The Best of Everything Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray release of "The Best of Everything" is presented in an AVC encoded 1080p transfer with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, delivering a vibrant and lush visual experience. Fox has achieved an impressive level of detail and clarity, with a natural grain structure that maintains the film's original celluloid aesthetics. The colors are both rich and varied, enhancing the film's smart fashions and bringing 1959 New York City to vibrant life. Deep blacks and crisp whites provide excellent contrast, while close-ups reveal intricate facial features and maintain stable flesh tones.

However, color timing might raise some concerns among discerning viewers. While the overall palette is spectacular, there is a noticeable prevalence of blue hues, particularly in dimly lit scenes where blue undertones seem evident on flesh tones. This might be partly due to the production design, which prominently features the color blue in elements like chairs and wall color. Despite this, the presentation remains largely organic, with natural sharpness, stable fine grain, and no issues with image instability or compression artifacts. Additionally, deep blacks and fine shadow delineation ensure that crush is kept at bay, free from banding, noise, or other digital artifacts.

Overall, this Blu-ray transfer breathes new life into "The Best of Everything," offering a slick and smooth viewing experience that should please both new viewers and long-time fans.

The audio presentation on the Blu-Ray of "The Best of Everything" is handled through a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. This mix, while not overly immersive, provides a commendable balance that effectively supports the film’s dialogue, urban soundscape effects, and Alfred Newman's magnificent score. Dialogue clarity is consistently sharp, ensuring effortless comprehension throughout the film. The track showcases excellent fidelity without any substantial issues that could compromise the listening experience.

Despite a certain lack of surround presence, the track compensates with impressive richness and depth. The subtle yet distinct sounds of typewriters in office scenes and the bustling ambiance of New York City's exteriors are successfully conveyed. The score by Alfred Newman, especially, fills the room without dramatic hindrances, enhancing the overall auditory experience. Notably, there are no age-related imperfections such as hiss, pops, or crackles, underscoring the quality of the remastering effort.

The Blu-ray extras for "The Best of Everything" offer a rich and informative experience, complementing the main feature superbly. Notably, the Audio Commentary by Rona Jaffe, author of the novel, and film historian Sylvia Stoddard, is enlightening, providing a retrospective as Jaffe discusses her novel's adaptation journey and differences between the book and film. Jaffe's anecdotes about her publishing career and personal memories add substantial depth. Stoddard's input, albeit with occasional factual inaccuracies, enriches the track with details on cast and era-specific fashion trends. The Fox Movietone Newsreel offers a brief but nostalgic glimpse into the movie's glamorous premiere, capturing a high society event that now seems distant. The inclusion of an Isolated Score Track, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, allows viewers to appreciate Alfred Newman's music in all its glory. The original Theatrical Trailer provides a historical perspective on the film's initial promotion.

Extras included in this disc:

• Isolated Score Track: Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.
• Audio Commentary: Rona Jaffe and Sylvia Stoddard discuss the adaptation and film industry.
• Theatrical Trailer: Historical 480i trailer with deleted scene snippets.
• Fox Movietone Newsreel: 480i clip covering the film's star-studded premiere.

"The Best of Everything" is a glossy and hyperbolic representation of ambitious young women navigating the rigidly hierarchical corporate world of late 1950s Manhattan. Adapted from Rona Jaffe's bestselling novel and directed by Jean Negulesco, the film follows three central characters—Caroline Bender (Hope Lange), Gregg Adams (Suzy Parker), and April Morrison (Diane Baker)—each struggling with their professional and personal lives under the oppressive oversight of authoritative men and a cutthroat female boss, Amanda Farrow (Joan Crawford).

Caroline, the diligent Radcliffe graduate, balances her aspirations with romantic setbacks, particularly with the unpredictable Mike Rice (Stephen Boyd). Meanwhile, Gregg's pursuit of an acting career spirals dramatically due to her involvement with the notorious director David Savage (Louis Jourdan). April, naive and sweet, falls victim to the predatory advances of Dexter Key (Robert Evans) after initially fending off executive Fred Shalimar (Brian Aherne). These intertwined narratives create a melodrama steeped in themes of ambition, love, and the societal expectations placed on women of that era.

The narrative is both a critique and a product of its time, showcasing the resilience and integrity of its female protagonists while highlighting their susceptibility to chauvinistic manipulation. Despite its far-fetched romantic plot and occasionally soap-operatic treatment, the film's authentic New York City locations and detailed costume design lend it an undeniable charm. Noteworthy performances keep viewers engaged: Lange's naturalistic portrayal grounds the film, while Crawford captivates with her commanding yet understated presence. "The Best of Everything" offers an intriguing historical perspective on women's roles in the workplace, marking an era just on the cusp of seismic social changes.

The Best of Everything' stands as a fascinating cinematic relic that adeptly captures the essence of the late 1950s. Under the direction of Jean Negulesco, the film presents a trio of women striving to find their footing in a predominantly male profession and society. Though the narrative may appear dated to modern audiences, it expertly balances its glossy melodrama with impactful performances from a cast of rising stars, including Joan Crawford. The Twilight Time Blu-ray release showcases this film with impressive attention to detail, offering pristine video quality and strong audio fidelity that enhance the viewing experience.

Despite its melodramatic plot and period-specific mores, 'The Best of Everything' retains an enduring charm that appeals to classic movie enthusiasts and fans of romantic drama. The Blu-ray presentation is highlighted by a meticulous restoration that breathes new life into the film’s vivid color palette and crisp cinematography. Audio elements are equally well-preserved, capturing the nuances of the dialogue and score with remarkable clarity. Supplementary features, while limited, provide valuable context and enhance the overall package.

The Best of Everything may have seemed modern and even relatively provocative back in 1959, but it can't help but feel like the vestige of a bygone age to contemporary eyes, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. The film provides nice showcases for a gaggle of then young and on-the-rise stars, and it's big, glossy, and occasionally lurid—kind of like a mash-up between Douglas Sirk and Ross Hunter. Technical merits are generally strong, and 'The Best of Everything' comes Recommended.