Stan & Ollie appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a fairly good image.
For the most part, sharpness satisfied. Occasional wide shots tended to be a bit iffy, but the majority of the flick demonstrated strong delineation and clarity.
I noticed no shimmering, jaggies or edge enhancement. The image remained clean and lacked any source defects.
Colors felt subdued. The movie preferred a somewhat amber and teal feel and lacked many instances of vibrant hues, though the tones seemed fine within those stylistic choices.
Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows showed appropriate clarity. Overall, this was a positive presentation.
As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Ollie, it offered a low-key auditory experience. Sound quality was always good, at least.
Music worked the best, as the score and songs demonstrated nice range and depth. Effects didn’t play a major role, but they seemed acceptably clear and accurate, while speech was distinctive and natural.
The soundscape lacked much to impress. Music dominated, as songs/score came from all around the spectrum.
Effects had less to do, as they focused the realm of general environment. Still, the track did what it needed to do for a film of this sort.
Three Deleted/Extended Scenes fill a total of 10 minutes, 28 seconds. We find “Double Door & Hats” (4:12), “Hard Boiled Egg” (4:33) and “Way Out West Dance” (1:46).
If you hope to find more story or character information here, forget it. These just offer full versions of Laurel and Hardy comedy routines. While fun in that sense, they’re not great as “deleted scenes”.
Four featurettes follow, and Making Stan & Ollie spans four minutes, 43 seconds. It offers notes from director Jon S. Baird, writer Jeff Pope, producer Faye Ward, and actors Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly.
“Making” looks at story/characters, cast and performances, and makeup effects. It brings us a pretty mediocre overview.
With Playful Prosthetics, we find a three-minute, 20-second reel that features Reilly, Baird, Coogan, and makeup effects designer Mark Coulier. The clip gives us a short but decent look at the prosthetics used to turn the actors into their characters.
The Dancing Duo goes for three minutes, 35 seconds and brings notes from Baird, Coogan, and Reilly. They reflect on the Laurel/Hardy relationship. It’s too short to tell us much beyond basics.
Finally, a Q&A lasts 30 minutes, 37 seconds and includes Reilly, Coogan, Baird, Coulier, and actor Shirley Henderson. They discuss the project’s origins and development, cast and performances, prosthetics, story and characters, and aspects of the production.
The Q&A benefits from the interaction of the participants, as they add verve to the proceedings. We also get some good insights during this engaging chat.
The disc opens with ads for Maria By Callas, The Seagull, Brigsby Bear, All Is True, Mark Felt and Maudie. We also find a trailer for Ollie.
A take on Laurel and Hardy late in their successful career, Stan & Ollie comes with a few dings against it. However, its actors carry it and make it a likable tale of friendship. The Blu-ray offers very good picture as well as adequate audio and a smattering of supplements. This winds up as an engaging effort.