Auntie Mame (4K UHD)

Patrick Dennis' glowing tribute to the aunt who opened doors for him - doors he never dreamed of - became a sumptuously mounted Technirama spectacle, brimming with much - if not all - of the madcap glory that exemplified the woman. Rosalind Russell gives a seminal performance as the daring, darling and unexpectedly vulnerable Mame who, through triumphs and tribulations, never loses her spark of imaginative wit and determination.

The rest of the cast function as glossy tethers and loops around which the mobile of Mame Dennis is constructed. Peggy Cass is hilarious as the joyously obtuse Agnes, Connie Gilchrist - a charmer, as the conservatively pert housekeeper, Nora Muldoon, and, Forrest Tucker is wonderfully empathetic as the ill-fated Beau. There's lots more to admire here.

WAC'S 4K remaster of Mame is a little off. Although much of it looks gorgeous, the fades to black - invented for this pic by Warner electrician Frank Flannagan, and affectionately dubbed the Flannagan Fade (later, to be copied in The Music Man), sometimes are so dark as to obscure even Mame, leaving only her disembodied head floating in the ether.

There are also a few shots that appear uncharacteristically soft, with a slight amplification of grain for which Technirama (a Technicolor patented widescreen process) was not known. Again, minor quibblings on a great looking transfer with rich and vibrant colors and excellent contrast.

Too bad, Warner Bros. could not leave well-enough alone. When…

I’ve been a huge fan of Auntie Mame since I saw it in the movies back in the early 60s. I have it on stream and I am so impressed with the new transfer. Pictures clean with just a little background noise. Colors are rich without being oversaturated. I am very pleased.