Film  

De-Lovely tells the story of the adult life of the greatest composer of popular song in American history, Cole Porter. It does so in a very creative manner using the songs themselves to tell the story as Cole is shown his life by the Archangel Gabriel a moment before his death, Broadway show style in a small theater.

Gabriel, played beautifully by Jonathan Pryce, arrives at Cole Porter’s apartment near the moment of his death. He then takes him to the small theater in Indiana where Cole started his career and shows him his life, warts and all. Cole Porter is played beautifully by Kevin Kline, who is quite a showman himself and who sings and plays the piano himself quite well during the entire film.

It picks up his life in Paris as a young man. Cole Porter was already quite well off as a young man due to the wealth of his family and quite a playboy and party animal in addition to being a little known amateur songwriter outside his social circle in Paris. He also had his own little secret not known outside his small circle of friends, namely that he was gay. It was in Paris that he met the only real love of his life, Linda Thomas, who is portrayed in quite a moving performance by Ashley Judd. She knew Cole was Gay but loved him nonetheless as he was able to complete her.

In a way, she completed him as well, as it was she who guided his career, introducing him to her friend, Irving Berlin who recommended him to write and stage his first Broadway play. While he always didn’t realize it at the time until her death, Cole truly loved Linda. He turned bitter after her death and never wrote much after her death. For a man who wrote such beautiful songs about love, Cole Porter was never truly able to understand the concept until he lost the one thing that he truly did love.

As good as the acting and storytelling is here, the real star of the film is the music. Over 30 Cole Porter songs are presented here, from Let’s Misbehave, to Be A Clown, to Night and Day to Every Time WE Say Goodbye to Love for Sale. The arrangements of the tunes is varied from more traditional arrangements to some very original and modern ones.

The film features several a musical performances, from the likes of Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Robbie Williams, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette. The choices for the artiest to perform these songs is quite interesting. While DIana Krall wold be a no brainer for this type of music, the use of Alanis Morissette was and out of the box and very effective choice and she nails Let’s Do It.

The film even features John Barrowman aka Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood singing Night and Day in a duet with Kevin Kline. For me, the highlights of the film musically are Sheryl Crow’s stark and sultry performance of Begin the Beguine as well as a jazzy and bluesy and quite naughty rendition Love for Sale depicting Cole Porter’s exploits in a gay club in Los Angeles, as Cole Porter risks the exposure of his lifestyle at the height of his career.

Cole Porter was a brilliant songwriter and a very complicated man who lead a very complicated life. The use of his own songs to tell his story, warts and all, is simply sensational. I know there will be some that will be put off by some of the subject matter in the film, but it is a brilliantly conceived and executed film nonetheless, presented with some of the finest popular music ever written, if not the finest. If you haven’t seen the film or are unfamiliar with the music of Cole Porter, by all means see this film. De-Lovely is highly recommended.

Video  

As enthusiastic as I am about the film, I cant say that I was all that pleased with the video. With certain exceptions that were few and far between, I found the film to be rather soft, flat and lacking in detail. Black levels as well were inconsistent. In particular, I found facial details to be lacking, as though the detail was scrubbed away. While I wouldn’t say that the actors had a clayfaced appearance, it would not surprise me to learn that digital noise reduction was applied to this encode.

While the film features a very natural looking color palette, the overall picture can best be described as soft, flat and fuzzy, lacking the clarity, depth and detail that we have come to expect with Blu-ray releases. While not quite of DVD quality, the video on this release has more of that DVD look that I had expected and is far from reference material. IN fact, it would not surprise me to learn that the video here was taken from the transfer made for the prior DVD release of the film. It would have been nice, although probably too expensive for this type of film, to go back and do a new transfer for a Blu-ray release.

Audio  

While I was disappointed with the video presentation here, the audio presentation is a good bit better, although still not as good as I had expected. The dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the mix. The film is rather front heavy with the surrounds used quite effectively, to create room ambiance. While room ambiance is present throughout, I would not exactly call this an immersive sound mix. The real focus here is the music, which has very nice bass, transparency and imaging. If I would have one complaint with the music, it would be that it can at times sound a bit bright, especially in comparison with the rest of the audio.

Special Features  

The extras here are all ported over from the prior DVD release of the film. The extras include:

• Two audio commentaries, one with Director Irwin Winkler and Kevin Kline and a second with Irwin Winkler and screenwriter Jay Cocks.
• Featurettes about the making of the film. The longest is the behind the scenes “Making of De-Lovely” featuring interviews with Irwin Winkler, Jay Cocks, Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Price, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Alanis Morisette and Sheryl Crow among a quite a few others.
• A look at the musical performances in the film entitled “The Music of De-Lovely” which features some of the same interviews featured in the making of featurette.
• Two making of featurettes showing how the Love For Sale and Be A Clown scenes were constructed and filmed.
• Deleted scenes
• Trailers

All in all, the extras included here are rather standard fair and include nothing that was not already included on the prior DVD release of the film. All are presented in standard definition.

