.
Also, on this soundtrack is another amazing musician Morris
Stoloff. The music is done by this musical genius. A music guru in a sense. A
music god that worked on so many countless films. His music is still being used
today in cinema, at least his last music was used on the movie soundtrack to
Casino (1995). He passed away in 1980 but left a vast array of music. There is
close to 500 credits in the music department under his name. Starting in 1927 and went all the way to 1967. 500 credits in that short of time is mind blowing.
His work on so many important pieces of cinema, including just to name a few:
1927’s masterpiece The Jazz Singer. 1939’s The Man They Could Not Hang, 1939’s
Mr. Smith’s Goes to Washington. A real true personal favorite of mine the one
and only masterpiece 1940’s His Girl Friday. 1953’s magical The 5,000 Fingers
of Dr T. 1953’s From Here to Eternity. 1953’s Miss Sadie Thompson. 1956’s The
Eddy Duchin Story which might I add as I have stated both where honored with a Twilight Time Blu-ray release. The amazing 3:10 to Yuma, and so many countless others.
Original Theatrical Trailer
Overall:
This is a musical comedy with a spark of romance. It’s
classic Hollywood. The picture and sound are perfect on this Blu-ray. Twilight
Time has done another fantastic job in bringing another older film to a modern
setting. I highly recommend this for all lover of musicals, comedies, and
seeing some amazing actors and actresses.
INFO:
Make sure you head over to www.screenarchives.com to buy all
the wonderful Twilight Time Blu-rays. The main page that gives you these
beautiful releases on top quality Special Editions.
Also head over and like Twilight Time on Facebook
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