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This review is for the December 4, 2012 Image Entertainment/Blackhawk Films Blu-ray release of the 1954 film SUDDENLY, UPC Code# 0-14381-82005-8, Amazon ASIN: B00960EHUE. There is also information on the HD Cinema Classics version at the end of the review......
If you are reading this review on it's correct page you're probably a fan of the film wondering "Will this be the release where they FINALLY get it right? The answer is a resounding YES! YES! YES! Transferred from the original 35MM fine grain master print, the crisp, clear beautiful black and white transfer is also finally reproduced in the correct aspect ratio and exhibits added picture information on all four sides compared to the literally dozens of earlier Public Domain VHS tape, LaserDisc and DVD releases. It also has two New Audio Commentary tracks, one featuring Frank Sinatra, Jr. (!) and the other by Dr. Drew Casper, Professor of American Film at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. There is also a Short Film by Francis Thompson made in 1957 titled N.Y., N.Y.: A DAY IN NEW YORK, and an Image Gallery.
SUDDENLY stars Frank Sinatra as psychopathic hired presidential assassin John Baron, who with two compatriots take over the hilltop home of retired Secret Service agent Pop Benson (veteran character actor James Gleason) in the small town of Suddenly ("that's a funny name for a town..."), who lives with his widowed daughter-in-law Ellen (Nancy Gates,
THIS LAND IS MINE
,
SOME CAME RUNNING
) and grandson "Pidge" (Kim Charney). Sinatra chooses the location since it overlooks the train station where the President is due to make an unscheduled stop. SUDDENLY was Sinatra's first film after his Academy Award winning "comeback" role in
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
. Upon release it garnered good critical reviews including those in The New York Times and Variety. Sinatra's co-star Sterling Hayden (
THE ASPHALT JUNGLE
,
JOHNNY GUITAR
,
DR. STRANGELOVE
) anchors the picture as town Sheriff Tod Shaw, who loves Ellen, but even though three years has past she still cannot come to terms with her husband's war death. When Hayden accompanies Pops' former Secret Service co-worker Carney to the house, Carney is killed and the Sheriff is wounded. The movie remains taut and exciting until the inevitable, but surprising conclusion.
In what became a strange coincidence, Sinatra had a lead role in another film about a planned presidential assassination, 1962's
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
, but this time as the hero. A terrific movie with a terrific cast, based on the popular novel by Richard Condon. Sinatra's acting in the film is considered by many as his finest film performance. The novel and the film were also a favorite of President John F. Kennedy, who was also a "Friend Of Frank." Although Sinatra later had a falling-out with Kennedy, his daughter Nancy has stated that Frank cried for three days straight upon learning the terrible news of the President's murder. After the assassination, Sinatra asked that both SUDDENLY and THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE be withdrawn from circulation out of respect for the fallen leader. A rumor had circulated that Lee Harvey Oswald viewed SUDDENLY the month before the assassination, but was investigated and found to have no basis, archetypal of the myriad theories surrounding Kennedy's death.
Upon the cusp of the home video age, SUDDENLY had fallen into the Public Domain, and began to show up on TV. When the VHS era began, suddenly there were eventually dozens of home video releases of SUDDENLY, all mastered from whatever battered prints could be found. In the 90's, a Roan Group LaserDisc purported to be a definitive version, but was hampered by incorrect matting and occasional battered reels. Later versions such as one from Legend Films are touted as "fully restored" (and also adds a colorized version), but they're now worth as much as those old video tapes compared to this Image Entertainment/Blackhawk Films release. Trust me, YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY! (Hopefully, not by John Baron)......
ADDENDUM: There have been reviews of another new version from HD Cinema Classics that seem very positive, but mention that it doesn't have Image's Extras or Commentaries:
SUDDENLY Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack
2nd ADDENDUM: I sprung for the HD Cinema Classics release and I can report that they also did a good job. I have to give the nod to the Image/Blackhawk disc however, it seems to have a slightly better picture and the commentary by Frank Sinatra Jr. is a surprise. The HD Cinema Classics version has a also contains a regular DVD, has a different commentary, and a poster reproduction postcard, and which may be attractive to some buyers. Either way you can't go wrong......
3rd ADDENDUM: I noticed today (3-30-16) that the Image/Blackhawk version is out-of-print, but as I stated above, the HD Cinema Classics version is also well done, so buy with confidence......
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
DVD
March 19, 2002 "Please retry" | B&w | 1 | $3.00 | $2.57 |
|
DVD
February 1, 2000 "Please retry" | DVD Video | 1 | $8.99 | $2.00 |
|
DVD
November 22, 2016 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $9.99 | $4.98 |
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Old but great film that is a relatively unknown gem.
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