Final Thoughts 

De-Lovely is a very original and compelling look into the complicated life of America’s greatest tunesmith, Cole Porter, and some truly wonderful music. While I was disappointed with the video presentation included here, I can still highly recommend this film. Check it out, I am sure you will be glad you did.

Film  

I am sure that all of you know just a tad about this film even if you have never seen it or have even heard about it. We all know the opening lines of ‘if I were a rich man, da da deed dum, da da dee da daddle dum….” and have all heard the song “Sunrise Sunset” one place or the other. However, Fiddler On The Roof is so much more and is a very deep and moving film.

The film is set in the Ukraine in Zarist Russia in 1905. The film takes place in the small jewish village of Anatevka and follows Tevye, his wife Golde and their 5 daughters. Tevya is played by Topol (nominated for best Actor for his work in the film) who was in the same role in the play as it played in London, with Zero Mostel in that role in New York. Teyva is the central character in the play. He is a milkman in this very small and very poor village who is looking to marry off his oldest daughter to the rich and much older butcher in town. However, something intervenes in this plan, namely the 20th Century and the concept on romantic love.

It seems that Tevya’s oldest daughter wants to marry for love and does not want to accept the prior tradition of arranged marriages. In fact, the tensions between the old traditions and new ways of the 20th Century are what is at the heart of the film, from romantic love to the use of modern machinery to interfaith marriages, it is all covered here, all set against the backdrop of a small traditional and orthodox Jewish village. It is not just Tevya and his family that are caught up in the turmoil of change but the entire town too as the film is also set against the background of the Russian revolution. The end of traditions indeed.

What makes this film so special for me is that they were able to take the play off stage, keep most of the dialogue intact and place you in the town with the family, to give you a glimpse of what it must have been to live in the town at that time. The acting and writing is superb as are the songs and orchestrations by John Williams. The acting, direction, sets and music here are all top notch and well worth a look. if you haven’t seen this film, do yourself and favor and do so.

If you have already seen the film, see it again. A bit of warning, it is a long film and is broken into two acts. You may want to break up your viewing of the film into two nights. Check it out, you will be glad you did. This film is very highly recommended.

Video  

I was more than happy with the look of the film. The film has a very natural looking color palette. Where it falls a bit short, is in the level of detail and blacks levels. The film, like too many films of its vintage (in this case 1971) is a bit soft. As a result, fine facial detail and background details are lacking in all but the extreme closeups. Black levels are also a bit inconsistent and never deep and inky. At best, they are a dark gray. As a result, the image lacks a bit of depth. However, the film otherwise looks quite nice and pleasing to the eye. The print looks to be in excellent shape as well and has undergone an very nice restoration for this 40th Anniversary release of the film. The look of the film on Blu-ray should more than please fans of the film.

Audio  

The audio here is presented in a 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio mix. Given the age of the film and the overall original sound design of the film, I found this to be rather surprising. The film is very front heavy with sparse use of the surrounds. Given this fact, a 5.1 mix would have been more than adequate and a 7.1 mix, simply overkill, adding little to the overall audio presentation of the material.

The overall fidelity of the recorded sound is quite good, sounding full, rich and warm. Dynamics are good but no where near reference. The dialogue track is well recorded and placed in the mix although it did appear to me that there were small sync issues with the recording of the songs which did not always match up properly with the picture. This was rare and very very minor but noticeable enough for me to check my system to make sure it was functioning properly. In case you are wondering, it was. The orchestrations here by John Williams sound great with a wonderful warm and rich sound that I found to be very pleasing. If you are looking for a totally immersive sound experience with room rattling dynamics, Fiddler On The Roof is not the film for you. However, given the age of the film and its original sound design, I found the audio here to be more than presentable.

Special Features  

The extras here are fairly extensive, although it appears to me that most were ported over from the prior DVD release of the film.

• Audio commentaries by director Norman Jewison and Topol as well as a look at Norman Jewison as a film maker.
• Retrospective interview with Norman Jewison about the film entitled Norman Jewison Looks back which I might add I found rather informative.
• Interview with John Williams about the musical score entitled “John Williams: Creating a Musical Tradition” which I also found to be interesting. There is a look at the songs featured in the film entitled quite appropriately “Songs of Fiddler On The Roof”.
• One deleted song from the film “Any Day Now” which features the actual recording of the song with pictures of the actors singing given that the filmed sequence has been lost.
• A look at the three actresses who played Tevye’s three oldest daughters in the film including interviews with each.
• Set designs and locales for the film as well as a story board to film comparison.
• Teyve’s dream sequence with a comparison between the live color footage that was compared directly side by side on screen to the desaturated almost black and white footage that was actually included in the film.
• The remaining extras consist of trailers and TV sports for the film.

