Lemmon Audio Rejuvenates ‘Roberts’

Once a rarity, audio commentaries by actors and crew members have become a staple of digital media special editions. But so far, the studios have been surprisingly short-sighted in their choices. Instead of hurrying to record actors and directors from the Golden Age of Hollywood who are still with us, they waste significant amounts of time and money on exhaustive editions of blockbusters that nobody will remember a few decades from now.

That’s why the recent DVD release of the 1955 classic “Mister Roberts,” as part of Warner Bros.’ Premiere Collection, is an effort that deserves praise and ideally will be imitated by other studios.

“Mister Roberts” is a unique film experience, an impressionistic sort of tale that transports the audience aboard a World War II cargo ship and lets you spend some time with a handful of memorable characters, among whom are Henry Fonda’s honest, lovable Mister Roberts and Jack Lemmon’s lecherous, unstoppable Ensign Pulver.

At the core of the special edition is an audio commentary with Jack Lemmon, the only survivor of the film’s key players. Lemmon is a delight to listen to, as he chokes up at the mere mention of “the rare and unforgettable experience” of working with people such as Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and director John Ford. “If you work with them and don’t learn anything,” he emphasizes at one point, “you’re in the wrong business.”

Lemmon did learn a thing or two on that picture, and the motion picture academy rewarded him with the best actor Oscar. Unfortunately, his commentary doesn’t cover the full length of the film (it jumps, for instance, from Chapter 16 to 32), and it altogether skips two of the picture’s funniest scenes: the bubbly encounter between Pulver and an army of naive, beautiful nurses, and the slapstick moment when he blows up the ship’s laundry machines with messy results.

The display of the bonus materials is a little confusing. Most are under a section titled “Navy Surplus,” which can be found only on Side B of the disc. But the audio commentary is on the other side, together with the movie, and is not even listed on the Side B menu.

The “Navy Surplus” section includes an excerpt from an “Ed Sullivan” show with the principal actors reenacting two of the film’s scenes, and a wonderful clip from the 1983 “Fonda on Fonda” documentary in which Jane Fonda talks about her dad’s involvement with “Mister Roberts.” (On stage, he performed the part more than 1,300 times.)

You will also find the original theatrical trailer, cast and crew biographies, and a short essay on the making of the film. The Reel Recommendations section contains the trailer for “Ensign Pulver,” the inferior 1964 sequel.

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An audio commentary for a more contemporary film that still deserved to be recorded can be found on the wide-screen version of the 1980 musical “Fame” that Image Entertainment has just released on laser disc.

One of the 1980s’ most creative auteurs, British director Alan Parker seems to be on a roll lately as far as digital media are concerned. In the last couple of years, he recorded lengthy commentaries for the films “Evita,” “Mississippi Burning” and “Pink Floyd: The Wall” (the latter was quickly taken out of circulation for licensing reasons and has already become a collector’s item).

It is fascinating to hear Parker dissect his better efforts. His smoky, almost hypnotic voice belies an uncontrollable passion for the craft of making movies.

For “Fame,” Parker spent five months at a school just like the one depicted in the movie, interacting with its students and enriching the script with real-life anecdotes. His obsession with texture and the visual element of films is present in every minute of his illuminating commentary.

DVD Releases

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968, MGM) A flop all right, but what a glorious flop. Time has been kind to this expensive, colorful adaptation of Ian Fleming’s fairy tale about a flying car. It looks and sounds great, although a widescreen version would have been much better.

“The Negotiator” (1998, Warner Bros.) The DVD version of the taut thriller includes a documentary with stories from real-life negotiators and a standard “making of” featurette.

Ernesto Lechner can be reached at LechnerE@aol.com.