Alexander's Ragtime Band (20th
Century Fox)
This is the way all classic screen musicals should be released on DVD!
Along with a first-rate remastering of the picture and sound, we get an
informative commentary track by film restorationist Ray Fiola, three
deleted musical scenes, A&E's Biography of Alice Faye, and Movietone
newsreel footage, as well as the usual trailer. In other words, you
get a lot more for your buck than just the film --
which by the way is a great flick packed
with Irving Berlin songs, mostly performed with tons of style and talent.
Faye and Tyrone Power are excellent as the battling romantic leads, Don
Ameche and Jack Haley provide laughs as the sidekicks, and
young Ethel Merman is a vocal knockout. (Be sure to catch Merm's cut
solo of "Time Marches On," complete with a long signature belt
note.) Well worth owning!
An American in Paris (WB/Turner)
Here is how not to release a classic on DVD. Yes, the film looks and
sounds good, but there are no added features. You might as well just
catch the next re-run on Turner Classic Movies. That said, the film is
still a cavalcade of great moments, with my personal favorite still
being when "By Strauss" sets all habitués of a Parisian cafe
into musical motion. A great movie, but a minimal DVD
edition.
Astaire & Rogers Collection
It took an unconscionably long time for the Astaire-Rogers films to get to
DVD. The first volume of this set included some extremely well made
documentaries -- the second volume was more cheaply produced and limited
its special features to a few cartoons and studio shorts. The good news
is that the films are wonderful and all of the restorations in this
set are superb, with crystal
clear visuals and greatly improved sound. Each has memorable numbers
written by some of the greatest songwriters ever -- Berlin, Kern, Dorothy
Fields, the Gershwins. And few could present a song as stylishly as
Astaire and Rogers. If you only know these landmark
films from late night reruns, these DVDs will be a revelation.
The Band Wagon (WB/Turner)
A must-have in every musical buff's video collection! The film has been
handsomely restored, and along with an engaging commentary by Michael Feinstein and
Liza Minnelli (whose father directed the film), there is an entire second
disk of special features -- two documentaries, the lost number
"Two-Faced Woman," and a vintage Jack Buchanan musical short.
Betty Comden and Adolph Green's screenplay offers a hilarious look at
backstage tensions in a Broadway-bound musical. The Schwartz-Dietz score
includes such treasures as "Dancing in the Dark," "By
Myself," the comic classic "Triplets" and the song that
became the Freed unit's trademark, "That's Entertainment."
A well-deserved packaging for one of the best screen musicals ever made.
Beauty and the Beast - Platinum Edition
(Disney)
Disney redefined the art of animated features with this film, and the
second DVD
release offers plenty of special material to feast on. In particular, this
two disc set includes the "unfinished" print shown at the NY
Film Festival -- giving a thrilling insider's glimpse at how scenes are developed
from sketches to fully realized animation. There are games included for
the kids -- be warned that few DVD players can handle all of the
graphics, making one game almost impossible to play. Most of
Disney's "Platinum Editions" are just an overblown excuse to get
the public to re-buy films they own already, but this one definitely
offers enough to make the investment worthwhile.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Disney)
The "30th Anniversary Edition" DVD release includes no
commentary and only one really interesting feature -- the "Portobello
Road" recording session with David Tomlinson. If you have not seen
this movie, by all means indulge yourself. Angela Lansbury gets arguably
her best musical screen role as an apprentice witch who single-handedly
thwarts a Nazi invasion of England during World War II. There is a
charming and often underestimated Sherman Brothers score, super Disney
pre-computer age special effects, and a seamless blend of live film and
animation in the fantasy sequences.
Bells Are Ringing (WB/Turner)
Some fun special features make this DVD a tempting choice for collectors.
The soundtrack has been nicely remastered, and along with a new
"making of" featurette, we get outtake numbers and an alternate
take of "The Midas Touch." Judy Holliday recreates her
Tony-winning performance as an answering service operator who cannot help
getting mixed up in the lives of her clients, and Dean Martin is perfect
as the handsome playwright she falls in love with. The last musical filmed
by MGM's now legendary Freed unit, Bells may not have been the best, but it
is still a pleasure to watch and hear again.
Bernadette Peters in Concert (Acorn)
A little slice of heaven for musical theatre lovers! Bernadette Peters
appears live at the London Palladium singing 23 numbers -- mostly
Sondheim, but Herman's "Time Heals Everything" is happily
included. Marvin Laird conducts the Orchestra of London, and its all a
sophisticated treat. The "special features" are of the useless
variety -- a song index, a brief bio of Peters, etc. This one is all about
the performance.