Fiddler On The Roof is a two disc combo pack and also contains a DVD copy of the film as well. If you are a fan of the film, there is quite a bit to go through here with most of it being quite interesting and informative and well worth your time.

Final Thoughts  

Fiddler On The Roof is a great film that has more than withstood the test of time. The film has never looked or sounded better in the home than it does on this release and is a worthy addition to the collection of any serious film fan and is very highly recommended.

I was somewhat curious about reviewing my first “true” black and white film (Young Frankenstein was the first I had reviewed), and was equally curious to see how much charisma the relatively young Elvis of 1957 possessed.

Film

This movie was an absolute surprise.  Instead of the fun-filled lightweight eye candy that Viva Las Vegas was, Jailhouse Rock was actually somewhat seedy and serious.  Elvis plays a blue-collar worker (Vince Everett) who is sent to jail to serve a sentence for manslaughter, all result of defending a woman in a bar fight.  In jail, his cellmate is a former professional musician Hunk Houghton (played by Mickey Shaugnessy), who teaches him some guitar, and gets him onto a television show broadcast from the prison.  Bags of fan mail ensure, and after his release, Vince seeks to establish a career as a performer.

A chance encounter with a record company employee, Peggy (played by the late yet lovely Judy Tyler) helps launch Vince’s career.  She helps him get his first record deal, and he treats her like dirt, glowers at her parents, insults her parents’ guests, then sex appeals her into submission.  Success is almost instantaneous, giving Elvis license to slap around music executives, sass lawyers, use the word sexy (this was 1957), be reasonably lecherous, and belittle Hunk.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this film is that Elvis’ character is a class-A jerk.  Rude to the warden, rude to ladies, rude to prospective employers, grunting, scowling, and silent, it was almost as if Elvis was channeling a James Dean “lite” for this film.  Cool, yet rebellious, this movie was quite a bit different from the fluffy movies to come.

The story certainly does feel 1950’s, with a linear and uncomplicated narrative, and characters who are wonderfully somewhere between caricature and fully fleshed out.  Musical numbers are an appropriate part of the film and not intrusive.  The behind the scenes view of the 1950’s recording industry felt authentic.

Video

Would it be possible to believe a black and white movie could look better than many modern color films?  The print of this film was absolutely gorgeous.  Beautiful shading, sharp edges, minimal and appropriate grain, wonderful blacks – what else does one want?

The cinematography was equally nice, with excellent use of depth of field, and wonderful framing in almost every shot.  My only question is, “How can Jailhouse Rock look so good when Elvis on Tour (filmed 15 years later) looks like a VHS tape?”

Audio

An absolutely superb job was done with the TrueHD remix of the original mono track.  Voices and vocals are spread nicely across the entire front soundstage, and some information surprisingly shows up in the surrounds.  LFE data is expectedly nominal.

So how does this film get such a high score? It’s all in the music, baby.  The quality of the musical numbers is fantastic, and well above the quality one normally hears in 50’s vintage recordings.  The sound in this film puts a number of my Elvis CDs and LPs (that’s a record for you kids out there) to shame.  Sharp and clearly defined instruments combined with the natural timbre and resonance of Elvis’ voice to make the music number magical.

Special Features

This disc comes with very few special features.  Considering all are in 480p, I’m assuming these are a carry-over from the DVD release of the film.

Included are the theatrical trailer (boy, trailers sure sucked back then), and a 15-minute featurette “The Scene that Stole Jailhouse Rock”; mainly interesting due to hearing how Lieber & Stoller hated what Elvis did with their songs.  Finally, there is a boring commentary from the author of “Elvis in Hollywood”, delivered in a humorless monotone.

Final Thoughts

After enjoying Viva Las Vegas and hating Elvis on Tour, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Jailhouse Rock.  Was I ever pleasantly surprised by the quality of the audio and video, the surliness of Elvis, and the coherence and weight of the plot.  Not only do I give this disc a “Buy It” recommendation, I can recommend the 3-Disc Elvis Blu-Ray Collection on the strength of this disc and Viva Las Vegas.  Both films offer an interesting snapshot into a time that more and more seems foreign to our own with each passing day.

Films 

Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 have been released as a 4 disc combo pack with Blu-ray and DVD versions of the films on separate discs. I am sure that all of you are very familiar with both films, especially Fantasia. Both films are essentially a series of music videos, with some stunning and in the case of Fantasia revolutionary animation, set to classical music. The idea behind the films was to have the animators inspired by the music and to create images in their mind as a result of the music. The animation can at times be either very abstract or in the case of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, tell a simple straightforward story.

Fantasia was originally released to theaters in 1940 and was a bit of a disappointment in terms of audience acceptance. The film was certainly a bold gamble by Walt Disney in terms of the content but it didn’t connect with audiences in the way he envisioned. Perhaps it was a bit too abstract a concept for general audiences or the fact tat it featured classical music rather than the popular music of the time period. Even back in 1940, classical music was a hard sell to mainstream audiences. The music featured in the film is certainly timeless featuring in order of appearance: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F, OP. 68 “pastorale”, Ponchielli’s Ls Gioconda Dance of the Hours, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Schubert’s Ave Maria. All of the music was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by the great Leopold Stokowski. Perhaps the best known of the scenes in Fantasia is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice which features Mickey Mouse and the frightening (for its day) Night on Bald Mountain. While Walt Disney envisioned that the film would be rereleased periodically with new music and animation added, the film did not do well enough at the box office to warrant any such additional releases. That changed in the 1990′s when Walt Disney’s brother Roy, decided that it was time to put together a new version of the film in time to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the release of the original.

Fantasia 2000 offers all new music and animation with the exception of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice which is included from the first film. The film features in order of appearance (as performed by the Chicago Symphony orchestra conducted by James Levine): Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C MInor I. Allegra con brio, Respighi’s PInes of Rome, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major I. Allegro, Saint Saens’s The Carnival of the Animals’-Finale, Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

Of the two films, Fantasia is the most historically significant. However, I enjoyed the music on Fantasia 2000 a bit more, including Gershwin’s jazz masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, which for me, is the highlight of the Fantasia 2000 set. In 2010, classical music is an even harder sell than it was in 1940 and for far too many people, I would  think that sitting through 90 minutes worth of abstract animation and  classical music together a bit of a bore. This is really a shame as both of these films deserve to be experienced by a much larger audience and are both highly recommended.

Video 

Both of these films underwent major restorations for their initial releases in high definition and it really shows. While Fantasia is certainly dated in terms of its style and visuals, the restoration is so good that the film is worthy of a 5 star rating even if the animation, while groundbreaking for its time, is not. and perhaps worthy of a 4 star rating at best. While I was not around to see the film in theaters in 1940, I can’t imagine that it looked any better than it does on this release. The images in Fantasia 2000 are simply astounding. Both films share a bright and bold color palette with deep and inky blacks.

Fantasia is presented in its original 4×3 aspect ration and Fantasia 2000 in 16 x 9.  The depth and clarity of 2000 is simply stunning, with sense of depth that is off the charts. Just take a look at the scenes in Pines of Rome, when the baby whale is lost inside an iceberg. The sense of depth is so good that you feel as though you are actually peering into the inside of an iceberg. In Fantasia 2000, when the screen goes black it goes jet black. Image detail on Fantasia 2000 is astounding as well. I found no evidence of motion artifacts or blocking, even during the opening of 2000 Beethoven’s Symphony No, 5, which must have been a torture chamber for the team during the encoding of the film. Each and every one of those fast moving triangles is clearly visible during the entire sequence, at least on a 60 inch screen. Fantasia 2000 contains some stunning animation and is a huge leap in quality over the previously released DVD. If you are a fan of these films, you will be nothing short of amazed by the video quality featured here.

Audio 

Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are each presented in a 7.1 audio mix encoded with DTS HD Master Audio. While both sound fantastic, the audio presentation on Fantasia 2000 can only be described as sublime. Fantasia was not only groundbreaking in is visuals but for its audio as well, as it was recorded in a multichannel  format dubbed Fantasound. Accordingly, it transfers very well into a 7.1 or 5.1, with a level of fidelity that is quite surprising for 1940.

The overall fidelity of Fantasia is excellent with an excellent dynamics and an aggressive use of all channels to create a very immersive sound mix. While the sound is superb given its age, the sound lacks the utter transparency and imaging of a more modern recording., like Fantasia 2000, which has much more in the way of depth and a sonic purity that Fantasia can’t match. In fact, the music on Fantasia 2000 is presented with such a high degree of fidelity and in such an immersive sound mix, that I can state without hesitation that is at the top of my list in terms of a Blu-ray audio experience. Fantasia 2000 contains a reference quality audio experience if I have ever heard one and was a thrill to experience on Blu-ray. For multichannel musical presentations,  it doesn’t get any better than this.

Special Features 

Fantasia is presented with audio commentaries by Disney historian Brian Sibley, Roy E. Disney, conductor James Levine, animation historian John Canemaker and Scott McQueen, who manager the films restoration. Also included is a short featurette on the Disney Family Museaum in San Francisco. The most interesting of the Fantasia features is the featurette “The Shultheis Notebook” which details a notebook created by Herman Shultheis found recently which contains a step by step description of how the animation in Fantasia was done. The notebook is very important as without it, the techniques used to create this film would still be unknown to this day.

