Blu-ray Movie Reviews

White Christmas (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn  |  Nov 5, 2010

A pair of army buddies (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) join forces with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) in order to save a Vermont inn run by their former commanding officer.

The simplistic plot doesn't inspire but the plethora of Irving Berlin classics are mostly enjoyable. The song "White Christmas" was made popular by Crosby in the 1942 film "Holiday Inn," and within the first few minutes he's belting out the tune. My wife enjoys the film much more than I do—I find it somewhat boring—but the HD presentation kept my attention.

Video Highlights

  • AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
  • Some minor print damage
  • Vibrant colors
  • Decent black levels
  • Longer shots are a tad soft

Audio Highlights

  • DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
  • Adequate stereo separation across the front
  • Very little surround activity other than minor ambience
  • Intelligible dialog

I've only caught the film on TV, so this is the best I've ever seen it look. The soundtrack is decent given its age, but won't blow the roof off.

Bonus Materials

  • Commentary by Rosemary Clooney
  • Backstage Stories from White Christmas (HD)
  • Rosemary's Old Kentucky Home (HD)
  • Bing Crosby: Christmas Crooner (HD)
  • Danny Kaye: Joy to the World (HD)
  • Irving Berlin's White Christmas (HD)
  • White Christmas: From Page to Stage (HD)
  • White Christmas:A look Back with Rosemary Clooney
  • 2 Theatrical Trailers (HD)

While Crosby is an American icon, I'm not sure this is one of his better pictures. The story is too dull for my taste and other than the opening number; I can't even say I enjoyed the music that much. The video presentation is quite good and fans should be pleased with the release.

Release Date: November 2, 2010
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 6/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics

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