The Criterion Collection presents Billy Wilder’s cross-dressing comedy Some Like It Hot in a two-disc set, one 4K UHD and one Blu-ray. Based on Richard Pottier’s French comedy Fanfare of Love (1935), Some Like It Hot opens in Chicago, 1929. Two musicians, saxophonist Joe and bassist Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, respectively) are on hand when Spats Colombo (George Raft) gets revenge against informant Toothpick Charlie (George E. Stone) by killing him and his crew. Needing to leave town in a hurry, they pose as saxophonist Josephine and bassist Daphne in an all-girl orchestra for a three-week gig in Florida.
Buy Some Like It Hot (Criterion Collection)They meet singer/ukulele player Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). Both men want to get together with her. Jerry tries the friend route as Daphne. Joe poses as Junior, heir to the Shell Oil fortune, doing a Cary Grant imitation, although Jerry claims nobody talks like that. Josephine has male interest from a bellboy while many-times-married millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown) falls for Daphne. One night, cutting between their two dates, Joe as Junior gets closer to Sugar by feigning a physical disinterest in women while Jerry accepts Osgood’s wedding proposal, presuming he’ll clean up in the divorce when his true identity is revealed.
Affairs of the heart aren’t all that Joe and Jerry have to deal with as the hotel they perform at hosts a national Mafia conference, bringing in many gangsters from across the country, including Spats, who recognizes them, but then he is recognized as the man responsible for killing Toothpick Charlie, leaving audiences in suspense as to whom can avoid heartbreak and death.
The witty screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is a comic masterpiece as every scene and every line seem essential in moving the plot along. The final one-liner, delivered by Brown, has become an iconic sendoff that has few rivals in the history of cinema. The entire cast shows off their talents, especially Curtis and Lemmon playing characters who play characters.
The liner notes reveal the video “is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Undertaken by MGM, Park Circus, and the Criterion Collection, this 4K restoration was created from the 35 mm original camera negative. A 35 mm duplicate negative and a 35 mm fine-grain positive were used for footage that was missing from the camera negative…The feature is presented in Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range) on the 4K Ultra High Disc and high-definition SDR (standard dynamic range) on the Blu-ray.”
On the UHD, blacks are inky, whites are accurate, and a number of gray shades between them are evident. This leading to a strong contrast. The image is clean, free from dirt and defect, and features a light film grain. The sharp focus reveals fine texture details and improves during the day-lit exteriors.
Also, “the original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm magnetic tracks.” Dialogue is clear although Josephine’s female voice, dubbed by Paul Frees, is a tad distracting as it’s clear it’s not Curtis. Good ambient effects. Composer Adolph Deutsch’s score comes through with good fidelity.
The Special Features on the Blu-ray disc, except where noted, are:
- Audio commentary from 1989 featuring film scholar Howard Suber (both discs)
- Behind the Scenes: Archival documentaries The Making of Some Like It Hot (26 min) and The Legacy of Some Like It Hot (20 min) feature Wilder, Curtis, and Lemmon among others talking about the movie. and Memories of Sweet Sues (12 min) features the actresses from the band.
- Costumes by Orry-Kelly (19 min) – Costume designer / historian Deborah Nadoolman Landis and costume historian / archivist Larry McQueen talk about Orry-Kelly’s work, which on this film won the Oscar for Best Costume Design – Black-and-White.
- Billy Wilder and Dick Cavett (55 min) – Wilder appeared on The Dick Cavett Show on January 14 and 15, 1982.
- Tony Curtis and Leonard Maltin (31 min) – A conversation recorded at the Formosa Cafe from 2001.
- Jack Lemmon (10 min) – On May 15, 1988, an appearance on French television program Cinema cinemas.
- Marilyn Monroe (audio only, 31 min) – On June 12, 1955, Monroe appears on Monitor radio show with host Dave Garroway.
- Trailer
I imagine more than some like a film as entertaining as Some Like It Hot. It delivers a blend of comedy, romance, and crime that seems effortless while it obviously required a great effort to make. The high-definition presentation is quite good and the extras are informative, making the Criterion release a must-own release.
