Search - Strange Bedfellows on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1965 DVD Release: 07/01/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 39 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Comedy, Romantic Comedy

This romantic comedy stars Rock Hudson as Carter Harrison, an executive rising through the ranks of a major oil company. When he meets Toni Vincente (Gina Lollobrigida), a beautiful but hot-tempered artist, it's love at first sight and they quickly marry. The bloom is soon off the rose, however, and, five years later, Carter and Toni are about to finalize their divorce. However, just as the final paperwork is about to go through, Carter learns that he's up for a major promotion which would hinge on his being married. Carter is able to engineer a reconciliation with Toni with the help of his friend Richard Bramwell (Gig Young), a PR agent with the firm who hopes that a happy marriage will improve Carter's reputation. Since his separation from Toni, Carter has become known as something of a lothario, a reputation that the family-oriented company would like to avoid. But even though the couple patches things up, Richard has his work cut out for him when Toni announces that she'll be reenacting Lady Godiva's naked ride as part of a protest organized by an artists' group. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Rock Hudson - Carter Harrison
Gina Lollobrigida - Toni Vincente
Gig Young - Richard Bramwell
Edward Judd - Harry Jones
Terry-Thomas - Assistant Mortician

Melvin Frank's Strange Bedfellows (1965) -- probably the most ironically titled of all Rock Hudson's star vehicles -- has arrived on DVD in a gorgeous film-to-video transfer with deep, rich contrasts and stunning detail all around from the opening frame to the film's finale. The movie can't be viewed today without a sense of ludicrous irony, given what is now known of Hudson's sexual preferences -- when the narrator talks of the characters played by Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida liking the same things sexually, one has to laugh out loud. The non-anamorphic letterboxed image (1.85:1) is one of the most beautiful ever seen in a '60s movie, Leo Tover's beautiful photography fairly leaping out at the viewer in stunningly vivid detail. The day shots have a remarkable richness, and the night shots aren't lacking in detail either -- the costumes for Lollobrigida by Jean Louis, and the entire set decor by Alexander Golitzen and Joseph Wright are all shown to beautiful advantage in what is basically a demonstration quality disc. The movie has been given a generous 18 chapters and is supported by the rather faded and poorer condition original trailer (which looks like the movie used to on television in the late '60s). There are also optional English captions and Spanish and French subtitles. The disc opens automatically onto a simple two-layer menu that offers easy access to all options with the "play" command in the default position. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide