Dick Van Dyke is probably best known for his time as the lead of the classic sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show. But Dick Van Dyke starred in many amazing classic films throughout his career.
Now we all know of Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but there was one pretty cool film in 1967 entitled Fritzwilly. Now the great folks at Kino Lorber under the KL Studio Classics division is giving this romantic comedy a Blu-ray release it so richly deserves.
The film follows a loyal butler named Claude R. Fritzwilliam aka Fitzwilly (Dick Van Dyke) who works for the eccentric spinster, Victoria Woodhouse (Dame Edith Evans). But beyond this he tries to hide from her the truth that she has been bankrupt since her father died. How he keeps the house for her is through one wild schemes after another with the help of his fellow servants. With his biggest heist set for Christmas, things just got more complicated as a new secretary Juliet (Barbara Feldon) has been hired.
Isobel Lennart and Poyntz Tyler write a pretty entertaining script while Delbert Mann pulled everything together from the director's chair. This film is quite the departure from the good guy image that we are so used to seeing from Dick Van Dyke. He is delightful in this departure. But the whole cast is delightful. This is just a really sweet film, and perfect for holiday season!
Kino Lorber have transferred this film in 1080p in the widescreen aspect ratio of 2:35:1. The soundtrack is English 2.0 Mono DTS-High Definition Master Audio. Optional English SDH subtitles are available. I have seen this film before on TV and this version looks amazing in comparison. The picture is sharp and the audio is clear. It really is a gorgeous transfer.
Kino Lorber added an extremely insightful newly recorded audio commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Michael Schlesinger and Film Archivist Stan Taffel. There is also the theatrical trailer added in as amazing bonus.
Fritzwilly is not slapstick comedy. It's doesn't offer huge belly laughs, but it is a very entertaining holiday film. Fans of Dick Van Dyke Show and Get Smart will marvel at the repartee between "Robert Petrie" and "Agent 99". I truly believe will become a holiday tradition in your family.
So if you are a fan of Dick Van Dyke or are looking for a fun film to add to your holiday movie collection I can not recommend KL Studio Classics Blu-ray release of Fritzwilly enough. It really is a amazing release. Head over to Amazon.com and order your copy today.
Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) KL Studio Classics Blu-ray of Fritzwilly receives...
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