Tonight's Movie: High Society (1956) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

HIGH SOCIETY (1956), the MGM musical remake of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940), has just been released on Blu-ray and 4K by the Warner Archive Collection.

This film is one of the Warner Archive's rare 4K releases, and I've heard good things about it, which isn't surprising giving the typical Warner Archive quality.

As I've not adopted the 4K format, I reviewed the Blu-ray edition, which is absolutely lovely, scanned from the original VistaVision negative. To my understanding, this is one of only two MGM films which was shot in VistaVision.

As most classic film fans will be aware, HIGH SOCIETY is based on the play THE PHILADELPHIA STORY by Philip Barry. While the 1940 film version of the play was scripted by Donald Ogden Stewart, the 1956 version was written by John Patrick.

It's the story of Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly), who has recently divorced C.K. Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby) and is about to marry stuffy George Kittredge (John Lund) on the rebound.

Over the course of a day various circumstances, including a very brief romantic fling with reporter Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra), cause Tracy to realize that marrying George would be a mistake...and maybe she had her choice of husband right the first time.

At 111 minutes HIGH SOCIETY is almost exactly the same length as THE PHILADELPHIA STORY's 112 minutes, but it necessarily excises some dialogue to make room for the musical numbers. I honestly think this makes the story a little less heavy-handed and maudlin when it comes to Tracy, though a couple of questionable lines about her so-called icy character -- chiefly from her philandering father (Sidney Blackmer) -- still make me wince uncomfortably today. I prefer the somewhat lighter, less edgy style of the remake to the film which opens with Tracy being shoved in the face.

As an aside I'll mention that the name of Tracy's little sister was inexplicably changed from Dinah in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY to Caroline (played by Lydia Reed) in HIGH SOCIETY.

It's fairly common in classic film circles to dismiss HIGH SOCIETY in comparison to the original film, which of course starred Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart, directed by George Cukor.

But as much as the 1940 film has going for it, including a superb supporting cast with names like Ruth Hussey, Roland Young, and Virginia Weidler, over the years I've increasingly come to realize and acknowledge that it's HIGH SOCIETY which truly has my heart.

I've seen HIGH SOCIETY countless times since earliest childhood, most recently at the 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival, and it grows more dear to me with the passage of time. When Bing and Louis Armstrong launch into "Now You Has Jazz" or Bing and Frank sing "Well, Did You Evah" it simply makes me happy, and you can't ask for more from a movie than that!

For that matter, I love the entire score, which I grew up listening to on LP. Perhaps they're not Cole Porter's very best songs, but I thoroughly enjoy hearing "True Love," "You're Sensational," "I Love You Samantha," and all the rest.

The acting is all perfectly on point, and I love the relaxed repartee between many of the characters. Bing in particular gets major style points for his line deliveries.

HIGH SOCIETY was directed by Charles Walters, who as I've shared here in the past I was fortunate to meet a few times. He was very nice to me, and that enhances my feelings toward his work.

The movie was filmed in Technicolor by Paul C. Vogel. The use of pastels in the set decorating are gorgeous, and I especially adore Kelly's wardrobe by the great Helen Rose. This was famously Kelly's last film before leaving for Monaco and marriage, and Rose also designed Kelly's perfect wedding gown for her wedding to Prince Rainier.

As a side note, I saw a theatrical production of the musical HIGH SOCIETY at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London in April 1987. The late Natasha Richardson played Tracy, with Trevor Eve as C.K. Dexter-Haven. (I knew Eve from a 1983 TV production of JAMAICA INN opposite Jane Seymour.) Stephen Rea and Angela Richards were Mike and Liz. And I'll add that the name Caroline was switched back to the original Dinah for this production!

The Warner Archive Blu-ray extras consist of trailers; the featurette "Cole Porter in Love" from the original DVD release; a premiere newsreel; the 7-minute CinemaScope cartoon MILLIONAIRE DROOPY (1956); audio promos; and, best of all, the original roadshow overture.

Unlike the majority of the Warner Archive's MGM musical Blu-ray releases, there is no song selection menu, which is my sole disappointment with this disc.

As I proofread the above I found I'd used the word "love" so many times in my first draft that I had to take a few repetitive uses of it out! But I think the fact that that word came naturally tumbling out of my mind several times in regard to this film does express how I feel about it. And thanks to this beautiful Blu-ray, it's now more enjoyable than ever.

Recommended.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

Tweet