Only a few times does it appear that he is touched by Marilyn as a person, beyond drooling over her breasts. But those instances when Sherman is able to see beyond the hard-sell artifice of Monroe does the film achieve a deeper poignancy, and I think it's these moments that best illustrate what caused the public to so adore the Monroe mystique. According to the supplied production notes, of the five Monroe films that are being released as a part of Fox Home Entertainment's The Diamond Collection, The Seven Year Itch was the most difficult to restore given the severely damaged elements Fox had to work from. The print had eroded so badly in fact, that a yellow tinge had developed on the film in addition to the numerous print defects caused by laboratory mishandling. A new interpositive negative had to be struck and carefully touched up specifically for this DVD, from which a new high-definition master was made.
Colors are crisp and solid, if intentionally a bit drab, while fleshtones look very natural.
There is a bit of inherent grain throughout the film, but overall is smooth and not distracting. The work done to the print is obvious, with no noticeable blemishes or other distractions to mar the presentation. And thankfully, there is no edge enhancement or other digital processing tricks to compensate for the age of the film. There is a slight fading on rare occasions, but in general blacks are deep and whites crisp. Shadow detail is above average and lends the film an attractive sense of three-dimensionality, though outdoor shots seem a bit too highly contrasted.