Beaches

BEACHES [1988] [Blu-ray] They Met on a Beach 30 Years Ago! Some Friendships Last Forever!Celebrate the power of everlasting friendship with `BEACHES' available for the first time on Blu-ray, featuring a new digital restoration. Academy Award® nominees Bette Midler for Best Actress 1991: ‘For The Boys’ and Barbara Hershey for Best Supporting Actress 1996: ‘The Portrait Of A Lady’ star in this funny and touching film from legendary director Garry Marshall.When the irrepressible C.C. Bloom and the shy and proper Hillary Whitney first meet under the boardwalk, all the 11-year-olds have in common is the need for a best friend. Worlds apart in a lifestyle and location, their friendship ebbs and flows through a lifetime of highs and lows. From the boardwalk in Atlantic City to a beach house on the Pacific, `BEACHES' will remind you what being a true friend really means. Relive every heart-warming moment on Blu-ray High Definition.FILM FACT: Included on the soundtrack was Bette Midler's performance of "Wind Beneath My Wings," which became an immediate smash hit. The song went on to win Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1990. It was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Art Direction for Albert Brenner and Garrett Lewis.Cast: Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey, John Heard, Spalding Gray, James Read, Lainie Kazan, James Read, Grace Johnston, Mayim Bialik, Marcie Leeds, Carol Williard, Allan Kent, Phil Leeds, Lynda Goodfriend, Nikki Plant, Michael French, Robert Ball, Frank Campanella, Diane Frazen, Michael Elias, Patrick Richwood, Tracy Reiner, Zachary Weintraub, Jenifer Lewis, Charlotte Crossley, Julie Bond, Kimberly Morgan, Andrea Paris, Adrienne Parker, Steven Majewicz, Joe Grifasi, Lucinda Crosby, Jack W. Larson, Judith Baldwin, Jane Dulo, Lisa Savage, Frank Buxton, Steve Restivo, Maureen Jennings, Kathleen Marshall, Julie Paris, Clara Huff, Barbara Marshall, Scott Marshall, Cindy Riegel, Bo Sabato, Michael A. Salcido, Arnold McCuller, Carla Earle, Katherine Singleton, Ken Gibbel, Harvey Miller, Kevin Ash (uncredited), Sarah Blaze (uncredited), Hector Elizondo (uncredited), Whit Hertford (uncredited), Garry Marshall (uncredited), Marc Shaiman (uncredited), Lori Sigrist (uncredited) and Terri Sigrist (uncredited)Director: Garry MarshallProducer: Bette Midler, Bonnie Bruckheimer and Margaret SouthScreenplay: Mary Agnes Donoghue and Iris Rainer (screenplay)Composer: Georges DelerueCinematography: Dante SpinottiVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 1.85:1Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish: 2.0 Dolby DigitalSubtitles: English SDH, French and SpanishRunning Time: 123 minutesRegion: All RegionsNumber of discs: 1Studio: Touchstone Home EntertainmentAndrew's Blu-ray Review: When I had the Special Edition NTSC DVD of ‘BEACHES' back in 2005, my life was considerably different from what it is now. And today as I view this special Blu-Ray version of the film, with that same cover art, I wondered if my opinion of this film will be the same, well I was proved wrong and have found it is a vast improvement of the inferior NTSC DVD as it still the same the same ambience that only Bette Midler can deliver and it can still be a big tear-jerker type film, which always happens when watch this film for the umpteenth time, but to me it's still the same beautiful film. I will say, the ending has far more of an impact on me now; however I find I'm far more susceptible to emotional manipulation by the watching this film.The box office hit ‘BEACHES’ [1988] starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey was based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Iris Rainer Dart about the lasting friendship between two very different women. The free spirited but poor Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom [Bette Midler] and the uptight aristocratic Hillary Whitney Essex [Barbara Hershey] meet as children in Atlantic City and form a lifelong bond that endures conflicts, boyfriends, marriages, babies, divorces and even death.‘BEACHES' starts out by establishing the foundation of the eternal friendship between, Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom [Miyam Bialik] and Hillary Whitney Essex [Marcie Leeds], a street-smart Atlantic City kid and an upper- crust child, respectively. Meeting under the boardwalk, they find they are kindred spirits of sorts, and thus start a relationship that spans the rest of their lives through letter writing, until both Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey become adults. Finally getting together again, and find their friendship is the only constant in their lives. The prologue, with brilliant work by Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom [Miyam Bialik] age 11 years old and Hillary Whitney Essex [Marcie Leeds] age 11 years old, gives the film a smart-aleck attitude that helps overcome the more heartstring-pulling moments...for the most part.From there on out, the two women find life to be a series of struggles, with them switching places, as Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom [Bette Midler] life explodes into mega-success, and Hillary Whitney [Barbara Hershey] hits roadblock after roadblock. Through it all, they rely on their friendship to carry them through the challenges that love, marriage and family bring. The friendship is tested often, especially by the dreaded presence of men, but it's hard to believe that anyone in the audience has a doubt about what will happen in the end. ‘BEACHES’ often risks drifting into melodrama, but Bette Middler's irreverent presence keeps the movie on an even keel until the plot becomes too heavy to maintain buoyancy.Using Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom and Hillary Whitney Essex's flashback correspondence as the main method of progressing the story along, along with an in-the-now framing device, the film spans 30 years in two hours, which by any measure is moving at light speed. There are some problems with moving the story so quickly, in that the plot can seem unnaturally motivated. But within the structure of the plot, there's no other way the film could have advanced the story. By compressing the lives of these two women, the parallels between them are made obvious and meaningful.While the story of these two women is the core of the film, Bette Midler's musical moments are some of the most entertaining portions of the film. From her character's start as