The extras for Fantasia 2000 includ the featurette “Musicana”  a look at a 1970′s project that was intended to be a sequel to Fantasia but which never went to production, outside of some hand drawn pre production pieces by Disney animators, including John Lasseter, who went on to create Pixar and who is now the head of Disney Studios. Also included is a rather long piece clocking in at 82 minutes entitled “Dali & Disney” which details a collaborative relationship between two unlikely collaborators. Salvadore Dali and Walt Disney, resulting in the Destino short, which is included as well. The extras for Fantasia 2000 also include audio commentaries by Roy E. Disney, James Levine, producer Don Ernst as well as the directors and art directors for each sequence of the film. All of the extras are presented in high definition.

Final Thoughts  

Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 represents another in a series of incredible film restoration work by the folks at Disney. This set features some striking video. I can’t imagine these films looking or sounding any better than they do here. This set is highly recommended for all film buffs and Disney collectors in particular.

Film  

Again the folks at the various film studios have provided us with yet another all time classic film on Blu-ray this year, this time, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music. Released in 1965, the film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Sound.

The film stars Julie Andrews as Maria, a vibrant and engaging woman who thinks she wants to become a nun. She doesn’t quite fit in with the other sisters at the convent in Salzburg, Austria, and when a position opens up with a local war hero’s family (the von Trapps) for a governess, the Mother Superior at the convent volunteers Maria for the job, in part to see if she can work out whether she really wants to become a nun. Maria arrives for the job with no experience with children and find the father of the 7 children, Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) a bit too strict and regimented. While music was a part of the family at one time, Georg no longer had any interest in music after the death of his wife, the mother of the seven children.

When Georg travels to visit a countess and his possible future wife in Vienna, Maria charms the children with her lively personality and music talents and quickly becomes a part of the family. When Georg returns with his future bride in tow, he quickly becomes infatuated with Maria. While Georg is having issues to deal with in his love life, he is also experiencing political issues of his own, as he has no interest in being part of the Nazi’ party as the Nazi’s are taking over control of the country in a bloodless coup known as the Anschluss.

After he finally admits his feelings to Maria and Maria and Georg wed, Georg and Maria return early from their honeymoon in Paris and find that the Anschluss has been completed. Georg’s refusal to become a member of the Nazi party and his continuing Austrian nationalism has put his own life and the lives of the rest of his family at risk.

The film is based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that made its Broadway debut in 1959 which in turn is absd on the real life von Trappe family, who fled Austria after the Anschluss, eventually immigrating to the US in the 1930′s. The film is filled with several spectacular songs and memorable performances by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. While a bit on the sweet side in terms of the characterizations and musical style, the film still holds up quite well and is one of the greatest musicals of all time, along with my all time favorite Singin’ In The Rain.

Just about everything about this film is spectacular, from the cinematography, acting, score and direction, to the incredible scenery, this film is a real keeper. The Sound of Music is an all time classic and a must own for any film fan and receives my highest recommendation.

Video  

The Sound of Music has undergone a major restoration for this release, with an original camera negative undergoing a 8k frame by frame transfer. All dirt, scratches and defects were removed digitally and the film color corrected. The transfer of the film to Blu-ray was based on a 4k transfer made from the original 8k copy of the film. The result of all this work is a spectacular looking film, with a level of detail, black level, shadow detail and color purity that is a sight to behold.

The quality of the video is noticeable immediately upon the opening with Julie Andrews singing the theme on the top of a mountain overlooking Salzburg. From the beautiful blue sky, the lush green grass and the gray granite lf the mountains, this film looks spectacular. I really can’t imagine the film looking better. The image is razor sharp for the most part with exceptional levels of detail. Blacks are nearly perfect without any black crush and having excellent shadow detail. Yes, there are a few scenes that are rather soft, in particular, the scenes at night near the gazebo, but they are clearly intentionally softened by the cinematographer.

If there was any digital noise reduction applied to this transfer, it is hard to tell from the level of detail present in the image. In addition, fine film grain is clearly visible, with the transfer having a film like appearance that will no doubt thrill the film purists out there. This is a great film and an example of film restoration at its very best. Kudos to the crew responsible for this restoration and for the folks at Fox for such a stellar looking release.

Audio  

While a 7.1 mix, I would not exactly call this the most immersive sound experience I have ever heard at home. However, the sonics and overall fidelity are of such high quality that I can’t justify giving this release anything short of a perfect score. The original film’s sound elements were in what was described as 6 channel stereo with five front channels and one mono rear channel. The sound was mixed to a 7.1 mix with three front channels, 2 side channels and 2 rear stereo channels.

