HIGH SOCIETY in stunning 4K

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Review by John Larkin

As someone who admittedly isn't deeply steeped in the golden age of Hollywood musicals, and with only a passing familiarity with the individual works of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, I have to confess that HIGH SOCIETY wasn't a film that was on my radar. Yet, the online buzz surrounding its 4K Ultra HD release from Warner Archive was simply too infectious to ignore. And what a release it is! This marks only the second 4K offering from Warner Archive, following the monumental release of THE SEARCHERS – a film that, thanks to our very own owner and editor-in-chief Roy Frumkes, received what is, by far, the best coverage on the internet, or perhaps ever written!

So, with a sense of curiosity and a dash of skepticism for a genre I don't typically gravitate towards, I dove into HIGH SOCIETY. And I'm incredibly glad I did. This hip, witty musical version of Philip Barry's The Philadelphia Story is an absolute delight. We're whisked away to the scenic, moneyed grounds and waters of outwardly elitist Newport, Rhode Island, where Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra romp elegantly through a tangled web of romance and witty banter.

The film's charm is immediately evident, not least due to the legendary Louis Armstrong, who plays himself and serves as our delightful narrator. Through prose and song, he guides us through the peccadillos of his songwriter friend C.K. Dexter Haven (Crosby), his beautiful perfectionist ex-wife Tracy Samantha Lord (Kelly, in her luminous and final film role), and her rather stuffy fiancé George Kittredge (John Lund). The plot thickens with the arrival of a scandal sheet reporter (Sinatra) and a wise-cracking photographer (Celeste Holm), who are there to cover the wedding but end up complicating the already convoluted romantic entanglements. Armstrong and Dexter conspire musically and by other devious means to stop Tracy's impending marriage. Dexter, naturally, wants her back, but she finds herself drawn to the magazine writer – all of which provides everyone with wonderful excuses to break into the incomparable songs of Cole Porter.

What truly elevates this release, beyond the sheer enjoyment of the film itself, is the meticulous work done by Warner Archive. M-G-M truly pulled out all the stops for HIGH SOCIETY back in 1956, even going so far as to license Paramount's magnificent widescreen process, VistaVision, to ensure it was something special. Now, thanks to the tireless and truly amazing work of George Feltenstein and his team at Warner Archive, this film has been meticulously restored and remastered from its original VistaVision negative. The result is nothing short of stunning. The colors pop, the detail is exquisite, and the sense of depth is palpable. Accompanied by a thrilling new Dolby Atmos remixed soundtrack, HIGH SOCIETY looks and sounds better than ever before, truly a testament to the preservation efforts being made. It's a release that immediately brings to mind Paramount's excellent 4K offering last year of WHITE CHRISTMAS, which was the very first VistaVision film ever shot.

Even if you're not a die-hard musical fan, or if the names Crosby and Sinatra don't immediately conjure up images of cinematic magic for you, I urge you to give HIGH SOCIETY a watch. It's a sparkling, witty, and visually glorious experience, and a truly stunning release from Warner Archive that showcases the incredible work they continue to do in preserving and presenting classic cinema.