His name is Alfred Hawthorne Hill, but most people know him better by the name Benny Hill. For nearly four decades he entertained British audiences as well as audiences world wide with his crazy and sometime off color antics.
But before he would become a TV legend with his TV program "The Benny Hill Show", in 1956 he would make his film debut with the comedy entitled "Who Done it?" Kino Lorber Studio Classics are giving this film of the comedy legend a Blu-ray release it richly deserves.
Hugo Dill has a dead end jib of an ice rink sweeper, but more often than not he is reading his crime novels instead. See Hugo has big dreams of being a private investigator himself. After he wins a cash prize and a bloodhound in a sleuthing contest he starts up as private eye. It isn't so long till he is neck high in a spy hunt centering on a top ranking scientist from behind the Iron Curtain. But he is not in this alone. Along for the crazy faced paced, rollicking adventure is the beautiful Frankie.
All the off the wall antics fans came to love with The Benny Hill show are here in this film, just without the risque, sometime off color scenes. Benny Hill is hilarious in this film and the cast is fun as well!
Belinda Lee shines as the beautiful Frankie Mayne. In my humble opinion the who film is perfectly cast. David Kossoff, Garry Marsh, George Margo, Ernest Thesiger, Denis Shaw, Frederick Schiller, Jeremy Hawk, Norah Blaney and Thorley Walters. Now maybe the average American film fan may not know these names, but if you have seen British films and TV you know them.
Now for this release the film has been scanned in 4K from the original camera negative. It is presented in 1080p in it's original full screen format. The audio soundtrack is a DTS-HD Master 2.0. As I examined this film the picture is pristine. There is no signs of damage to the print and I could find! As for the audio it is a vibrant track with no hiss or pops. Watching this film on Blu-ray is truly a "glorious black and white" experience.
For this Blu-ray release Kino Lorber went above and beyond and added some really cool bonus features. Take a look at what is included.
* NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalist and Author Bryan Reesman
Bryan Reesman really knows his stuff and it is a pleasure to listen to him drop the knowledge about this film.
* The Waiters: A 1969 30-Minute Short Film
This short film is a very welcomed addition to a great release. Getting a silent comedy film written and starring Benny Hill himself. Great stuff.
* Trailers
The Lavender Hill Mon
One, Two, Three
The Producers
The newly restored version of this film on Blu-ray is so beautiful it would be enough for it to be recommended purchase. But having The Waiters short film in addition, makes this something special.
On this Blu-ray we get Benny Hill the early years and him at his best. This is one stellar release. Slapstick comedy at its best.
So If you are a fan of Benny Hill or British comedies, I can not recommend this film enough. The quality is so great and the bonus features are amazing. If you would like a copy for yourself head over to Amazon.com and get your copy today. You won't be disappointed.
As a special side note "Who Done It?" is also on Kino Now's streaming service here.
So If you are a fan of Benny Hill or British comedies, I can not recommend this film enough. The quality is so great and the bonus features are amazing. If you would like a copy for yourself head over to Amazon.com and get your copy today. You won't be disappointed.
As a special side note "Who Done It?" is also on Kino Now's streaming service here.
Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) KL Studio Classic's Blu-ray of Who Done it receives...
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