The film is rather front heavy with the side surrounds used for the orchestral pieces only with the surrounds room ambience and discreet effects. The overall fidelity of the sound is spectacular, especially the vocal musical tracks, with each voice sounding so pure and distinctive as to sound as though the actresses were in the room. All of the voices are presented perfectly in the sound mix, exactly in the same position as they are one screen. Transparency and imaging are spectacular. Just listen to the opening scene at the von Trappe mansion when the butler answers the front door. Listen as Maria enters the room and the butler asks her to stay there as he leaves the room to the right. You can clearly hear the butler’s steps as he exits the room and more importantly, your room, far to the right, well past the boundary of your room. The sense of aural depth, both front to back and side to side is outstanding.

This is a great sounding film and release. Clearly, the same degree of care that went into a restoration of the film’s visuals, went into the reproduction of the audio track. The sound is smooth, open and dare I say it rich, with excellent bass and dynamics. This is a top notch audio track and fully deserving of a full 5 star rating.

Special Features  

The Sound of Music is presented in a three disc combo pack, with disc one containing the Blu-ray version of the film, disc two the new extra package and disc three, a DVD and digital copy version of the film.

Disc two contains all new high def extras and covers just about as many topics as one could imagine, from the restoration of the film and soundtrack, the real von Trappe family on which the film is based, a back lot tour, looks at the music, the score, the sets, the locals featured in the film, looks at the various stage versions of the play, looks at Rodgers and Hammerstein, screen tests, interviews and photo galleries.

While disc one contains audio commentaries featuring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and director Robert Wise, I felt that there was on glaring omission from the extras, namely interviews with Ms. Andrews and Mr. Plummer. Other than this one omission, the extras here provide the viewer with about as much information into the film’s history as one would ever want. I had a great time clicking through all the extras and learned a lot about the making of the film, the prior and subsequent stage adaptations, Rodgers and Hammerstein as well as the real life von Trappe family. With the one omission as noted above, the extras here are great and well worth a gander.

Final Thoughts  

The Sound of Music is an all time classic film and one that has undergone a top notch restoration that is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. The Sound of Music is a film that should take its place in the collection of every serious film fan and is very highly recommended.

My impression of the films was that they were fluff pieces, that Elvis wasn’t really much of an actor, and that they were really “teen exploitation” films (the logical successors of which include The Hannah Montana Movie).  So it was with some amusement that I sat down to watch Viva Las Vegas, curious to see just exactly what an Elvis film was.

Film

This was actually a very difficult movie to score.  As a film, really, it wasn’t very good.  It was sort of like a Jerry Lewis comedy, just with more singing, and poorer jokes.  At the same time, it was an oddly compelling, overly cooked “Panavision Metrocolor” film set in a very young Las Vegas, starring two of the most beautiful people you will ever see.

Elvis plays Lucky Jackson, a race car driver who travels to Las Vegas to compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.  However, a chance encounter with an impossibly young and beautiful Ann-Margret (Ms. Rusty Nelson) causes all sorts of issues including Rusty causing Lucky to lose the cash needed to buy an engine for his car. 

In steps Lucky’s greatest competition, the slick, rich, urbane and charming Count Elmo Mancini (played well by Cesare Danova) who becomes both a friend and a competitor, on the track, and for Rusty’s affections.

Lots of pleasant things happen, Lucky seduces (within the context of a 1960’s film) Rusty with his wit, persistence, and charm, there are lots of musical numbers (including the extremely charming “The Lady Loves Me”), and all works out for our hero in the end.

Although the word lightweight could be applied to the film, it is lightweight in a pleasant way.  Both leads are very nice to look at, with Elvis literally oozing charm and charisma in every scene he is in.  Ann-Margret is absolutely lovely, and can sing and dance to keep up with Elvis.  The plot moves reasonably quickly, and substitutes music and dance numbers for details and logic (all of which are well done).  In a way, it is a very nice, traditional, clean fun sort of movie.

Even the supporting cast is good, with Mr. Danova bringing a proper balance of charm and unctuousness when wooing Rusty.  Even ancillary characters such as Rusty’s Father (William Demarest) and Lucky’s sidekick Shorty Fansworth (Nicky Blair) are played with the cheery enthusiasm you expect from a 1960’s movie.

Generally, a film like this would earn 2 to 2.5 discs simply for being so fluffy.  That being stated, this is the type of clean wholesome entertainment I grew up watching on TV as a kid, earning it an extra disc, just for nostalgia value.

Video

Considering the age of the film, this restoration and transfer is superb.  Grain is kept to a nominal amount (almost a little too clean), and sharpness is better than anything else I’ve seen from the era.  The “Metrocolor” print literally pops, though color shading is lost to the brightness.

