The Fortune might be considered a lost gem lost in the sea of the greatness that was 1970s cinema, not to mention The Sting which was released only two years prior, but it’s a weak flick with the occasional funny moments and at the very least might be worth it to see Jack Nicholson cut loose, all before he was a caricature of himself…
The Fortune
(1975)
Genre(s): Comedy, Crime
Twilight Time | PG – 88 min. – $29.95 | December 9, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Mike Nichols Writer(s): Adrien Joyce (written by) Cast: Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Stockard Channing DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 1.0) |
PLOT SUMMARY
In The Fortune, a period-set comedy from director Mike Nichols (The Graduate), Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty star as a pair of hapless con men attempting to separate a madcap heiress (STOCKARD CHANNING in her feature debut) from her very attractive money. Stylish, witty and entertainingly nasty, the film features superlative work from a host of 1970s superstars: screenwriter Adrien Joyce (pseudonym for Five Easy Pieces‘ Carole Eastman), cinematographer JoÚ A. Alonzo (Chinatown), production designer Richard Sylbert (Rosemary’s Baby), costume designer Anthea Sylbert (Chinatown), and the utterly distinctive composer David Shire (The Conversation), who provides an adapted score.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5
One of the few Twilight Time movies not to include any features save for an Isolated Score & Effects track which goes more toward audio than an actual feature…
VIDEO – 4.0/5
The Fortune bumbles its way into high-def land with a 1080p transfer and presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio. As with most movies from Twilight Time in this era, it’s not an altogether bad looking transfer showcasing bright colors, sharp detail levels and no clear signs of dust marks, scratches, artifacts or other flaws.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track meanwhile is fine but has limitations, though dialogue does sound good. However, when it comes to some of the more off-camera action, ambient noises and the score, it’s a bit tamer unless you select the Isolated Score & Effects track which is presented in lossless stereo. Even so, it’s a fine track more than serviceable for a movie of this caliber.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, The Fortune might be considered a lost gem lost in the sea of the greatness that was 1970s cinema, not to mention The Sting which was released only two years prior, but it’s a weak flick with the occasional funny moments and at the very least might be worth it to see Jack Nicholson cut loose, all before he was a caricature of himself… The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is one of their scrawnier titles with no real bonus material and adequate-to-good audio and video transfers that the $30 price point is a bit much.
Published: 12/23/2014