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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer (RSDL )
  • Dual Sided
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
    English, German, Hebrew, Czech, Greek, Polish, Hungarian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
  Extras
  • 7 Deleted scenes
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Audio commentary - by Rob Reiner
  • Music video - Harry Connick Jnr
  • Awards/Nominations

When Harry Met Sally - Special Edition

MGM/20th Century Fox . R4 . COLOR . 91 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Can men and women just be friends? That is, without the sex thing getting in the way?

It’s 1977 and having celebrated their graduation, Harry Burns (Billy Crystal), an eternal pessimist and would-be political consultant, is introduced to Sally Albright, an eternal optimist and would-be journalist, as they share the drive from Chicago University to their new lives in New York City. They argue incessantly; the journey being just long enough for Harry to make a futile pass at Sally, and for them to discover they don’t like each other all that much. Five years later they share another journey, bumping into each other at the airport. Harry is now engaged and Sally is in the midst of a long-term relationship, and they part company uneventfully upon reaching their destination.

Their next encounter occurs in the late '80s (the film’s present day). They are both newly single - Harry's wife has recently left him whilst Sally and her partner have drifted apart. This mutual bond of loss draws them into a close and lasting friendship. As they spend more and more time together, they slowly realise they are falling in love. And then, well, that whole sex thing gets in the way.

"Infidelity is just a symptom that something else is wrong"
"Yeah, well that symptom is f**cking my wife."

The thing about romantic comedy is that, in most cases, you know how it’s all going to turn out even before the film starts. When Harry Met Sally is no different, but it does manage to break the moulds and clichés of the genre. In fact, upon its release in 1989, When Harry Met Sally helped to re-establish the genre; in decline since the classic romantic comedies of the '50s and early '60s.

Having as its main theme the differences between men and women and not just emotional or circumstantial melee, and with a soundtrack of old standards sung beautifully by Harry Connick Jnr., this is a film that is as fresh and poignant today as when it was first released. Ephron’s Oscar nominated script is filled with home truths about men and women, and there are some truly memorable moments, including that legendary restaurant orgasm scene. Only one genre cliché has crept in - when Harry and Sally first meet, they don’t find each other the least bit attractive. Each represents the antithesis of the other, and we all know what that means.

The script is supported by great performances from its leads. A romantic comedy lives or dies by the chemistry its protagonists establish, and thankfully Crystal and Ryan click right from the start. Although we have all gotten used to Meg Ryan playing Meg Ryan (thanks in large part to Nora Ephron writing, well, Meg Ryan for Meg Ryan), she was a largely unknown quantity in 1989. Displaying both dramatic and comedic prowess, Ryan's performance is easily her best and firmly cemented her Hollywood career. The problem is, whether by choice or not, she’s effectively played the same character ever since - but never as well as she did here. Billy Crystal also brings the perfect blend of hilarity and sincerity to his role as the depressive and wise-cracking Harry, a performance he has since tried unsuccessfully to emulate.

Although Ryan and Crystal dominate the film, the supporting cast is also great with Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby playing Sally and Harry’s respective best friends. Both put in great comedic performances, in particular Carrie Fisher - who really should have Meg Ryan’s career as far as I’m concerned. Director Rob Reiner also bolsters the realistic tone of the film by occasionally interrupting the main thread with documentary-style clips from interviews with elderly husbands and wives, all fondly recalling how they met. The actors in these scenes are so credible that it's easy to be fooled into thinking they're real couples recounting genuine anecdotes, rather than performers working from a script.

So, can men and women just be friends without the sex thing getting in the way? Ultimately, it remains up to the viewer to decide whether the film proves or disproves the premise. But this genre-redefining classic from Reiner and co. is an enjoyable way to debate it.

  Video
Contract

This newly released Special Edition of When Harry Met Sally sports a fantastic anamorphic transfer at the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, providing everything we have come to expect from MPEG encoding these days.

