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• DVD Review of Corvette Summer

  • M. Roman
  • 1/2/12

  Corvette Summer never quite found an audience in 1978, but today it is a cult-classic among car enthusiasts, as well as Star Wars fans who are curious about what Mark Hamill was doing between Luke Skywalker gigs. Hamill does an admirable job in this slightly goofy romantic-comedy, as does his co-star, Annie Potts, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of a flaky hooker "trainee." The film features a parade of colorful characters, including a memorable performance by the late Eugene Roche as a downtrodden school teacher. However the actors take a back seat (pun intended) to the film's non-human stars, namely the candy-apple 1973 Stingray and the city of Las Vegas itself, which serves as the film's glittery backdrop. Both look suitably bright and shiny in this crisp, 16:9 widescreen DVD edition, which is an improvement over the previous 4:3 VHS releases. Director Matthew Robbins crammed in plenty of "old-Vegas" scenery, which is sure to be a treat to those who remember the city before it became the "Disneyland-in-the-desert" attraction it is today. The audio is fine, a clean transfer of the original mono soundtrack. Make sure you crank up the volume when the uncredited Dusty Springfield belts out the film's theme song "Give Me The Night." Unfortunately, the extras are nearly non-existent, consisting of one measly theatrical trailer (some deleted scenes would have been welcomed). Also, a real opportunity was missed for what would surely have been an amusing Hamill-Potts-Robbins commentary track. Is it too much to hope that these omissions will be addressed in a future blu-ray release (especially since the DVD in reference is now out-of-print)? Let's hope not!

• Corvette Summer (1978)

  • Jay
  • 1/28/09

  Enjoyable fluff, nothing too deep but it's well done with appealing performances. Fine pace. The plot is a bit far fetched but I anticipated that. Some funny scenes.

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