However, what really impressed me was the detail still available, even in an older print like this.  When one piece of Elvis’ hair falls onto his forehead, we see that piece of hair.  Every dollar saved in the building of the sets was on full 1080p display for us to see.  In short, an excellent video presentation, especially considering the era of the film.    

Audio

This vintage of film will never truly have great sound.  But again, the folks at Warner have done an excellent job with the original mono track making it into a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track.

As expected, dynamic range is quite limited, with little use of the LFE channel.  The surrounds were used at times, but also suffered from this compressed dynamic range.  Highs just simply were not sharp, lows were notably absent, and at times, some of the voices (especially during some musical numbers) overcame the recording equipment used, causing audible distortion.

This being stated, dynamic levels through the centre were controlled exceedingly well, with clear dialog throughout.  Most importantly, the musical numbers are handled as well as numbers from the era could be, without the usual midrange stridency that affects many of these recordings.

Special Features

A fairly skinny set of special features, something fairly common for movies made in the day where watching a movie at home when you wanted to would be unthinkable.

What are included is a commentary by noted Elvis author Steve Pond, a short SD featurette, and an extremely poor copy of the trailer.

Although the commentary is pretty good, overall this is a pretty poor special feature set.    

Final Thoughts

As originally mentioned, I really did not know what to expect from the film, and ended up pleasantly surprised with just how much I was entertained.  Possibly that this the best way to describe this film; it is pure entertainment from an era before political and social messages began creeping into movies.

Oddly enough, out of the many films I’ve recently viewed, I have a sneaking suspicion this is one will be viewed a few more times.

Mr. Brooks has never struck me as a subtle humorist, and I had some worry that a comedy-musical-drama about World War II and Nazism could be taken from funny to farcical under his guidance.  Perplexingly, I also had high expectations at the same time – with such rich subject matter, and a stellar cast, this movie had the potential to be really good.  And in short, this movie was really good, the type of comedy I grew up on, and the type that seems to have fallen out of favor with the viewing public.

Film

Set on the eve of World War II, Mel Brooks plays Frederick Bronski, an apparently “famous” Polish actor who takes pride in his portrayal of Hamlet in his Excerpts from Hamlet.  In art imitating life, his wife Anna Bronski is played by Mr. Brooks’ very talented wife, the late Anne Bancroft.  As owners and lead actors in a Polish theatre company, not all is rosy between the couple, as Mrs. Bronski is feeling her importance to their success is being minimized.  This is illustrated early in the film with one of the best visual jokes I’ve ever seen (when Frederick is shown a poster for their upcoming performance of The Merry Widower).  Mrs. Bronski has her own issues, including her encouragement of advances being made to her by a dashing Polish airman, Lt. Sobinski (played by Tim Matheson).

As we historically know, the Germans invaded Poland, leading Lt. Sobinski to find himself flying for the free Polish forces in England.  There, he and his comerades give names of friends and family who are in the Polish Resistance to Professor Siletski (played well by Jose Ferrer), a traitorous agent who secretly wishes to give the information to the Nazis.

Although Lt. Sobinski gives a cryptic message of love to be taken to Anna, he later deduces Professor Siletski’s plan, and is asked by officials to go to Poland to keep Dr. Siletski from delivering this list of names to the Gestapo.  However, since Anna’s name appears on the list of people to send messages to, the Bronskis are drawn into this drama, as is their entire theatre company.

The decision to have Alan Johnson direct the film may have been the most important decision Mr. Brooks made for the quality of this film.  Mel Brooks-directed films share a certain manic “over-the-topness” that would have been inappropriate for To Be or Not to Be.  This is a story that makes fun of Nazi Germany and the self-aggrandizement of actors, yet still has serious overtones such as the Gestapo, the invasion of Poland, and the Holocaust.  Although humorous, the material requires a sensitivity and finesse to make it funny, while never losing sight of what Nazism actually meant.

Despite its grim subject matter, this is easily one of the funniest and wittiest movies I’ve seen in a very long time.  The chemistry between the actors is palpable, and their interaction is superb.  Classic comedic timing is apparent on every joke, and laughs are for the viewer to figure out – they are not handed to the audience with auditory clues or over the top visuals (a la American Pie).  The surrounding cast are as superb as they get, with standout performances from George Gaynes, Charles Durning, and James Haake.  However, special mention goes to Anne Bancroft for playing Anna in a wry and comedic way, to Mel Brooks for toning down his schtick when the script calls for it, and to Christopher Lloyd, who steals every scene he is in as a hapless SS man.

