Starring: Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney, and Corinne Calvet
Director: Walter Lang
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: October 8, 2013
Run Time: 89 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
When I see anything Danny Kaye, I am immediately interested. I have not always been a fan, I have to admit and I can thank that I am due to my amazing wife. She introduced me to his world of fantastic and fun films 15 years ago. The 1951 musical “On the Riviera” was a film that I have never seen before, sorry, but it is true. The film stars Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney, and Corinne Calvet and is a remake of “That Night in Rio”. Danny Kaye takes on a dual role, which was performed before by Maurice Chevalier and Don Ameche. He ended up winning the Golden Globe that year as well for “Actor in a Motion Picture Actor – Comedy or Musical”. The film was also nominated for two Academy awards. I have become a sucker for musicals, even though a some of numbers are a little outdated, the film is still sharp and very funny.
Official Premise: You’ll double over with laughter at Danny Kaye’s Golden Globe- winning dual performances in this classic musical farce that was nominated for two Oscars Awards. Faced with a scheduling conflict, a womanizing French financier-aviator (Kaye) hires a nightclub performer (also Kaye) to temporarily impersonate him. But things go hilariously awry as one man tries to romance two beautiful women (Gene Tierney and Corinne Calvet) – who both think he’s their lover.
Fox gives us a great Blu-ray presentation for this film’s premiere on the format. The 1080p transfer is delivered in full frame with an 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The colors look good for a film over 60 years old and there isn’t much noise on the transfer either. The scale of the musical numbers are also represented very well. In terms of audio, the film comes stock with a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, which works very well with the music. The special features included are decent. There are three featurette focusing on the story, the star and the dancing including “The Riviera Story: A Remarkable Impersonation”, “A Portrait of Danny Kaye” and “The Jack of Clubs: Choreographer Jack Cole”. Lastly there is a theatrical trailer included.
