Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary & My Wife's Lodger

[Brief Encounter]

I agree with the above posts. My Wife's Lodger *is* dreadful, but it needs preserving, if only to show people how bad some British b-movies were!

[seanflynn76]

mmmmhhhh some interesting points made!!! Sadly Dors' career like so many had it's misses, and with the release of Is Your Honeymoon Really Neccessary/Mt Wifes Lodger and later this The Great Game, most certainly go to prove this. As I've just posted in my Diana Dors thread, I was informed the other day, that 'it is hoped' that the film The Amazing Mr Blunden will recieve the same treatment as that other Lionel Jeffries classic The Railway Children. . . . . I do know that plans are afoot to put together a collection of Dors Classics together, yeah I know they've done this already but I think the plan is to really celebrate the talent of arguably Britains most underrated actress - underrated in the sense that there is so little of her body of work available to watch . . .

[Brief Encounter]

Problem is that most of her films disappoint - unless you go in with low expectations...

[seanflynn76]

I would thank you for that comment, but as I'm sulking I won't Lol!!! I think that's abit harsh, IMO from the film's that Dors appears in that I have seen she is often the best thing in them......In all fairness she's no Judy Dench, but she's certainly no one-hit wonder either.... Look at her in Oliver Twist, The Huggett film's she appeared in, A Kid For Two Farthings, The Weak and The Wicked, Yield To The Night,Diamond City, Tread Softly Stranger, The Girl Who Rode The Palio, On The Double, The Roaring 20's, West Eleven, Danger Route, Hammerhead, Berserk (Only for Dors performance). . . . I could go on and include a few of her roles from the 70's. I think it has to be sad that even where the film's were weak, Dors always gave a good performance wether in a cameo, supporting role or as the main attraction . . . I could name others who although they made a name for themselves at the same time as Dors, aren't even regarded as highly as her as actresses......

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Brief Encounter' date='12 June 2010 - 01:07 AM' timestamp='1276301274' post='438915']

Problem is that most of her films disappoint - unless you go in with low expectations...

Clearly you've not seen It's Not Cricket

[phil]

I'm not one for slamming Dors. I think she made loads of good films, I have'nt seen My Wife's Lodger but have seen Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? and it's not one of her best but she does look absolutely stunning.

[Brief Encounter]

Sean - I agree she was always good. My point is that the films didn't serve her very well, she should have been a lead artist far more often, and been given better roles.

[999picklepuss]

Received mine this morning - beautiful bit of work from the BFI as ever - two discs (Blu-ray and regular DVD) in a clear Blu-ray case. Fabulous 30 page booklet and all for £12.99 (are you reading this Optimum?) Can't wait to watch it despite comments made above.

[MrT]

A superb job has been done on the remastering of both sound and vision, and the quality of the transfers here shows what can be done if you have the will to do it. But can anyone here explain the marketing strategy of issuing both dvd and blu-ray versions together? On playing both discs I couldn't notice any difference (the dvd version was upscaled through an HDMI link), suppose it might not have been as good without this? Or was it to justify a higher retail price?



MrT

[Cheeky Bob]

name='MrT' date='20 June 2010 - 08:18 AM' timestamp='1277018305' post='441983']

But can anyone here explain the marketing strategy of issuing both dvd and blu-ray versions together? On playing both discs I couldn't notice any difference (the dvd version was upscaled through an HDMI link), suppose it might not have been as good without this? Or was it to justify a higher retail price?

Here's Sam Dunn, head of BFI DVD Publishing:



"The idea behind Dual Format Editions is to provide film lovers with the ultimate win-win solution in a time of financial uncertainty and technological confusion. Not only does the price mean that the BFI's quality Blu-rays are instantly more affordable, but the inclusion of both DVD and Blu-ray in a single package means that the DVD buyer is safeguarded against upgrades they may make in the future at no extra cost. Existing Blu-ray customers will benefit both from the lower price and from the inclusion of a DVD, which offers greater flexibility for viewing away from the home cinema environment. "

[A Pemberton]

name='999picklepuss' date='19 June 2010 - 09:05 AM' timestamp='1276934718' post='441629']

Received mine this morning - beautiful bit of work from the BFI as ever - two discs (Blu-ray and regular DVD) in a clear Blu-ray case. Fabulous 30 page booklet and all for £12.99 (are you reading this Optimum?) Can't wait to watch it despite comments made above.

