Friendly Persuasion (1956) Blu-ray Review

William Wyler was an award winning producer and director. William Wyler would make many great films but his best are arguably Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959).

In 1956 wrote and directed a tremendous period piece starring the great Gary Cooper. That film was Friendly Persuasion. Now the good folks at Warner Archive Collection are releasing this Wyler classic on Blu-ray!

Synopsis: For two years the Civil War has been elsewhere. Now Confederate forces are nearby, looting and burning. It's time to fight back, Jess Birdwell's neighbors insist. Yet Birdwell, a Quaker, knows there must be a better way to settle things. 

The film was based on the Jessamyn West's novel Friendly Persuasion. Gary Cooper is perfect as the Quaker Jess Birdwell. The supporting cast is just as great as Cooper. And it is so cool to see a young Anthony Perkins. Truly this is a Wyler classic! No wonder the film earned six Academy Award nominations. 

Friendly Persuasion has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The soundtrack is English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. There is the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Warner Archive's Blu-ray transfer of this film is gorgeous the colors are perfect and the picture is crisp and clean with no signs of damage to this print. The audio is clear with no hiss or pops. This is a nice copy of this film. But that is not all that is included in this release. Take a look at the bonus features included on this Blu-ray.

* Wide Wide World TV excerpt

* Original Theatrical Trailer

The Wide Wide World TV Excerpt left me wanting more. I would loved to see more of this behind-the-scenes documentary. Not sure why it was just an excerpt instead of the whole special. That would have made this Blu-ray even better.

I have always enjoyed a William Wyler film, so to see this Wyler drama looking amazing on Blu-ray does my heart good. I am so glad Warner Archive is around rescuing classic films and giving them a chance to live forever on Blu-ray!

So, if you love William Wyler films as much as I do. You need this Blu-ray of Friendly Persuasion in your collection. Head over to MovieZyng and order your copy today. 

Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) The Blu-ray release of Friendly Persuasion receives....