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Released by: Twilight Time
Released on: July, 2014.
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Seth Green, Julie Kavner, Wallace Shawn, Diane Keaton, Jeff Daniels, Mia Farrow
Year: 1987
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The Movie:
Written and directed by Woody Allen, 1987's Radio Days is an interesting film that looks back quite nostalgically at an era before television ruled and radio was still the prime source of news and entertainment in America. In the film Seth Green plays Joe (who is essentially Allen in his younger days), a kid growing up in a regular Jewish home in Brooklyn in the early forties. His relatives are always around - his lazy dad (Michael Tucker), his man hunting Aunt Bea (Diane Wiest) and his mom (Julie Kavner) to name a few.
A series of vignettes plays out during the course of the film, they revolve around Joe and around the other characters that populate the movie and so too do they revolve around the radio. Joe wants to use the money he got fundraising for a Jewish charity to buy a ring from his favorite show, The Masked Avenger. Two burglars (Paul Herman and Mike Starr) are in a house on a job, answer the phone, and win a game of name that tune, confusing the owners when prizes are mysteriously delivered to the home the next day. A radio personality named Sally White (Mia Farrow) rises to stardom after sleeping with the right people and getting voice lessons. Aunt Bea's search for love ends in loss when her date thinks that the War Of The Worlds broadcast is the real deal and ditches her. Stories like these play out very matter-of-factly in Allen's inimitable style and with his trademark flair for crafting likeable characters.
The movie isn't perfect, as many of the jokes here feel tame, some even tepid, but there's enough of them here that we can forgive the occasional misfires. The film jumps around a lot but is edited in such clever ways so as to ensure that this is never really an issue. There are no problems following the stories as they are eventually woven together and as the story of the working class Jews from Brooklyn intertwine with those of the people toiling away in the radio business of yesterday, it's hard not to get wrapped up in the nostalgia. Whether you were there or not is almost irrelevant, so long as you're able to transplant the feelings and the sentiment behind the format long gone to whatever other pleasure you may have had in your youth (think about how a lot of cult movie fans simply adore VHS and you're not far off from Allen's obvious love for radio dramas).
The pacing is exceptionally brisk in the film, almost too brisk in spots as there are moments where you find yourself wanting to spend more time with some of these characters. Performance wise, Allen gets great work out of his cast. While his sense of humor is understandably not for all tastes the man has an undeniable gift for getting the most out the people who appear in front of his camera. It's amusing to see a young Seth Green show up here and he's good as the quirky, twitchy kid no doubt based on the director himself at that age, while former muse Mia Farrow shines in her part as a talent on her way to the top. Julie Kavner is also amusing here and listen for Don Pardo as the 'Guess That Tune' radio host.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Radio Days debuts on Blu-ray from Twilight Time, framed in its proper 1.85.1 widescreen aspect ratio in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer on a 50GB disc, and it looks very good. Detail is strong throughout the presentation and while the film is moderately grainy in a few scenes, the image remains clean throughout and is free of any major print damage. Some scenes look a little softer than others, something that seems to be common in Allen's movies from the eighties but it seems safe to assume that this has to do with the lighting more than anything else. The disc is nicely authored and quite film like as there are no obvious noise reduction or edge enhancement problems to note while skin tones appear lifelike and natural. Black levels are decent as well and colors would seem to be pretty accurately reproduced. As has been (thankfully) typical with all of the Woody Allen movies released by Twilight Time so far, detail and texture definitely rise above what DVD could provide and all in all this seems like an accurate transfer that offers a very strong upgrade over what we've had in the past and it seems to accurately reflect the warmth of the visuals in very effective ways.
The English language DTS-HD Mono track is also of nice quality. It has very solid depth to it, much more than most single channel tracks do and the dialogue sounds quite natural and properly mixed in against the score. This isn't a particularly effects heavy track as most of the mix is simply made up of dialogue, so Mono works just fine. The score has good range and presence to it, as a lot of it is taken from older archival recordings (and as such, the snaps and cracks we hear from time to time are supposed to be there) this one is quite lively and it really helps to enhance the film in a special sort of way. There are no problems with any hiss or distortion. Optional English subtitles are provided.
Extras are limited to the film's original theatrical trailer, an MGM 90th anniversary trailer, an isolated score in DTS-HD format, menus and chapter selection. Additionally inside the case is a color insert booklet of liner notes once again astutely penned by Julie Kirgo who notes what sets this film apart from some of Allen's other pictures and makes some solid observations about what makes the movie work as well as it does.
The Final Word:
Really a series of warm little vignettes more than a traditional narrative, Woody Allen's Radio Days remains an engaging and endearing film full of warm nostalgia that somehow manages to be completely successful in charming us without resorting to silly melodrama. Anchored by a very strong cast and great use of music, it's a film worth revisiting and the Blu-ray release from Twilight Time, despite being light on supplements (as most Woody Allen releases tend to be), is an excellent way to do just that.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
