De-Lovely is a musical biopic based on the life and loves of acclaimed American composer and songwriter Cole Porter (Kevin Kline), a man that gave the world a plethora of Broadway and film musical numbers.

The film follows Porter’s life from his first meeting with wife Linda Thomas, up to his death in 1964. In the moments before Cole’s death, he and the archangel Gabriel chronicle his life as a musical production, as the “flashes before his eyes.”

From the first time Cole kisses Linda (Ashley Judd), she was aware that Cole was bi-sexual; however that didn’t stop her from falling madly in love with him, and she was able for the most part to overlook his extra-marital affairs with other men.

Their relationship fares well for a while, however the strain of loving a man that also loves men, begins to wear on Linda. Then one day Cole is photographed kissing another man in a restroom nightclub. Subsequently he and Linda are blackmailed into paying a hefty sum of money to have the pictures kept from going to publication.

Linda expresses her concerns that Cole should try to be more discrete, however when Cole shrugs off the blackmail as a luxury tax, Linda finally has enough and leaves for Paris. Months pass and Cole hears nothing from Linda until one day, after he’s crippled in a horseback riding accident, she returns to his side.

A while after the two are back together, Linda is diagnosed with emphysema. In order to help Cole prepare for her death, Linda attempts to help him form a bond with her interior decorator, so that he’ll have a companion after she’s gone.

After Linda die, Cole is hit with a depression that he never fully recovers from. The rest of the film follows this somber mood, however it never strays into melodrama. There’s more to the story, but I’m not going to spoil any more of it, for those of you that may have never seen the film.

De-Lovely arrives to your TV with a beautiful transfer, just the kind you’d expect from a blu-ray release in 2011. While many studios are busy churning out junk for the masses, this gem of a transfer shouldn’t be overlooked. The films period, sets and clothing are beautifully captured and rendered with a lot of noticeable detail. The blacks are deep and inky, and the skin tones are near life-like. There is a bit of grain in a few portions of the film, however it’s never distracting, and was I’m sure there from the original print of the film. While this might not be the absolute best release to use as reference for just how amazing blu-ray technology is, it’s certainly a good suggestion for those wondering what the difference between DVD and blu-ray looks like.

The film sings it’s way into your house with an excellent 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and it definitely shows. The dialogue is extremely clean and crisp throughout the entire film, and the musical numbers of the film surround you in the house, with the rumbling bass and the exquisite high notes of both the vocals, and the instruments. There weren’t really any stand out negative sound moments in the film that I noticed. Some may be left wanting a bit more when compared to more umph modern musicals, however I felt that the audio was amazing in this release.

While the film isn’t as much of a let down in the supplement department as a lot of the more recent releases, it’s certainly nothing that amazing either. Seeing that this was a very polished release of a Golden Globe nominated film, you’d think they could have found a bit more to put on this release. That’s not to say that what we are given isn’t worthy of being appreciated. Check below for a list of special features:

• “Making of De-Lovely” Featurette
• “Music of De-Lovely” Featurette”
• Anatomy of a Scene: Be a Clown” Featurette”
• Anatomy of a Scene: Love For Sale” Featurette
• Deleted ScenesTrailer

The bottom line for this film rests on just two key questions. Are you a fan of musicals? Are you a fan of biopics? If you answered yes to one or both, then I’d certainly recommend you pick up this release. As I’ve said the quality is amazing, and I seriously doubt you’re going to see anything better for some time to come, if ever.

If you said no to one or both of those questions, then all is not lost. While this might not be a film that you’ll watch over and over, I guarantee that if you’re a fan of amazing picture and audio quality, you wont be let down. While purchasing the film will ultimately come down to price, I suggest you wait until it hits that sweet spot for you, however I don’t suggest you pass all together based on the fact that it is a musical biopic.