‘Some Like It Hot’ 4K Ultra HD movie review

Director Billy Wilder’s 1959 legendary gender-bending romantic satire debuts in the ultra-high definition format to give viewers an immaculately restored look at what is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Set in the roaring 1920s, Some Like It Hot (Kino Lorber, rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 120 minutes, $39.95) focuses on a pair of financially desperate Chicago speakeasy musicians Jerry (Jack Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis) being the unlucky witnesses of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

They go on the run by dressing up as females Daphne and Josephine and joining an all-girl band Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators. The two men barely duck some nasty mobsters and avoid a sure death sentence as they hit the road for an extended gig in Miami.

Life gets complicated as both eventually fall for bandmate Sugar Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe), but Josephine gets the upper hand dressing back as a male faux Shell Oil millionaire (with goofy Cary Grant accent no less) while Daphne gets stuck with rabid suitor Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown).

And then, life gets ugly, as the mobsters unwittingly show up for a Friends of Italian Opera dinner and find their witnesses.

The black-and-white classic comes packed with laughs and star power featuring hilarious moments between Brown and Lemmon and Sugar and Shell Junior and a few gangster legends such as George Raft as “Spats’ Colombo.

However, the movie really highlights the magnetism of Marilyn Monroe, arguably at her most visually potent, especially when she was singing and dancing to such songs as “Running Wild,” “I Wanna Be Loved by You,” and the sultry heartbreaker “I’m Through With Love.”

4K in action: Kino Lorber uses the meticulous digital restoration of the movie from the Criterion Collection’s high definition release in 2018 to deliver a 2160p masterpiece that features exceptional clarity, contrast and just a pinch of grain, all displayed in a screen-filling presentation.

Visually memorable moments as simple as wet glistening concrete, the pale makeup on Lemmon and Curtis, gangster spats stained ultra-white or Monroe’s impeccable skin stand out as the restoration also highlights the ornate interiors and exteriors of San Diego’s historic Hotel Del Coronado (subbing for a Miami resort).

Best extras: Kino Lorber’s does not disappoint starting with the 4K disc containing a new and exclusive commentary track with film historian and author of “Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge,” Joseph McBride.

Declaring quickly that the film is one of his favorites, he considers it one of the perfect movies in existence and a mix between “Scarface” and “Charley’s Aunt.”

Mr. McBride discusses the film and its background nonstop always packed with details, anecdotes and nostalgia including the origins of the movie; casting; Monroe’s on-set issues as well as her acting and singing; the brilliance of the script; and Wilder’s career and life.

Calling it a feminist film, some of his observations include that Wilder’s favorite song was “I’m Through With Love”; and an accountant estimated Monroe wasted 38 hours on set over a 40-day shoot and cost the production an extra $500,000 in delays.

He even reads a protest letter from the Catholic Legion of Decency that called “Some Like It Hot” seriously offensive to Catholics and outright smut.

A second vintage audio commentary, from the 2006 Collector’s Edition DVD release, features Paul Diamond (son of film’s co-writer I.A.L. Diamond) with screenwriter team Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (known for “A League of Their Own”) focused on the script, with additional interviews with Curtis and Lemmon cut into the conversation.

A second Blu-ray disc in the set adds a host of extras including a pair of complementary vintage featurettes roughly 45 minutes long that cover the production, its legacy and offer plenty of interviews with Wilder, Curtis and Lemmon.

Viewers also get four of the members of the Sweet Sue’s band Marian Collier (Olga the clarinet player), Laurie Mitchell (Mary Lou the trumpet player), Sandra Warner (Emily) and Joan Nicholas (Betty the saxophone player) taking a 13-minute walk down memory lane in a 2003 vintage segment.

Next is a 32-minute interview with Curtis by film critic Leonard Maltin that took place at Hollywood’s famed Formosa cafe in 2001. They talk “Some Like It Hot” as Curtis explains the frustrations of working with Monroe, getting the part, looking like Grace Kelly and Orry-Kelly’s impressive costume design.

Finally, in another pair of archival segments, roughly 20 minutes total, German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff interviews Wilder about the issues with Monroe (getting her to say, “It’s me, Sugar,” took like 60 takes); his career; and his methods of working with actors. The famed director/screenwriter even reads pages of dialogue from the “Some Like It Hot” script.