If you've never heard of The Fortune (1975), it certainly isn't due to some of the names attached: starring Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson with direction by Mike Nichols, this screwball comedy was a bold move for three established Hollywood figures who had earned the right to try something different. The Fortune follows bumbling con-men Nicky and Oscar (Beatty and Nicholson, respectively) as they try to swindle feminine hygiene heiriess Fredrika Quintessa Bigard (Stockard Channing) out of her fortune. Their plan seems easy at first: Fredrika already loves Nicky (who has yet to be divorced from his own wife) but is unable to cross state lines due to the Mann Act, so he has her marry Oscar instead. Together, they set up camp in a Los Angeles bungalow: Nicky finds honest work, Oscar attempts to seduce his new "wife" and, together, the boys repeatedly try to off Fredrika so Oscar can inherit all the money.

Of course, their scheme quickly flounders as each and every attempt results in disaster. But that wasn't the only thing that didn't go according to plan: much to the surprise of the cast, crew, and studio executives, The Fortune failed miserably at the box office and vanished from public consciousness during the next four decades.

If you're the type that needs a modern comparison, The Fortune feels like a movie right up Joel and Ethan Coen's alley (just read that synopsis again)...but this curiosity is closer to Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers than Fargo or Miller's Crossing. For the most part, The Fortune remains a nimble and lightweight little comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously, changes tone sharply on a few occasions, and isn't afraid to leave a few loose ends dangling just for fun. Even though all the jokes don't land and the film's slightly odd structure will keep all but the most seasoned viewers off-balance, The Fortune definitely plays more like a finished product than a last-minute compromise.

The film's mixed reviews are justified: it feels more than a little improvised at times, which isn't always a compliment. But The Fortune's notorious reputation in some circles is completely unfair. It's really not a bad film; in fact, it's quite good at times and the three lead performances are terrific, especially Channing in her big-screen debut. The film's fluffy texture and screwball styling probably didn't sit well with audiences still high on Beatty in Bonnie and Clyde and Shampoo, Nicholson in Chinatown, and Nichols' streak that began with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The Fortune is inferior to almost every one of those movies, and occasionally by a wide margin. But it's also markedly different and, within the genre's confines---period piece or not---this lightweight farce is still enjoyable. At times, it's fitfully funny. The fact that it's often considered one of the lowest points in the cast and director's careers (if it's mentioned at all) just makes The Fortune all the more intriguing to anyone who's willing to give it a fair shake.

Not surprisingly, the film's initial failure and almost non-existent word-of-mouth ensured that The Fortune sank quickly and wouldn't be resurrected for years or even decades, if at all. There was one domestic VHS release, a Region 2 DVD exists, and the movie is occasionally shown on Turner Classic Movies and the like...but for the most part, it's been tough to find for die-hard fans and curious newcomers. Until now: Twilight Time has promoted The Fortune straight to Blu-ray, where we can fully appreciate John A. Alonzo's cinematography and the film's dusty, lived-in atmosphere. The restored DTS-HD 1.0 Mono also sounds pretty good too, and an optional isolated score track---a Twilight Time tradition, of course---sounds even better. Unfortunately, no real bonus features are included, which bolsters the film's lonely reputation but may irritate those reluctant to shell out $30 or more for a barebones disc.

Presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, The Fortune looks (much) better than ever on this new Blu-ray from Twilight Time. The cinematography by John A. Alonzo (Chinatown, Scarface) favors something of a rusty, warm palette with strong image detail, especially during the outdoor scenes in California. Film grain is present but not obtrusive and gives the film a very natural appearance. Textures are reasonably strong, shadow detail is fairly consistent, and the entire picture is very clean overall, with good color saturation and no flagrant digital imperfections. I'd imagine that most folks that view this disc, aside from curious newcomers, will have seen The Fortune on numerous formats in the past---including VHS and the occasional TCM broadcast---and they'll enjoy these improvements very much.

The DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio track does what it can with the limited source material...but let's face it: this is a 40-year old comedy set during the 1920s, so the relatively flat experience is perfectly fitting. Dialogue is typically crisp and clear, David Shire's lively score (part of which is adapted from compositions by Jose Padilla Sanchez) sounds terrific, and they rarely fight for attention. In fact, in many cases the score replaces most or all of the audio in specific scenes, which makes the optional Isolated Score and Effects Track all the more fitting and accessible, plus the music gets a nice little bump to DTS-HD 2.0. Optional English subtitles are also included during the main feature.

Columbia Pictures' The Fortune is a little-seen comedy with several big names...which usually means "don't get your hopes up", but this amusing little period piece manages to score plenty of laughs in unexpected places. I'll be honest and admit that it is quite uneven at times, several jokes fall flat, and it changes tone almost at random...but I had a good time with this one, especially due to the three lead performances. Perhaps The Fortune's greatest strength, though, is its obscurity: released only on VHS and sporadically shown on TCM, die-hard fans will absolutely love having this on Blu-ray and likely won't be put off by Twilight Time's sticker price. New viewers, on the other hand, should proceed with caution: even if you're a fan of the cast and/or director, The Fortune received mixed reviews in 1975 for good reason. Likewise, the Blu-ray looks and sounds great but, aside from an isolated score track, offers no extras. This one is still Recommended, largely due to Twilight Time's "first come, first served" strategy.