DU BARRY WAS A LADY (1943)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 101 Minutes 8 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Cast: Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Gene Kelly
Synopsis: Hapless nightclub hatcheck boy Red Skelton loves glamorous chanteuse Lucille Ball. Handsome hoofer Gene Kelly loves her too. And Lucy? Lucy loves money. Then Red mistakenly gulps down a Mickey Finn and dreams he's in 18th-century France. Before you can powder your wig, a throng of suitors -- Red, Gene, King Louis XV, a dashing rebel, a sinister duke and just about everybody -- loves Lucy! This glittery, tune-filled bonbon features a supporting cast of wags and wits (including the inimitable Zero Mostel) and three Cole Porter songs from the original Broadway smash: "Friendship," "Katie Went to Haiti" and "Do I Love You?" Cherchez la Lucy for comedy, music and star power from Hollywood's golden era.
I thought this was a pretty threadbare but quite fun musical-comedy, wherein an up and coming nightclub headliner May Daly (Lucille Ball, TV's I Love Lucy) has three would-be suitors by way of the club's poor hat-check boy Louis Blore (Red Skelton, A Southern Yankee), up and coming but still broke tap-dancing crooner Alec Howe (Gene Kelly, Singin' in the Rain) and a wealthy older gentleman Willie (Douglass Dumbrille, Catman of Paris), who can offer her the desired security she has idealized since childhood. Having grown up poor her heart is with Alec who she actually loves, but her mind is set on wealthy Willie, but a wrench is thrown into the works when hatcheck boy Louis suddenly strikes it rich after winning the Irish Sweepstakes (which was real, I had to check!), after which he proposes to May, who accepts, much to the chagrin of her true-love Alec.
While trying to sabotage Alec's chances of persuading May to reverse her decision Louis and the new hatcheck guy Charlie (Rags Ragland, Girl Crazy) attempt to slip Alec a Mickey Finn, but bumbleklutz Charlie mixes up the cocktails and gives it to Louis, who slips into a drug-induced dream where he imagines himself in 17th century France as nonother than King Louis XV at Versailles. The final third of the from is the lovers triangle re-imagined as a 17th century French period comedy with May is Madame Du Barry, Alec is a the rebel Black Arrow, Willie is the Duc de Rigor, and Charlie the hatcheck guy is the Dauphin. I loved the breezy, fast-talking rom-com first 2/3 of the film, once it slips into fantasy land I was less gripped, but thank to the cast, particaurly the repartee betwixt Ball, Kelly and Skelton, they riff off each other quite well, and the musical numbers are clever and fun. I know that this was based on a 1939 stage musical of the same name with songs by Cole Porter but I am unfamiliar with it, so I cannot tell you much more than the Hays Code prompted some more chase rewrites and the studio jettisoned quite a few of the Cole Porter songs from the stage musical in favor of new songs. That said, the songs are quite wonderful, we get Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra's brassy big-band music as well a musical highlights such as Cole Porter's "Friendship" which ends the film (and is the only song to actually feature Ball's actual voice), the Gene Kelly crooned ballad "Do I Love You?", and my personal favorite song here is Virginia O'Brien (Ziegfeld Follies) deadpan showstopper "Salome", there's just something about her that I adore when she pops up in these flicks from the 40's and early 50's. Not my favorite musical comedy by any means but was super charmed by Lucille Ball, I'd developed a crush on her watching re-runs if I Love Lucy as a kid, and she's even more of a looker here, I can see why these three guys are so crazy about her. Red Skelton is good fun as the comic relief, I've never been a huge fan of his comedy, but he's fine here, now harm no foul, and I thought it was odd that the fleet footed Kelly only get one real dance number here, but it's a rubber-legged wonder when he gets down to it. Also be on the lookout for Auntie Em (Clara Blandick) herself from the The Wizard of Oz, who shows up during a scene on a bus, extolling the virtues of marrying rich.
Audio/Video: Du Barry Was A Lady arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Warner Archive in 1080p HD full frame (1.37:1) original aspect ratio. This is a new WAC restoration sourced from a 4K scan of the nitrate Technicolor camera negatives, and it's dazzling from start to finish. A layer of very fine film grain is well-managed throughout, the source look immaculate, and the Technicolor colors marvel with a rainbow of nuanced colors, the primaries shine bright and the array of Easter colored pastels is quite impressive. Ball's signature red locks and a variety of complimentary and figure hugging outfits look phenomenal, and the depth and clarity of the image are equally impressive, the presentation highlighting the excellent work of cinematography of Karl Freund (Key Largo), it's a bit flabbergasting how great this eighty year-old flick looks on Blu-ray thanks to the excellent restoration work of WAC. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. A wonderfully vibrant and dynamic track that highlights Tommy Dorsey's brassy big-band as well a musical highlights, it's a terrific track.
The only extras are a 7-min vintage MGM cartoon, which was quite fun, plus a Trailer for the film. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original illustrated movie poster, the disc itself also features the same key artwork as the wrap.
Special Features:
- MGM Cartoon "Bah, Wilderness" (7 min)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:09)
Screenshots from the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray:
