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Some Like It Hot (1959) DVD Review
Some Like It Hot (1959) DVD Credits:
Some Like It Hot (1959) Directed by:
Billy Wilder
Some Like It Hot (1959) Written by:
Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
Some Like It Hot (1959) Cast:
Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, Joe E. Brown
Some Like It Hot (1959) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Some Like It Hot (1959) DVD Release Date:
17th July 2006
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Some Like It Hot (1959) Synopsis:

Maybe "nobody's perfect," as one character in this masterpiece suggests. But some movies are perfect, and Some Like It Hot is one of them. In Chicago, during the Prohibition era, two skirt-chasing musicians, Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), inadvertently witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In order to escape the wrath of gangland chief Spats Colombo (George Raft), the boys, in drag, join an all-woman band headed for Florida. They vie for the attention of the lead singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe), a much-disappointed songbird who warbles "I'm Through with Love" but remains vulnerable to yet another unreliable saxophone player. (When Curtis courts her without his dress, he adopts the voice of Cary Grant--a spot-on impersonation.) The script by director Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is beautifully measured; everything works, like a flawless clock. Aspiring screenwriters would be well advised to throw away the how-to books and simply study this film. The bulk of the slapstick is handled by an unhinged Lemmon and the razor-sharp Joe E. Brown, who plays a horny retiree smitten by Jerry's feminine charms. For all the gags, the film is also wonderfully romantic, as Wilder indulges in just the right amounts of moonlight and the lilting melody of "Park Avenue Fantasy." Some Like It Hot is so delightfully fizzy, it's hard to believe the shooting of the film was a headache, with an unhappy Monroe on her worst behavior. The results, however, are sublime.

Some Like It Hot (1959) DVD Review:

Every once and a while a film is re-released on DVD, and I am faced with the task of reviewing it. Often I start my reviews with comments on the film itself and work my way into an analysis of the DVD and all of the elements that come with this new art form that takes its shape in menus, cover art, inserts, and of course special features. With a film like Some Like It Hot it doesn’t seem right for me to face the task of critiquing the film in even the slightest. Billy Wilder’s masterpiece has been imitated in some way nearly every year since its release. The cross gender escapades alone seem to pop up more often than nearly any other comedic tool. Although Wilder certainly did not create this tool, he along with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis have created the most memorable and humorous film to use it.

In the film that was hailed the funniest American film by the American Film Institute, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are two Chicago musicians that accidentally witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and are forced to go into hiding. They travel to Florida hoping to hide out, but the only way they can do this is by pretending to be musicians in an all-girl jazz band. Marilyn Monroe makes her usual steamy presence known as a love interest, but the real reason to watch the film is the fantastic comedic duo in drag.

As I said, I don’t feel worthy of reviewing a classic so great. I don’t yet have the words for a film this great. The special features in this classic are actually quite simple and sturdy. There are some basic features like two new documentaries about the film, and a few forgettable featurettes like “Memories of the Sweet Sues”, but there are a few great gems. There is a fantastic commentary track with interviews with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The commentary feels somewhat cheap because it is pieced together, but the interviews are priceless. There is also an eight page booklet with information about the filming, Billy Wilder, and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and collectable postcards.

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Some Like It Hot (1959) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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