The Family Jewels
Picture: B-
Sound: C Extras: C Film: B-
Paramount has released an entire slate of Jerry Lewis
pictures made at the peak of his solo success, often directed by Lewis
himself. This begs questions like 1)
why was he a success, 2) how big a star was he and 3) why do the French film
critics see him as so important when he is constantly dismissed by his native
country? Well, talent is the answer to
the first part, being appreciated at the time for it is the second and then
there is that third burning question.
For one thing, Lewis was great at deconstructing
filmmaking, show business and America.
In the case of America, he was so good at recreating it, that those who
live in it always fail to notice. Part
of this comes from dismissing him too immediately without really watching the
films. This is not to say he is a giant
of filmmaking, but an argument could be made that he is an auteur. Being a part of the Americana, when he sends
it up, he sends up himself. It may seem
lightweight, but it is very clever and even dark under the surface without
being morbidly so.
With Jim Carrey, his influence is more obvious than ever,
but the likes of John Ritter and the crews of many a comedy variety TV show (Laugh-In,
The Sonny & Cher Show, Saturday Night Live, Second City TV
and In Living Color for example) cannot totally escape Lewis’ shadow, to
say nothing of comedy in general. The
implications of his role in Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy (1983)
do not begin to cover it.
In one of his last films before a long hiatus, in part
battling the crippling Muscular Dystrophy disease for which his name is
synonymous it putting an end to for good, he gets to play multiple roles and
very convincingly. This is still one of
his last films and one of his best. The
roles are of several uncles who are to be chosen as the next father figure for
a young girl (Donna Butterworth) so she will not be an orphan. Her inherited $30 Million is no
substitute. It is funny and a great
showcase for Lewis, but it is also the kind of humor that is authentic and that
we see so little of anymore. Sebastian
Cabot co-stars, while future Commissioner Gordon on TV’s Batman in the
1960s, Neil Hamilton, is the will reader.
His particular sense of the absurd is like no one else and that is why
all Jerry Lewis films are so unique and distinctive.
The anamorphically enhanced 16 X 9 image is impressive for
its age, offering a good example of Technicolor, if not offering the absolute
in dye-transfer glory throughout. It is
still very colorful and consistent throughout.
The transfer is remarkably clean and has many moments of depth. Cinematographer W. Wallace Kelley, A.S.C.,
delivers rich images throughout that are among some of the last of Classical
Hollywood before the American New Wave kicked in. There is a great sense of color, complemented by the costumes of
the incomparable Edith Head.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is available in French and
English Mono, both of which are a weak point of this DVD. If there was not going to be a 5.1 remix,
which would have been interesting considering the material (Lewis could have
increased the laughs with a supervised sound mix), then it should have been
thicker, but Dolby’s compression always has this pitfall. Lewis said how much he loved Pete King’s
score. Wonder if it was recorded in
stereo? Extras include archival
materials that consist of two screen tests and two bloopers in full screen that
suggest the film was shot soft matte, an original theatrical trailer, and an
audio commentary by Lewis and Steve Lawrence.
They do not talk throughout, but make some good observations. I wish they had said more. As for the film, it is one of the most
interesting of all the Lewis cannon just issued by Paramount on DVD, so The
Family Jewels is one of many jewels that deserve some more revisionist
thinking, French, American or otherwise.
- Nicholas Sheffo
