Romance on the High Seas (1948) - June 16, 2020

[James Luckard]

Warner Archive just announced this, I'm very excited.


https://www.wbshop.com/collections/w...e-high-seas-bd

It's a charming musical comedy from the writers and director of Casablanca, with additional dialogue from Billy Wilder collaborator I.A.L. Diamond.

Doris Day shines in her first starring role. It's a clever farce about a wealthy couple whose marriage is falling apart due to the husband's overwork. The wife thinks he's having an affair, so she books a cruise to South America and pays a random girl (Day) to impersonate her on the cruise, while she stays in NY and spies on her husband.

Meanwhile, the husband also thinks the wife is having an affair, and pays a private eye to follow the wife on the cruise. The PI has never met the wife, so he doesn't know Day, booked on the ship under the wife's name, isn't her. He falls in love with Day and feels guilty, because he thinks she's his employer's wife. Multi-couple farce straight out of Shakespeare ensues. It also has a bunch of fun songs.

The DVD had a vintage cartoon, a vintage musical short and the trailer, presumably the BD will have the same extras.

[whiteberry]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

The DVD had a vintage cartoon, a vintage musical short and the trailer, presumably the BD will have the same extras.

The DVD had the following extras:

• Let's Sing A Song From The Movies (1948) [10:41]
• I Taw A Putty Tat (1948) [06:24] (edited)
• Theatrical Trailer

For the blu-ray, I Taw A Putty Tat (1948) is being replaced with Hare Splitter (1948). I Taw A Putty Tat (1948) was edited on the DVD so no great loss.

Hare Splitter (1948) and the theatrical trailer will be in HD. Let's Sing A Song From The Movies (1948) will presumably be in SD.

NEW 2020 1080p master from 4K scan of original nitrate Technicolor negatives!

ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS (1948)
Run Time 99:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4 X 3 FULL FRAME
Product Color COLOR
Disc Configuration BD 50
Special Features: Vintage Musical Short "Lets Sing a Song from the Movies"; Classic Bugs Bunny Cartoon "Hare Splitter"(HD); Theatrical Trailer (HD)

Bon voyage! Georgia Garrett’s singing career may not be going anywhere, but she is. She’s on a cruise, sailing under the name Mrs. Elvira Kent while the real Elvira secretly stays home to spy on her presumably philandering hubby. Meanwhile, the husband hires a spy to snoop on his supposedly voyaging wife. Doris Day makes her maiden film voyage, debuting as Georgia in a colorful bauble afloat on romantic seas. The studio surrounds the sunny overnight screen sensation with top talent: Michael Curtiz directs, the Epstein brothers provide the script, Busby Berkeley guides musical numbers, Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn create the tunes, and costars include Oscar Levant and Jack Carson. “It’s Magic,” Day sings. Yes, it is.

Romance On The High Seas (1948) Official Trailer - Jack Carson, Janis Paige Movie HD - YouTube

[James Luckard]

New 4K scan of the negative, fantastic!!

[Swissangel4616]

why not also on UHD/4K media? also still no sign of Ben Hur....hm...

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by Swissangel4616

why not also on UHD/4K media? also still no sign of Ben Hur....hm...

Very few people would buy this film on UDH 4K... Doesn't make sense. We are probably lucky to even get a nicely restored Blu-ray.

[javi92]

Great little musical. Day 1 buy for me.

[octobercountry]

The picture quality of the disc, featuring a new scan of the Technicolor negatives, has gotten absolutely rave reviews; it's supposed to look splendid. Will definitely be picking this one up. Doris Day got off to a fantastic start at Warners with this film.

[James Luckard]

The last Warner Archive title I preordered through Amazon, The Fearless Vampire Killers, didn't become available there for AGES.

Finally, over a month after release day, when Amazon still didn't have it, I cancelled my preorder and ordered elsewhere.

Has there been a consistent problem lately with Amazon stocking Warner Archive titles on time?

[UnionJackMix]

I also cannot wait for this! I love Doris Day to bits, have all her movies, and this is one of my favorites.

[octobercountry]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

The last Warner Archive title I preordered through Amazon, The Fearless Vampire Killers, didn't become available there for AGES.

Finally, over a month after release day, when Amazon still didn't have it, I cancelled my preorder and ordered elsewhere.

Has there been a consistent problem lately with Amazon stocking Warner Archive titles on time?

I think that's been a topic of much discussion on the Warner Archive thread. Best bet is to never order these titles from Amazon; always look elsewhere.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by octobercountry

I think that's been a topic of much discussion on the Warner Archive thread. Best bet is to never order these titles from Amazon; always look elsewhere.

Where is the most reliable place to order from?

I checked and looks like I ordered from Deep Discount Entertainment through Amazon as a third-party seller last time, after cancelling my Amazon order. They sent it immediately and I had it in a few days.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

Where is the most reliable place to order from?

I checked and looks like I ordered from Deep Discount Entertainment through Amazon as a third-party seller last time, after cancelling my Amazon order. They sent it immediately and I had it in a few days.

I just ordered it from DeepDiscount: FLOWERS code gets you 15% off too

[whiteberry]

The new restoration is on HBO Max which launched a couple of hours ago. It looks fantastic!

[whiteberry]

Romance On The High Seas (1948) - HD Trailer

Romance on the High Seas (1948) - HD Trailer - YouTube

Romance On The High Seas (1948) - HD Open

Romance on the High Seas (1948) - HD open - YouTube

Romance On The High Seas (1948) - HD Clip

Romance on the High Seas (1948) - HD Clip - YouTube

[James Luckard]

Wow, even those compressed YouTube clips look gorgeous, can't wait to see the actual disc!!

This is such a witty, clever relatively undiscovered gem. I hope more people find it on streaming and with this disc.

[DaViD Boulet]

can't wait to get this. and I hope that by-the-light-of-the-silver-moon isn't far behind...

[Swissangel4616]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses092789

Very few people would buy this film on UDH 4K... Doesn't make sense. We are probably lucky to even get a nicely restored Blu-ray.

sure, you're right... better bluray than nothing

But the studios should start to release those technicolor/ & Cinemascope classic which are scanned/restored in 4k also to release in 4K/UD (as single or Bluray/UHD-combo) - not just the super titles like Lawrence of Arabia or 2001.

Otherwise they will losing 4K/UHD against streaming contents.

[James Luckard]

My disc arrived yesterday and I'm watching it now. It looks BREATHTAKING.

This is one of the most flawlessly done transfers of a classic film that I've ever seen, you can see the weave in the patterned fabric of the men's suits. Astonishing.

This is one of my favorite 40s films, and it has been given amazing treatment.

[Venner]

Just saw that this was released on blu -- to rave review -- and immediately ordered. Really enjoyed this film when when I first discovered it on DVD a decade ago, particularly the understated "Put 'em in a Box" musical number.

And of course, working with Oscar Levant on her first film, this was the source of his fantastic later quote, "I knew Doris Day before she became a virgin!"

[Pumpkinhead]

Just had to weigh in on this... When Technicolor movies are restored in this fashion, they manage to replicate the striking contrasts of dye transfer with a pre-print clarity so breathtaking it elicits gasps from the audience. Whether it's a delightfully frothy musical like this one, or a turgid WWII melodrama like FLYING LEATHERNECKS, if they're scanning from those three-color Tech negative strips, the result is always the same: wow. Also prepared in this fashion are MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID and, coming in December, THE HARVEY GIRLS.