Bargain-Priced DVD Set Showcases Rock and Doris in Their Trio of Beloved Rom-Coms
Peyton Reed's execrable retro-tribute to the beloved Doris Day-Rock Hudson pairings, 2003's Down with Love with Renée Zellweger and Ewan MacGregor, simply proved that some movies should not be copied out of their time. Presented in a two-disc 2007 DVD package, the trio of films Day and Hudson made for Universal between 1959 and 1964 are hardly pinnacles in cinema history, but they show what deft writing, nimble direction and expert farceurs can do to make these soufflé-light romantic comedies thoroughly enjoyable. Not coincidentally, all three films have storylines that turn on acts of deception initiated by Hudson's character, whether intended or not, and then it becomes a series of humiliations and comeuppances before the inevitable happy ending.
Directed with Eisenhower-era panache by Michael Gordon, 1959's luxuriant-looking...
Old Movies Getting New Movie Treatment!
I am a huge fan of Doris and Rock's movies, so I was instantly attracted to this good deal. I do not regret my purchase one bit. First, about the packaging.
I have never seen such attractive packaging for classic movies before. The box opens up and you find a separate box containing the discs. It folds out and you are welcomed with a full photo from Pillow Talk. Then it folds open again and reveals the dvds. There is a pocket for the Doris Day music cd, which contains eight songs from her movies, a pocket for Pillow Talk, with a scene from Pillow Talk on the background of the pocket, a pocket for Lover Come Back with a scene as well, and also Send Me No Flowers. The pictures are vivid and romantic, really portraying the type of movies Doris and Rock were known for. The only gripe I really have, is that there are no keep cases (the boxes you usually buy dvd's in), only the pockets so extra care has to be given so that they don't get scratched. Now onto the dvd's...
Incomparable comedies of their time, now sadly neglected
(Of course, not everyone has neglected these movies. So if you're already familiar with PILLOW TALK and LOVER COME BACK, feel free to skip this paragraph.) In 1959 Ross Hunter's production of PILLOW TALK hit the screens, and in what TIME magazine called "the World Series of sex" paired Doris Day and Rock Hudson in a romantic farce in a sophisticated milieu (NYC interior decorating), based on a confusion-of-identity perpetuated by Rock's character. Miss Day was just entering the period where she was America's top movie actress, and once their respective schedules finally clicked, the duo was re-united for LOVER COME BACK in 1962. It too is set in a sophisticated milieu (NYC advertising) and the plot depends on confusion-of-identity, yada yada. But the fans loved it. I do too, because IMHO it's just as irresistible as PILLOW TALK.
Fewer people are familiar with SEND ME NO FLOWERS (1964), the third and final installment of the Day/Hudson coupling. As in the first two...
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