You want colour? You got it - a vast range of colours from brilliant blue summer days, to the rich browns, yellows and reds of autumn leaves, to the brilliant whites of Central Park in the wintertime. At all times the colours are beautifully balanced, deep and rich. Skin tones are perfectly replicated. The image is crisp and clear with superb detail and perfect black level with no low level noise.

There are no compression artefacts whatsoever on display, although a very small amount of aliasing (and a little Moire) crops up on a few occasions. The only real negative with the image is a few film artefacts that pop in from time to time. Most are insignificant and you’ll hardly notice them on the first viewing (I didn’t). One or two are larger and more distracting.

Despite these small flaws, the resulting transfer is fantastic, and Fox should be congratulated on their efforts - by all accounts, a vast improvement over their previous effort.

  Audio
Contract

Whilst this Special Edition replaces the original Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack with a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, I would be surprised if there was much discernible difference between the two. It will come as no surprise that the soundtrack to this witty and wordy romantic comedy is mainly dialogue based, and therefore the centre speaker gets most of the attention. The front speakers carry the majority of the score, (as noted a nice group of old standards sung perfectly by Harry Connick Jr.), and the .1 channel chimes in subtly yet effectively to give it body.

The surrounds are effectively silent throughout, chiming in with a little ambient sound on a few occasions - for example a scene taking place in a stadium during a football game. However, even though the sound is there, the level is very low and can only be heard at levels significantly above reference volume. Still I can't say I really missed it, and I would be surprised if this is not a faithful replication of the mix heard in cinemas. Ultimately, the soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally is basic, but lives up to genre expectations.

  Extras
Contract

The disc displays high production values, with anamorphic widescreen menus that are nicely animated with panning stills and clips from the film. In addition a comprehensive collection of extras is provided that should satisfy any fan of the film.

Making Of Featurette: Produced in 2000, this is a retrospective look at the film, featuring interviews with writer Nora Ephron, director Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby. Ryan and Kirby’s interviews have been taken from 1988 (during production), whilst all other interviews are more recent - wistfully looking back at the most influential film that the majority of the cast and crew have been involved with (excluding Carrie Fisher of course). This is a fantastic featurette, lasting just over 30 minutes and provided very interesting information on all aspects of the production. A great companion to the film.

Commentary – Rob Reiner: A reasonable commentary from the director, in which he repeats much of the information that was compressed into the 30 minute featurette. Reiner talks a little sporadically about various scenes, discussing details of writing and performances rather than technical details such as lighting and camera angles. I certainly had a few questions left unanswered, but this is still quite reasonable as commentaries go. I can’t say it held my attention for the full length of the movie.

Deleted Scenes: A total of seven scenes that never made it into the final cut. For most cut scenes, the reason for exclusion is obvious, and they add no real value to the disc other than completeness. The one hilarious exclusion is extra footage removed from Harry and Sally’s own couch scene, in which the two actors improvise some fantastic dialogue.

Music Video – It Had to be You: 4:3, non anamorphic. Harry Connick Jnr. croons his way through this classic track, helped in large part by clips from the film. Musically, not my cup of tea.

Theatrical Trailer: Your typical fare, with a 4:3 non anamorphic image that is significantly worse than that of the main feature.

  Overall  
Contract

With a fantastic script and great performances, it's no surprise that When Harry Met Sally is one of the most well-loved romantic comedies of the last two decades. If you are a fan of witty, intelligent comedy, then this is definitely a disc that should grace your collection - especially with this Special Edition disc from Fox, sporting an improved transfer and a bag of extras.


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      And I quote...
    "A classic romantic comedy, as fresh and poignant today as when it was first released."
    - Gavin Turner
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Toshiba SD-2108
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Amplifier:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Speakers:
          B&W 602
    • Centre Speaker:
          B&W CC6 S2
    • Surrounds:
          JM Lab Cobalt SR20
    • Subwoofer:
          B&W ASW-500
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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