Review of Some Like It Hot

Introduction

My all time favourite classic is out on DVD. Remastered in glorious 5.1 sound and with a wealth of extras, this is one oldie that should be on every DVD collector`s shelf. The movie is another gem from director Billy Wilder and the cross dressing duo of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon really shine with wicked one liners. Marilyn plays the dumb blond to good affect and the last line of a fabulous screenplay, that was still being finished half way through production, is well worth waiting for.

Video

Nicely animated menus give the disc a classy feel. The picture is superb, with no noticeable digital artefacts. The blacks are good and solid and whites are free from halos. One of the best older transfers I`ve seen lately.

Audio

As I mentioned this film comes in glorious Dolby Digital 5.1. OK I`m getting a bit carried away but it does fill the listening space well even if it`s not up to today`s blockbuster 5.1 mixes. There is little use of the split rear channels and the bass lacks the rumble, but hey it`s not that kind of movie.

Features

You get the obligatory cast biographies and original theatrical trailer. Where this disc really shines is the documentaries. There`s a short older doc. with not much info and another lengthy one that talks to the members of the cast that are still with us. This documentary was made only a couple of years ago and features Toni Curtis and the now late Jack Lemmon reminiscing on the shoot and Marilyn`s egocentric ways. Both men do contradict each other often, especially the infamous statement by Tony on kissing Marilyn, "It was like kissing Hitler." Both men tell it very differently.

Conclusion

A top notch oldie that all the family can enjoy. That said, some thought it was pretty raunchy for its day. This disc has been released three times now on R2 DVD but this is the definitive version and a movie that really stands the test of time.