Rock Around The Clock (1956) Blu-ray Review

1950s Rock 'n 'Roll! I was brought up on it. From parents that loved that kind of music! I remember fondly jumping in my mom's car and going to the store with her and blasting songs from The Platters, The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Buddy Holly. My favorite was "Charlie Brown" and "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters.

In the 1950s there were a lot of films that took advantage of putting these rock 'n' roll stars in a film for a big crossover appeal. One of the most popular was Elvis Presley. In 1956 Columbia Pictures and producer Sam Katzman (Best known for his creature features.) got Freddie Bell and his Bellboys, The Platters, Tony Martinez and his band and Bill Haley and the Comets and made the film Rock Around the Clock! Now this classic film is arriving on Blu-ray!

When a frustrated big band promoter (Johnny Johnston) and musician (Henry Slate) decide to stay overnight in a small town on their way to New York, they discover a fun-loving group of kids moving to a new kind of beat they call rock 'n' roll! It's the kind of new sound they've been looking for and these guys will do whatever it takes to bring it to the rest of the world.

Okay so the storyline of this film may be very simplistic. But in a way I think that is a good thing. This is a fast paced film and runs a mere 77 minutes! And let's face it the real star of this release is the music. How can you not love the music heard in this film. You hear such classics as "See you later Alligator", "The Great Pretender", Razzle Dazzle, and "Only You." These performances are enough to bring this films from okay to must see, in my humble opinion.

The film has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The audio options are English, French and Spanish in a mono DTS-HD Master Audio. There are also subtitles in English, French and Spanish. The film transfer looks crisp there is no signs of damage to this print that I could see. The film is presented in glorious black and white. 

This Blu-ray release also includes a tremendous Audio Commentary with Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw and Novelist/Critic Kim Newman. To be honest I would love to have seen more bonus features. Interviews, theatrical trailer, featurettes. These would have taken this cool release to a whole other level. 

Interestingly enough the same year Bill Haley and the Comets headlined the film "Don't Knock the Rock" a sequel produced by Katzman. This would make a great companion release to this one! Maybe someday soon we will see that! We will see!

If you are a fan of 50s cinema or 50s Rock and Roll. I would say this is a great mix of both. Head over to MovieZyng and order your copy of this Blu-ray today. You won't be disappointed.


Out of 4 Film Reels (4 being the best) Rock Around the Clock Blu-ray receives.....