My Wifes Lodger is awful,Dominic Roche is a poor lead but have high hopes for Is your Honeymoon.....,cant comment on Blu-ray as Im not in the 21st century yet but why is the dvd box so small,is that normal size for Blu-ray discs? because its not for standard DVD and it looks very precarious balancing in my DVD rack,which worries me a great deal...........

[crunchie]

Got mine today, excellent picture quality, but the sound on "Honeymoon" isn't quite as crisp as on "Lodger". Can't fault the pictures though.

[Cheeky Bob]

name='Brief Encounter' date='09 June 2010 - 03:12 PM' timestamp='1276092761' post='437748']

I agree with the above posts. My Wife's Lodger *is* dreadful, but it needs preserving, if only to show people how bad some British b-movies were!

As far as I'm aware, the aim of the BFI's Adelphi Collection is to preserve all the surviving films that the company made - regardless of quality. But I suspect they're being programmed in such a way that the better film in the bill is the headline attraction.

[HammerDave]

name='phil' date='12 June 2010 - 08:51 AM' timestamp='1276329102' post='438984']I'm not one for slamming Dors.

Rimshot.



Every time I go past the chap on the local market who sells DVDs, he has a pile of copies of It's a Grand Life starring Dors and Frank Randle. Is it worth £3.50?

[Chris B]

This second release of the BFI’s pioneering Adelphi Collection brings two films directed by Maurice Elvey, Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? (1953) and My Wife's Lodger (1952). Box set containing both standard dvd and the blu-ray edition



Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? is a juicy, fast-moving bedroom farce featuring a sizzling performance from a young Diana Dors. American Army pilot Laurie Vining (Bonar Colleano) - on leave in London for his honeymoon - is hoping for a little rest and recreation. But his idyllic bliss is shattered abruptly when his stunning ex, Candy - saucily played with mischievous relish by Dors – unexpectedly arrives at his hotel, insisting that they're still man and wife. Under pressure to think quick and act fast, he enlists the assistance of his gum-chewing, wisecracking co-pilot Hank Hanlon (Sid James) and nervous, girl-shy lawyer Frank Betterton (David Tomlinson). But his troubles have only just begun...



My Wife’s Lodger (1952) finds hapless soldier, Willie Higginbotham (Dominic Roche) return home after six years hoping for a hero’s welcome only to find that his home has become a boarding-house and Roger the Lodger (Leslie Dwyer) has got his arms around his wife and his feet under the table, while Willie’s ditzy daughter Eunice (Diana Dors) only wants to sing, dance and jitterbug!



The box set contains both the standard dvd and blu ray edition, the standard dvd is as good as a very good 16mm print with no scratches or splices, the blu ray disc is just like a brand new 35mm print hot off the press, with plenty of detail, such as the pattern of the cloth a persons suit is made of, and the black & white image is stunning with excellent contrast.



A bit of trivia, as an established star Bonar Colleano got paid £1200 for his role, whilst Diana Dors got paid £1000, and it wasn't long before she became famous, after she made A Kid For 2 Farthings Adelphi Films the small independant British Film making company run by the Dent family couldn't afford her services any longer.



Regards Chris Bryan

[Chris B]

name='MrT' date='20 June 2010 - 08:18 AM' timestamp='1277018305' post='441983']

A superb job has been done on the remastering of both sound and vision, and the quality of the transfers here shows what can be done if you have the will to do it. But can anyone here explain the marketing strategy of issuing both dvd and blu-ray versions together? On playing both discs I couldn't notice any difference (the dvd version was upscaled through an HDMI link), suppose it might not have been as good without this? Or was it to justify a higher retail price?



MrT

It depends if you are only watching on a T.V or if you project the image, I grant you playing the standard version upscaled on 32 inch T.V there is very little difference to percieve, but if you project the image up to around 5 or 6 foot or even more you can see the difference between the blu ray and the standard version. To use an old comparison theory the standard version is like viewing a good 16mm print whereas the blu ray is like viewing a brand new 35mm print hot off the press.

Regards Chris Bryan