Kino Lorber's division KL Studio Classics have been giving these early pre-code Hollywood films Blu-ray release they so richly deserve. Now If I Had A Million is the next one to get an HD release.
To prevent his inheritance from going to his greedy family, a steel tycoon (Richard Bennett) chooses eight random strangers and gives them each $1 million. Among those chosen are an entertainer (W.C. Fields) who uses the money to clear bad drivers from the road, a Marine (Gary Cooper) who believes the check is an April Fool's Day prank, and an office clerk (Charles Laughton) who finally sees an opportunity to quit his job. The unexpected windfalls bring joy -- or tragedy -- to the recipients.
The story is a fun anthology featuring a a host of Hollywood Heavyweights like Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, George Raft, W. C. Fields, and in addition to these we see many familar faces including; Jack Oakie, Richard Bennett, Charles Ruggles, Alison Skipworth, Mary Boland, Roscoe Karns, May Robson, Wynne Gibson, Gene Raymond, Frances Dee, Lucien Littlefield, Joyce Compton, Cecil Cunningham and Mai Wells.
In film and TV history there were many stories about inheritors of fortunes. Including the original Brewster's Millions and the Richard Pryor, John Candy remake from 1985. In the 1950s an anthology TV series inspired by this film was produced entitled "The Millionaire". The series lasted 6 seasons and 207 episodes, but it all started with If I Had A Million.
If I Had a Million makes it's Blu-ray debut and had been transferred in 1080p the film is presented in its original 1.37:1 and in glorious black-and-white. The audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio (2.0 mono). Finally there is the option for English subtitles.
Now while this doesn't say anything about a new scan or restoration, this transfer is simply amazing! The picture is sharp and the clean with no signs of damage to this print. The audio pretty clear there is only a slight hint of hiss. So all in all this is a very nice copy of the film, but that is not all that is included on this Blu-ray.
* Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Allan Arkush and Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer
* Trailers: If I Had A Million, Alice In Wonderland, Now and Forever, The Bank Dick, Night after Night, Never Say Die
So as you can in addition to a pretty amazing version of this film we see cool trailers for this film and additional KL Studio Classic releases. But the best extra is the audio commentary. This commentary is filled with amazing information. Allan and Daniel go into great detail about this film and it's place during The Great Depression. This is one commentary you would need to listen to multiple times to get all the information.
If you love pre-code Hollywood films as much as I do, this Blu-ray of If I Had A Million would make a spectacular addition to your collection. Head over to Amazon and pick up your copy, I believe you will be impressed.
Out of 4 Film Reels (4 being the best) If I Had A Million Blu-ray receives...
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