Blu-ray Review: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley in Classics New to HD

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CHICAGO – Few celebrities can be so easily defined by their first names as Marilyn and Elvis. They went beyond their professions to become cultural icons and three of their works have just been released this week on Blu-ray for the first time. While fans of Monroe and Presley will probably gravitate to “Bus Stop” and “Love Me Tender,” the best of the three is easily the underrated “Niagara,” a clever thriller that uses the notorious Falls in a way that Hitchcock probably respected. If you’re going to pick just one, that’s the one.

Maybe it’s because the other two are more based on romance and humor — two elements that date more than murder — but “Niagara” has easily held up the best of the three. I had heard over the years that it was often considered “lesser Monroe” and hadn’t seen it in years to be able to really form an opinion. Now I know that’s just silly. Monroe is perfect here in full femme fatale mode as a woman setting out to kill her husband but interrupted by a couple of wide-eyed honeymooners to the Falls. The script is a bit hokey and doesn’t stand up to the best noir thrillers of the day but Monroe’s presence and the excellent use of setting elevate it in ways that earn it a second look. I’d take it over the remarkably dated “Bus Stop” any day. As for “Love Me Tender,” it’s a film that’s culturally significant in that it ushered in the era of Elvis in the movies (it was his theatrical debut), but it really works only in light of his huge celebrity status. It’s more of a fan piece than a successful film in its own right, designed to make Elvis even more of a household name. All three flicks have been nicely restored and include formerly released special features, although the Monroe flicks are disappointingly slight in that department. These aren’t so much “special editions” as pure upgrades but I hope they bring more viewers to “Niagara.” It deserves a reappraisal.

Bus Stop was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 30, 2013
Photo credit: Fox

“Bus Stop”

Synopsis:
Marilyn Monroe gives an acclaimed performance in the romantic classic directed by Joshua Logan that features Don Murray in his Oscar-Nominated role! When Bo (Murray) a naive rodeo rider, meets saloon performer Cherie (Monroe), he falls head over boots in love. After her literally lassoes Cherie onto a bus headed for Montana, where he plans to marry her, Cherie escapes of the bus - smack in the middle of a snowstorm. But if Bo can learn to reign in his emotions, he might convince Cherie to warm up to him in this rewarding film.

Special Features
o Original Theatrical Trailer
o More Monroe Movie Trailers

Love Me Tender was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 30, 2013
Photo credit: Fox

“Love Me Tender”

Synopsis:
Moviegoers were introduced to Elvis Presley in this film set during the dying hours of the Civil War. Elvis sings four songs, including the title song.

The year is 1865, and the three Confederate Reno brothers don’t know the war has ended. They manage to steal a Union Army payroll, and head for home with the money. While Vance (Richard Egan) can think only of the love of his life, Cathy (Debra Paget), it turns out that the brothers have been reported dead, and Cathy has married their youngest brother Clint (Elvis Presley). Vance accepts this until he learns that Cathy still loves him. To complicate things, the U.S. Army knows of the brothers’ theft and is hunting them down.

Special Features:
o Audio Commentary By Noted Elvis Historian Jerry Schilling
o Featurettes: Elvis Hits Hollywood, The Colonel & The King, Love Me Tender, The Birth & Boom Of The Elvis Hit
o Love Me Tender: The Soundtrack

Niagara was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 30, 2013
Photo credit: Fox

“Niagara”

Synopsis:
Marilyn Monroe sizzles in this tense, masterful thriller. While the seductive Rose Loomis (Monroe) and her husband George (Joseph Cotten) vacation in a charming guest cabin at spectacular Niagara Falls, Rose and her lover plot to kill George. But things go terribly wrong, and soon, an innocent honeymooning couple find themselves swept up in the crime.

Special Features
o Original Theatrical Trailer
o More Monroe Movie Trailers

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com