Guess Who's Coming to Dinner on Blu-ray

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

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When Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner premiered in 1967 it was eye opening for movie audiences. This was the first time a black man and a white woman were paired on screen. Sydney Poitier and Katharine Houghton played the bi-racial couple. Houghton admits she received death threats when the film came out. The times were different then and in many states it was illegal for whites and blacks to marry. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner brought the issue to the forefront of American consciousness.

The movie also stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn as the parents of the young girl. This was Tracy’s final role and during filmmaking it was unclear whether he would live long enough to finish his part. Well, he did and it is one of the most memorable roles in Spencer Tracy’s repertoire.

Houghton was Katharine Hepburn’s real-life niece and working together on the film was a chance for the two to experience a different aspect to their relationship. With Tracy’s illness, Houghton says the tension from her aunt was quite strong.

The entire story unfolds in the space of one day. The young lovers present their situation to her parents, then later to his parents, and the issue of interracial marriage is front and center. The thing is, it’s the love that they share that is stronger than the social dilemma in which they find themselves.

The film is charming, thought provoking, cute, and sensitive. Tracy’s final speech at the end of the movie is amazing. It’s something that brings out the theme of the entire movie – love conquers all.

Besides this Academy Award-winning movie, the Twilight Time limited edition Blu-ray includes a plethora of bonus features. Many of the bonuses focus on the director of the film, Stanley Kramer, who had a reputation of tackling social issues and fighting against injustice through his movies. There are introductions by his wife Karen Kramer and Steven Spielberg, Tom Brokaw, and Quincy Jones, who all discuss the work of Stanley Kramer and the social issues he took on and fought for by way of his films.

The movie is described as being funny with a lot of heart. As Kramer explains, it’s all about the theme that love does conquer all, at least as far as Kramer was concerned.

Katharine Houghton discusses the tension she felt from her aunt who was seeing the love of her life die before her eyes. Tracy was excited and happy to complete the film. The actor died just two weeks after finishing his final scene. Houghton says it “wasn’t fun” working in the film because everyone knew this was Tracy’s final piece of work.

From the first scene when the opening credits appear to the final scene when the ending credits roll, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a delight. This is a movie to enjoy over and over again and the bonus features add a lot of insight to the story and the making of the movie. The Twilight Time Blu-ray release is limited to 3,000 units.

 
About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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