a jazz singer to her award-winning performances, she gets the opportunity to show off her impressive range as a vocalist. I've always considered Bette Midler to be extremely good, based on her roles in ‘Ruthless People' and ‘Outrageous Fortune' [which I wish they would release on Blu-ray] but ‘BEACHES' goes to show why she gets the respect she receives. Singing ability like hers and an amazing comic wit has combined to make her a true star.At approximately the halfway point, the film loses its sense of humour and becomes like a sort of soap opera, but not a bad one, especially with Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom speaks badly about at the time of the change. Life itself is too much for the girls, and the whole film becomes exactly what the first half seemed to strive to avoid. Ironically, it's that turn-around in the second half that has earned the film its fan base and massive reputation. It takes a heap of nurturing to make and keep a friend over the long haul of a lifetime. ‘BEACHES’ illustrates a few of the challenges, disappointments, and rewards of this worthwhile endeavour. With its mix of drama, comedy, and music, the film leaves behind a rainbow of delectable emotions for all ages.When ‘BEACHES’ went into production, Bette Midler was enjoying a wave of success ushered in by her association with Disney's adult-oriented Touchstone Pictures. Bette Midler had made hits like ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills’ [1986] and ‘Ruthless People’ [1986] for Touchstone which many credited for revitalizing her career as a comic actress in the 1980s. With Touchstone Pictures, Bette Midler formed her company All Girl Productions and co-produced ‘BEACHES’ as her first project.Blu-ray Video Quality – The very nice 1080p encoded transfer on this disc is remarkably better than the mess that existed on the previous Blu-Ray. That said, it still has some issues, as it's uneven in the handling of grain, with some scenes buzzing and others, mostly darker interior scenes later in the film, looking stunningly clean, to the point where they could have been shot this year. Everything has been given a polish, so the vast majority of the dirt and damage seen on the inferior NTSC DVD has gone with the rare exception of a spot or two. Fine detail has been vastly improved, though there's some softness here and there, and the colour has been made far more natural (and warmer), even if it all looks a touch darker. At its best, it looks fantastic, while at its worst it's much better than the previous release. It's worth nothing that it appears that the image was opened up on all sides on this release, showing more in all directions. The aspect ratio (listed on the box as 1.85:1) seems to be the same between the two, but the framing seems better on the new transfer.Blu-ray Audio Quality – ‘BEACHES' 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is pretty front heavy, to the point where surround channels only really kick in when Midler sings. There is some occasional noticeable surround activity, especially the boardwalk scene is a good example, but even then, the bulk of the mix is tilted toward the front channels. There is also widely differing reverb and ambient recording effects quite noticeable in some of the post-looped material, with the van scene with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey, especially when Bette Midler is in the bunny suit, one of the more obvious examples. In scenes like that one, the dialogue sounds overly tinny and boxy compared to the bulk of this track. Fidelity is generally very good, especially in the musical sequences.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Audio Commentary: Commentary with Director Garry Marshall: Gary Marshall is always fun to listen to, and he's quite funny through large swaths of this commentary. Gary Marshall is quite gracious in doling out accolades to various people involved in the film. Gary Marshall makes nonstop fun of some of the plot machinations, and that actually helps to make some of the more saccharine elements in the film go down a little easier.Special Feature: Beaches Bloopers [6:59] We get just over a six-minutes reel. Apparently created for use back in 1988, this one offers the usual goofs and giggles, though a narrator attempts humorous commentary as well. It's typical for its genre.Special Feature: Mayim Bialik Remembers Beaches [2011] [12:06] This is a very sweet reminiscence of her performance in the film ‘BEACHES’ by the current day star of ‘The Big Bang Theory.’Special Feature Music Video: "Wind Beneath My Wings" Performed by Bette Midler [1988] [4:32] "Wind Beneath My Wings" (sometimes titled "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Hero") is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley.Special Feature: AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Songs With Bette Midler [1988] [1:17] This is the segment of this special devoted to "Wind Beneath My Wings." The top 100 songs of the past 100 years chosen by the American Film Institute are presented by host-actor John Travolta.Special Feature: Barbara Hershey Screen Test [1988] [6:18] Shows a scene in which Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom and Hillary Whitney make up with each other as well as a couple of subsequent sequences. Bette Midler works with Barbara Hershey in the test, so that makes the reel more interesting than it otherwise might be.Theatrical Trailer [2:12] The Blu-ray disc opens with trailers for `The Odd Life of Timothy Green' and `Monsters University.' These also pop up under Sneak Peeks along with clips for ABC TV series and Castle. We also get the trailer for ‘BEACHES' as well.Finally, ‘BEACHES' is a wonderful warm hearted true classic, the kind of weepy film everyone likes to curl up with on a rainy Sunday for the stereotypical "good cry." It's hardly worth debating the quality of the filmmaking, as it's secondary to the emotions involved for fans of this film. This Blu-Ray is a considerable improvement in terms of the visual quality, and though there are no changes in the contents from the now inferior old NTSC DVD, it offers a decent package of extras, thanks largely to Garry Marshall's commentary. If you're a fan and you've never owned `Beaches' there's not likely to be a better version down the line at this point in time and that is why it is a great honour to add this to my ever increasing Bette Midler Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

