Porky's (1982/Fox)/Sullivan's Travels (1943/Paramount/Universal/Arrow U.K. Region B Import Blu-rays)/Woman's World (1954/Fox Cinema Archives DVD)

Picture: B/B/C Sound: B-/B-/C Extras: B-/B/D Films: B-/B+/C+

PLEASE NOTE: The Fox DVD Woman's World is an online exclusive available from Amazon.com via the sidebar of our website, while the Porky's and Sullivan's Travels Region B import Blu-rays (make sure your player can handle them) are now only available from our friends at Arrow U.K. can be ordered from the link below.

Up next are two comedy classics finally getting the upgrade to Blu-ray, plus another that desevres a larger audience, possibly as an unintended cult item.

Bob Clark's Porky's (1982) remains one of the most successful Canadian films of all time among many by the late, great director usually known for his great thrillers (the Halloween-inspiring Black Christmas, extremely underrated Deathdream) or spoofs of them (Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, all reviewed elsewhere on this site) and we previously reviewed the U.S. trilogy DVD Set from Fox years ago at this link:

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5618/Porky's+%E2%80%93+The+Ultimate

No fan of the sequels, the original has its moments, but I never found it to be a laugh riot, though it actually seems more daring, smarter and more ambitious versus its many imitators and people still talk about it. Who doesn't like a funny teen comedy? Oddly though, it is up there with John Landis' Animal House, yet is not as often referenced or ripped-off as that has been over the years. Looking at it now, the look and camera shots in Porky's adds to the humor in a way most imitators could not begin to figure out how to do. Gross, but somehow innocent versus the many go-for-broke-by-being-slap-happy-dumb, Clark was a real talent and you can see why a special edition was issued of this film.

Also issued in a Steelbook edition, extras include a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jim Rugg, new booklet featuring new writing on the film by Paul Corupe, creator of the Canuxploitation website, and a previously unpublished interview with director Bob Clark conducted by Calum Waddell, illustrated with archive stills, vintage audio commentary by writer/director Bob Clark, and two featurettes: Porky's Through the Peephole as Bob Clark looks back at his box-office sensation and Skin Classic! as Mr. Skin celebrates Porky's and the heyday of the 80s teen sex comedy and a Porky's trailer reel. That is the most any version of the film has offered, so get this one if you have a Blu-ray player that plays Region B discs.

Even more subversive, Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels (1943) was made during the director's red hot run at Paramount and is one of the all-time comedy classics, imitated and referenced by many in the know, especially filmmakers trying to aspire to Sturges himself. In this case, we have already reviewed two DVD versions form different countries, including the Criterion DVD with its own extras...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/106/Sullivan's+Travels+(Criterion+DVD

and an Umbrella Import DVD

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8101/The+Preston+Sturges+Collection+(The

Needless to say this new transfer outperforms those old versions, though Criterion has extras this Arrow U.K. edition does not, but that happens with classics within markets let alone from different countries (see Antonioni's Red Desert a few places on this site).

Extras here include another reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw, new booklet featuring new writing on the film by screwball comedy expert Peter Swaab, plus archive pieces by Geoff Brown and Preston Sturges, illustrated with original stills and poster designs, while the Blu-ray disc adds a feature-length audio commentary track by filmmaker and Monty Python member Terry Jones, Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer - Kenneth Bowser's acclaimed feature-length documentary portrait from the American Masters series, Kevin Jackson on Sullivan's Travels: an appreciation by the writer and broadcaster, The Preston Sturges Stock Company: a celebration of Sturges' regular character actors and bit-part players, Safeguarding Military Information: a Sturges-scripted propaganda short released in the same month as Sullivan's Travels and the Original Theatrical Trailer.

Last but not least is Jean Negulesco's Woman's World (1954), a comedy from the capable filmmaker who was thriving with hits as he helped Fox break CinemaScope into the industry worldwide. When an executive at a mini-major car company that makes cars of tomorrow (supplied to Fox by Ford, they all look like forerunners of the Ford/Mercury Futura in one way or another; the car that was the basis for the 1960s Batmobile) so three men are up to replace him, all with their own qualifications and wives. Fred MacMurray has Lauren Bacall, but their marriage is secretly in trouble. Van Heflin has Arlene Dahl, but should he dump her? And Clifton Webb as June Allison, but she's an out-of-control big mouth who might ruin his chances and they are happily married!

Running 94 minutes, this is a big, amusing production with more giggles than big laughs (though it has a few of those) with the occasional series of serious moments. Between the set up, locations, sets, use of color, cars and supporting cast that includes Cornell Wilde, Alan Reed and an uncredited Billie Bird, this is a film meant to be a big hot and fun experience. When it works, it works well and when it doesn't, it is still something to see.

There are sadly no extras.

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on Porky's is a solid improvement over the previous DVD editions, but it can still show its age via its low budget in part, yet it is the best this is likely ever to look including down to the color, detail and depth. However, that actually gives it an authentic edge and no film set in the 1950s has quiet this look.

The 1080p 1.33 X 1 black and white digital High Definition image transfer on Travels outdoes the old Criterion DVD as expected and the transfer rarely shows the age of the materials used, so that also means we get some amazing shots that are even demo quality at times reminding us of the look Paramount's older films used to have. That makes it as pleasant as a nice 35mm print to view and fans will be very impressed.

The letterboxed 2.35 X 1 image on World is one of the last Fox films in old CinemaScope that was actually designed for and issued in dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor 35mm prints (surviving copies of which are worth serious money if in good shape) before they launched their own DeLuxe labs and even as poor and old as this transfer is, you can see in many places how good it must have looked in such copies. Director of Photography Joseph MacDonald, A.S.C. Was one of the major names in shooting scope films and he does not fail to use the very widescreen frame to its fullest extent, but it needs a restoration and a Blu-ray release.

In the sound department, both Blu-rays are presented in PCM 2.0 Mono that sounds as good as the film's are likely to ever sound and on an even keel with each other as Porky's low budget and Sullivan's age are limits that offer oddly similar results. That leaves the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 sound on World which was issued in theatrical mono, bit this mix sounds like simple stereo, though the best presentations were in 4-track magnetic stereo. Again, this one needs some restoration.

You can order Porky's, Sullivan's Travels and many other terrific Blu-rays from Arrow UK with extras no other company will ever offer at this link:

http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/

- Nicholas Sheffo