In 1953 Leslie Caron took the reins of the title character of the film Lili. This film is celebrating its 72nd anniversary. So, Warner Archive Collection have decided to restore this classic musical and release it on Blu-ray.
Synopsis: Orphan Lili Daurier joins a carnival and falls under the spell of its star, a suave magician. But it is the show's crippled, embittered puppeteer who truly loves Lili, a love he can express only through his puppets. It is not often that the word 'enchanting' can accurately be applied to a musical, Clive Hirschhorn wrote in The Hollywood Musical, but it was the best way to describe Lili, as well as Leslie Caron's genuinely touching performance.
Lili holds a real special place in my life. My dad was a huge musical fan. It seems every weekend we had to watch a musical. And I remember vividly hearing my dad singing " Hi-Lili, Hi-Lili, hi-lo!" Hearing this song in this film brought back great memories of my dad. That is just priceless!
This musical is a simply beautiful cinematic experience. Leslie Caron while still very young in her career puts in a performance that I, in my humble opinion, believe stands as her best of her career. Lili also has great performances by Mel Ferrer (Scaramouche), Jean Pierre Aumont (Napoléon), Zsa Zsa Gabor (Moulin Rouge), Amanda Blake (Gunsmoke and Kurt Kasznar. No wonder this film was nominated for six Academy Awards.
Warner Archive Collection has transferred Lili to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. This new HD master is taken from a new 4K scan of the original Technicolor negatives.
I remember watching this film with my family many years ago and liking the film but thinking the colors were dull and unimpressive. But now watching this musical in HD from this new 4K scan really brings new life to this film. The colors are gorgeous, and the picture is sharp. When screening this film there was no signs of damage. This is a wonderful looking transfer.
In addition to a simply stunning looking Blu-ray transfer of the film. Warner Archive Collection added some nice little bonus features. Take a look at what is included on this disc.
* Theatrical Trailer
* Classic Cartoons
- The Impossible Possum (1954) Barney plans to trap a possum for his dinner, but that plan proves much more difficult than he expected.
- Puppy Tale (1954) Jerry rescues a bag of puppies from the river. They all run away all but one. Jerry tries to get him to follow the rest, but ultimately takes the pup inside.
- Pecos Pest (1955) Jerry's uncle, Pecos, spends the night with him before his musical performance on television. As he rehearses his song, he continuously breaks his guitar strings and takes one of Tom's whiskers to replace it.
I love it when Warner Archive added the classic cartoons to their Blu-ray releases. This makes for a great night of entertainment. Pecos Pest still makes me laugh and I have watched this cartoon so many times. But all three are enjoyable.
So, if you love 50s cinema or musicals the new Blu-ray release of Lili is a must add to your home video library. Head over to Physical Media Land or Amazon and order your copy today!
Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) the Warner Archive Blu-ray of Lili receives....
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