One of the best films ever made about the power of friendship. Bette Midler is a legend. Enough said. Highly recommend, enjoy!

Beautiful story featuring Bette milder and early myiam bialik this one will make you laugh, cry and smile all the way through the movie. Girlfriends unite friends are forever

Amazing movie to have definitely one you need to watch with box of Kleenex very heartfelt and shows you the trim waiting the friendship

Closed caption don't like.

Bette Midler is great, excellent family story line about a single mother raising a daughter. Lots of laughs and cries. Story draws you in. Wife bought it but even choked me up at the end. Worth watching

Amazing music! I think Bette Midler is one of the most amazing singers of our time! Her range is amazing and her music is just great! I listen to her and I get happy for the most part. She is amazing!!

Just as advertised ... great show!

This is an all time favourite movie of mine. This movie is all about friendship and how it survives through people growing up, living far apart, having a million and one other things going on in your life and fall-outs and make up's.Its based on two young girls meetin randomly due to one of them being lost, the other helps in getting her back to safly to her family after that day they continue to wrtie to each other throughout their lives.This is such a compelling movie and the characters are played so well. One word of warning though, you might want to have the tissues handy as i am positive you will be crying by the end of this movie.

Recommended in 1990 by my then soppy boyfriend (now not-so-soppy husband). We watched it together and cried. I cry at everything though, from the reveals in make-over programmes, to E.T. (most of that), to soaps, to articles in magazines. I didn't expect to sob though. Fast forward over 20 years later, I bought this for my mother for Christmas. She's yet to watch it and I know that when she does she'll cry, but I also know that she won't say she's cried.A great, great film that brings out every type of emotion.

It was a requested gift so no opinion of my own, but the receiver (aging mother) enjoyed it.

This is an emotional story, but me personally l did,nt find the 2 lead characters likeable, This is bit like love story (the beginning sad ending to)but story in between bit dull. Found it long hard to like. Maybe 2 other actresses l may enjoyed it felt emotional connection!The only good thing is story wind beneath my feet.

Can't believe I had never heard of this film before, until it popped up in my recommendations on Amazon. I loved it, cried buckets at the ending. Bette Midler was brilliant in it. Similar to Steel Magnolias, makes you laugh and cry. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.