Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid's status as one of the least-known Steve Martin comedies makes this bare-bones, yet impressively transferred DVD curious in light of the fact that The Jerk still languishes on the format as a full-frame-only edition. Dead Men was an experiment in editing old movie footage with newly shot footage in order to create a new story. The non-anamorphic 1.85:1 digital transfer is another example of quality mastering by Universal (no matter how obscure the film) that proves it is fully committed to the format. Shot in black-and-white, the clearer, sharper picture looks great and blends well with the old footage. The transitions aren't entirely seamless, which is part of the comic effect. The two-channel mono soundtrack isn't exactly impressive, but for a film meant to invoke the old detective films of the 1940s, it suffices. Some production notes and a trailer are the only supplements. While Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid may not seem like a likely release for DVD above some other films, this edition is good enough to preserve the film for a while longer.