This review refers to the Widescreen Collection/DVD edtion(Paramount)of "Trading Places"....If you have already seen this fabulously fun film, then you know the scene I am referring to in my title of this review.It is just one of the many, many laugh out loud moments that Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd and the rest of the brillant cast treat us to. If you haven't seen it and you like to laugh..this is a must see, one that will brighten your holdiays and leave you grinning ear to ear whenever you think of it.
The very wealthy brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke portrayed by legends Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, are sitting around their exclusive club having a little tiff on the theory of Heredity vs. Enviroment. After bestowing a very generous Christmas bonus of five dollars to the man who sees to their needs year round, they make a little wager. The bet...take their most trusted employee(Aykroyd), and play with his life until he becomes an outcast. Take a street-wise con-artist(Murphy),and give him a taste of the good life. Who will prevail? Will the Harvard grad, still be the person he was, after losing everything, or will he turn to crime? And what about the con man? Will his new enviroment make a new man out of him or will he still resort to his old ways? Watching these two "Trading Places" is one of the most fun 2 hours you can spend. The story takes place between Christmas and New Years so it's a great Holdiay film to add to your collection as well.
The cast is marvelous.Dan Aykroyd is the perfect snob, and Eddie Murphy, well he's just great at being Eddie Murphy. Jaime Lee Curits is the hooker with a heart(who's looking to increase her bank account and get off her back),Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy show they haven't lost what it took to become the legends they are, and Denholm Elliot is perfectly cast as the butler in on the action. Adding to the fun are Bo Didley,Paul Gleason, Frank Oz and James Belushi. Directing this wonderful cast is John Landis, who doesn't miss a trick and the music by Elmer Bernstein sets the tone perfectly as usual.The movie is rated R for some some scenes of nudity(do we expect any less from Jaime Lee?).
The DVD is a great buy. The anamorphic widescreen picture is gorgeous. Clear and bright with beautiful colors, the film does not appear to be 20 years old already. You have the choice of Dolby Dig 5.1 surround sound or stereo surround sound, both are excellent. There are English subtitles and it may be viewed in French(mono). There are no special feautres though.
So how much was the wager they made? A whooping one dollar! Who wins?.....I'll never tell!
Seen it?..you know you gotta have it!...Haven't seen it?....Go for it!...You'll love it!...enjoy....Laurie
more fun stuff:
Jimmy Hollywood [VHS]
Diamonds
Goin' South [VHS]
(see my reviews for film details)
Buy Trading Places: Looking Good, Feeling Good Edition (1983) Now
As others have mentioned this DVD is a "bare bones" one with no extra features. For those used to seeing it on TV, though, seeing the original R rated version will let you in on how much was edited for TV.The shocking part is that this DVD is MISSING a scene always shown on television. When Winthorp (Akroyd) walks into the Duke & Duke offices, everyone tells him good morning, greeting him by name, and he barely manages a response. That's in there. Then later, when Valentine (Murphy) walks into the Duke & Duke offices, everyone ALSO greets him by name, and he enthusiastically greets them in return, (before getting into the elevator). In the DVD, THIS SCENE IS MISSING!
So, this isn't just a bare bones DVD, in one instance you actually end up getting LESS than you normally see on TV! I'm baffled by this...
But, obviously, this is a classic comedy, worth owning. Too bad they don't offer a beefier DVD.
Read Best Reviews of Trading Places: Looking Good, Feeling Good Edition (1983) Here
I was pleasantly surprissed how good this looked on Blu-Ray. Sometimes the "older" movies don't measure up, but this looks sharp and is impressive.The story is still very entertaining, even if it has the stereotypical characters Hollywood likes to present, such as (1) the hooker who is beautiful and has a kind loving heart; (2) the black guy who, despite no training, all of a sudden is smarter than all the white guys in the financial world; (3) all rich people are snooty while the lower class are nice and good-hearted and, (4) several cheap shots at Christianity.
Despite all the baloney above, this was an extremely entertaining and funny movie, start to finish. All the actors in here are fun to watch and there are a number of laugh-out-loud scenes. Of course, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, that's not surprising. Murphy gets the bulk of the laughs. It's really his movie. For the guys, however, Jamie Lee Curtis is one to remember here.
Want Trading Places: Looking Good, Feeling Good Edition (1983) Discount?
This review is for the Blu-Ray release of the 1983 comedy classic "Trading Places." If you have not seen this movie yet then you really are missing out and what better way to experience this movie than in 1080p high definition.I already owned the bare bones DVD release, but did not hesitate to order the Blu-Ray release. The quality is truly incredible with a level of detail that simply blows me awaqy and none of the grain or softness that plagues the inferior DVD version.
Plus we are treated to a wealth of special features to help sweeten the deal. The main special feature is the retrospective featurette "Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places" which runs at 18:28 and includes on-camera interviews with Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd and Director John Landis. Tne featurette covers the genesis of the story and the preproduction details (Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were originally slated to star) and how the success of "48 Hrs" brought Murphy to the attention of the producing team.
Serving as a counterpoint is the second featurette "Trading Stories" which runs at 7:59. The same people are interviewed on camera as in the first docimentary however in this instance they are all from 1983 as they publicize the movies release.
There is one deleted scene running over a minute with an introduction and optional commentary by Executive Producer George Folsey Jr. It details the theft of the crop report by Clarence Beeks and was essentially dropped for pacing reasons.
Next up is "Dressing the Part" which runs at 6:31 and has as its main contributor Costume Designer Deborah Nadoolman. She says that the outfit she is most proud of is the red hooded sweatshirt worn by Eddie Murphy in his first scene. She had Murphy in the bright red outfit and everyone else in shades of gray so as to ensure that Murphy drew the focus of attention.
Since a large portion of the movie deals with the commodities trade the Blu-Ray also includes "The Trade in Trading Places" which includes discussion on the commodities exchange and how it works and runs at 5:25.
Perhaps the most quirky special feature is an improvised promo piece for the movie that apparently has spent the last 20+ years sitting in John Landis' garage. It features Aykroyd and Murphy winging it for 4 minutes and it is a riot once they get going.
The one feature this Blu-Ray release is missing is an commentary but the movie does have a Trivia Pop-Up feature. Throughout the movie sometimes interesting, but ultimately useless trivia appears on panels on screen mocked up as (what else) $1 bills.
All in all this is an extremely entertaining way to spend a couple of hours and this Blu-Ray release does the movie proud.
0 comments:
Post a Comment