Love Me Tender Blu-ray Review

20th Century Fox delivers an exemplary treatment of "Love Me Tender" with a sublime 1080p/AVC-encoded Blu-ray presentation, maintaining the original black-and-white Cinemascope format. The transfer exhibits sharp detail and a balanced image, devoid of digital noise reduction, edge enhancement, or contrast boosting. The print has been meticulously cleaned, eliminating specks and scratches while fully preserving the film's grain structure. The monochromatic gradation is striking, providing deep, inky blacks without any crush and ensuring highlights never peak excessively.

This Blu-ray upgrade brings remarkable clarity, revealing intricate details in the actors' faces and period costumes, particularly in elements like Elvis' corduroy coat. The backgrounds are equally impressive, with deep focus ensuring even distant elements are sharply resolved. Rural landscapes and railroad scenes benefit from added depth, enhancing the overall viewing experience. The absence of issues such as banding, dirt, or compression artifacts further cements this transfer's quality, albeit with minor instances of motion blur that do not detract from the overall picture. Undoubtedly, "Love Me Tender" achieves top marks in video quality, making it a must-have for enthusiasts.

Fox offers a compelling audio presentation in this Blu-Ray release of "Love Me Tender," featuring two main audio options in the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio format. The disc defaults to a 5.1 multi-channel mix, which, despite its subtle expansions, retains the essence of the original mono track. This surround expansion gently shifts ambient sounds and musical reverb into the rear speakers, creating a light, almost imperceptible surround effect. Additionally, there is a DTS-HD Master Audio mono track that will appeal to purists. Both tracks have been meticulously cleaned to remove any age-related damage, such as pops, crackles, and loud hisses.

The audio quality is exceptional throughout, with clear and easy-to-understand dialogue. Lionel Newman's score and Elvis Presley's four musical numbers are presented with noticeable presence and clarity. However, the high-end frequencies do sound slightly brittle at times, particularly in the background singers' voices. Despite this minor issue, both audio mixes excel in delivering a polished and impressive auditory experience that does justice to this nearly 60-year-old film. Dub and subtitle options in multiple languages are also included, allowing for versatile viewing experiences.

The extras included on the Blu-ray of "Love Me Tender" provide a comprehensive and engaging exploration of Elvis Presley's early film career and the impact of his debut movie. Jerry Schilling's commentary is enriched with personal anecdotes and historical context, making it an essential listen for Elvis fans. Additionally, the featurettes cover various aspects of Elvis’ transition from music to film, the influence of his manager Colonel Tom Parker, and an in-depth look at the iconic song "Love Me Tender." These extras offer both informative and entertaining insights into the beginnings of Elvis’ Hollywood career.

Extras included in this disc:

• Commentary by Jerry Schilling: Schilling provides historical and personal background on Elvis.
• Elvis Hits Hollywood: A short piece on Elvis' introduction to the film industry.
• The Colonel & The King: Profile of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' controversial manager.
• Love Me Tender: The Birth & Boom of the Elvis Hit: Tracks the song’s origins and release.
• Love Me Tender: The Soundtrack: Background on how the movie's soundtrack was created.
• Original Theatrical Trailer: Original trailer for the film.
• Spanish Trailer: Spanish version of the trailer.

"Love Me Tender," released in 1956, marks the cinematic debut of the iconic Elvis Presley. This film examines the fates of the Reno brothers, Confederate soldiers who unknowingly continue fighting and rob a Union train days after the Civil War has ended. The lead protagonist, Vance Reno, played with rugged fortitude by Richard Egan, commands most of the screen time. In contrast, Elvis doesn't make an appearance until nearly a third into the movie, somewhat incongruent to his top billing on modern releases.

The plot centers around the Renos returning home to discover a misconception of their death transformed family dynamics: Clint Reno (Presley), the youngest brother who stayed behind, has married Vance's former sweetheart, Cathy (Debra Paget). This unfortunate revelation sows tension among the brothers and sets up a series of predictable confrontations including mistrust, legal troubles, and a climactic shootout with federal agents seeking the stolen money. The narrative is peppered with Elvis' musical numbers, including the ballad "Love Me Tender" and the upbeat "Let Me." These performances inject brief but much-needed energy into an otherwise tepid script.

The film's execution feels lackluster, with Elvis attempting to establish his acting chops amidst a cast that ranges from stoic to underwhelming. Richard Egan's presence is forgettable, and Debra Paget is relegated to looking forlorn. Aside from its historical significance as Presley's first film endeavor and its smattering of musical interludes, "Love Me Tender" is largely unremarkable. The movie is rescued only by the King's charismatic face and gyrating dance moves. While this Western melodrama may hold some nostalgic allure for die-hard Elvis fans, its straightforward mediocrity falls short of captivating broader audiences or providing the unintentional comedy of Elvis' later films.

"Love Me Tender" marks Elvis Presley's auspicious debut in cinema, a significant moment in the annals of movie history. However, while it carries the weight of historical importance, the film itself is rather lackluster, offering little beyond its initial intrigue. This Southern-set western leans more towards a serious tone, eschewing the infectious and often campy charm of Presley’s later works. Its narrative pacing is sluggish, and the plot fails to maintain prolonged engagement, a stark contrast to the dynamic persona of its lead actor.

On the technical side, the Blu-ray release from 20th Century Fox is a solid improvement over previous DVD editions. The newly remastered 1080p high-definition presentation breathes fresh life into the visuals, with noticeable enhancements in clarity and detail that do justice to the period-set cinematography. The audio mix, too, has benefited from a meticulous upgrade, providing a more immersive auditory experience that highlights Presley's musical interludes and the film’s score. Supplementary materials include an insightful commentary track and acceptable additional content, making it a well-rounded package for enthusiasts.

In conclusion, "Love Me Tender" may not captivate general audiences with its narrative prowess, but it retains historical significance as Presley’s cinematic inauguration. For Elvis aficionados and collectors, this Blu-ray edition presents a worthwhile upgrade due to its superior audio-visual quality. However, casual viewers might find its allure limited to its place in entertainment history rather than its entertainment value.