The Best of Broadway Musicals (Good Times/Sofa)
Many great musicals and stage stars made appearances on the Ed Sullivan
Show. A dozen such moments are preserved on this DVD. Highlights include
Celeste Holm's still-definitive "I Cain't Say No" from Oklahoma,
Julie Andrews and Richard Burton singing "What Do the Simple Folk
Do" from Camelot, Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert in the
"Tonight" scene from West Side Story, Pearl Bailey and
the full cast of Hello Dolly in "Before the Parade
Passes By" . . . there
is a lot of wonderful viewing here. The picture quality varies a bit, but
all these clips taken from the best archival copies and preserve
performances that otherwise survive only on cast recordings and in fading
memories. If you love musicals and can find a copy of this DVD, grab it!
Brigadoon (WB/Turner)
This film always gets a bum rap because it was filmed in the MGM studios
and not on location, but there is much to relish when the likes of Gene
Kelly and Cyd Charisse are dancing their way through a classic Lerner and
Loewe musical. The score is well served, and the DVD release lets us enjoy
the film in its full widescreen glory.
No special features, so you might be just as well catch this one in a
rerun on PBS or TCM.
Broadway: The Golden Age (RCA/BMG)
Filmmaker Rick McKay interviewed every theatrical legend he could get in
front of a camera, and from hundreds of hours of interviews he has gleaned
this engrossing look at Broadway's lost golden age. Anyone with an
interest in theatre is bound to love seeing a parade of familiar faces
share their memories of times and performances gone by. Special features
include a generous amount of additional footage and a tempting preview of
McKay's next project, Broadway: The Next Generation.
Broadway Melody (WB/Turner)
This clunker was the first talkie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?
Yikes! A silly backstage romance and ponderous performances make this
less than ideal viewing, but the landmark score by Freed & Brown
includes some wonderful songs, and the DVD edition offers a small but
choice selection of hard-to-find vintage musical shorts. Most notable are
a spoof called "Dogway Melody," and some clowning by vaudeville
legends Van & Schenck. Some interest for serious students of the
genre, but a film this historic deserved a commentary track. Your
call.
Calamity Jane (WB/Turner)
Warner Brothers tried to emulate MGM's Freed Unit here, with mixed
results. Doris day is a lot of fun as the title character, who must leave
behind her beloved buckskins and six-shooters if she is to capture the heart of hunky
Howard Keel. It is a blatant rip-off of the Annie Get Your Gun
plot, but that is no sin in Hollywood. The Sammy Fain-Paul Francis Webster
score includes the hit ballad "Secret Love," but otherwise
rarely rises above the pleasant. There is no commentary, and the special
features are limited to a few newsreels and useless production notes. Not
filmed in widescreen, so there is only a "standard format"
edition.
Call Me Madam (20th Century Fox)
If you can find a copy of this DVD, treat yourself to an evening with
Ethel Merman at her peak. This is one of only two times that Merm got
to recreate one of her stage roles on the big screen --
and her 1936 version of Anything
Goes is not nearly as faithful to the original, or a fraction as much
fun as this first rate adaptation. The sound and picture have been
handsomely restored, so we can relish the talents of Donald O'Connor, Vera
Ellen and a surprisingly well-sung performance by George Sanders -- yes,
he most certainly DID do his own singing. That wonderful comic actor Billy
DeWolfe is on hand as a persnickety diplomat who gets the full Merman
treatment. Historian Miles Kreuger provides detailed fascinating
commentary, and the original trailers have been thrown in. As soon as
Ethel smiles a mile wide and belts out "Hostess With the Mostest,"
you'll know you're home. A joyous musical lovers feast!
Camelot (Acorn)
Originally broadcast on HBO in 1983, this version is the best Camelot on
video to date -- which, I admit, is not saying too much. Skip
owning the dreadful big screen version, all copies of which should be stored on
Pluto to prevent contamination of the human race. In this TV adaptation, one
still has to suffer the self-indulgent performance of Richard Harris, whose
numbers had to be re-dubbed after the taping, with
predictably clumsy results. On the other hand, we
also get a lavish stage presentation of the full show, with the divine Meg
Bussert as Guenevere and Richard Muenz at his sexy baritone best as
Lancelot. Alan Jay Lerner made some revisions to the libretto, turning
most of the action into a flashback. Lerner & Loewe fans will want this
one, and students of musical theatre performance can relish a chance to see
Bussert & Muenz sing and act rings around their creaky leading man.
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