In the end, this is a very funny movie that demonstrates how good comedy can be, especially when understated humor meets over-the-top humor.  It also makes great use of classical elements of comedy, including visual jokes, running gags, caricature, and classic timing to make the audience laugh.  I cannot recollect the last time I had seen a film where I have laughed out loud this much, many times at my surprise in finding a joke that wasn’t all that obvious.  Smart, funny, and a bit melancholy, this is what a comedy should be.

Video

Again, the producers of this box set have done an excellent job with the video restoration of this film.  Although the grain we would expect for an early 80’s movie is there, enough is cleaned up so that it doesn’t become distracting in 1080p.

However, there were some issues with the presentation, most notably the soft focus that seemed to be used on Anne Bancroft from the midpoint of the film-on.  These scenes simply have a quality not congruent with the rest of the exceptional visuals in this film.  There are also scenes where there are color bleed issues, such as when Frederik returns from his meeting with the Gestapo then finds Lt. Sobinski in his bed – his shirt looks like a light bulb in the dark room.

Set design must have been done well, as they all look great and pop with color (especially the luxuriously appointed theatre interior).  Costumes were also equally well done, and the fabrics and detail truly shine in HD.  Originally a choreographer, the exactness in Director Johnson’s eye plays out well through this film, creating a great visual landscape that translated very well to Blu-ray. 

Audio

As an early 80’s film, I expected the audio presentation to be a bit of a mixed bag.  And true to form for movies of this era, it was.

Firstly, the score by John Morris is superb, and itself contains very wry and ironic themes while accompanying the movie.  It is not often one hears “Deutschland Uber Alles” incorporated slightly off kilter into a soundtrack.  Through the DTS-HD MA presentation, this score shines.

Dialog is also very clear through the centre channel, though it seems to be a bit mixed-down or muffled.  Although volume levels are good, a certain crispness or sibilance was missing.  We do suffer from the early 80’s issue of lack of dynamic range and spatializing, with the LFE channel being sadly underused, much like the surrounds.

All-in-all, an average audio presentation for a film of this era – nothing great, but better than serviceable.

Special Features

Much like Silent Movie, To Be or Not to Be did not receive a solo Blu-ray release, and we therefore find a skinnier feature set on this disc.  Included are a trivia pop-up track (a good one by the way), an isolated score track, a short HD featurette on Bancroft and Brooks working together, a short vintage promo piece (in SD), three short interviews (also in SD), plus trailers for this film and other Mel Brooks films.

Generally, not an overly impressive special feature set, with the main HD featurette being charming yet below the standard of the one that accompanied Silent Movie.

Final Thoughts

Although the “extras” of this film were minimal and the audio presentation was pedestrian, the video presentation was quite good, with the film itself being wonderful.  Well-acted, possessing a sensitivity to the subject matter, and delivering comedy in an intelligent and witty way, this is a movie I know I will watch again.

Although not a “traditional” Mel Brooks movie, I have not seen a film that better highlights his ability as an actor.  Nor have I seen a film in recent memory show how closely related comedy and tragedy are.

And unfortunately, I am again giving a “Buy It” recommendation for a film that is only available as a part of this collection.

Film 

The film follows a con man who goes town to town starting up “boy’s bands”, embezzling the money the townspeople invest into the band and skips down. The film shows us what happens when he becomes slightly more attached when he visits his next target, River City.

Filled with some classic musical pieces that most of the blu-ray watching demographic (myself included) have probably never heard of. Besides “Shipoopi”, which Stewie from Family Guy does a cover in one of the episodes. However, even to modern viewers of the film, it is obvious that this was one of the great classic musicals.

After some research I found out that Morton DaCosta, the director, had worked closely with Meredith Wilson, the writer of the Broadway show and the film adaptation, in order to keep the film true to it’s roots. Perhaps one of the best ways to do so was to bring in Robert Preston, who starred in the original show and who pulls out a great and zany performance, which must’ve been a walk in the park for him considering he won a Tony for his work on the original musical.

Video 

After seeing North by Northwest‘s amazing transfer and comparing it to The Music Man, I was a bit unimpressed. It still looks great, but you can tell that having a million dollar budget (like North by Northwest’s) on restorations definitely makes a difference when compared to this film.

The colors are slightly washed out and there’s a bit of grain, which is forgivable for it adds character to the content of the Blu-ray. The resolution is crisp, but some details are soft. However considering the source, it’s a decent transfer from a 60′s film without an insane overhaul restoration!

Audio 

You’d expect great audio from a musical and using the DTS-HD Master audio codec the film delivers a good audio performance for a film that’s 50 years old. The dialogue has that great hollow sound coming off of archaic equipment that gives the sound its character, but even though it may be inferior to today’s audio recording it sounds just as great coming through the center speaker.

The music scenes are mixed very well and even though your subwoofer won’t be shaking framed artwork off the walls; it really recreates the subtle lows accurately, which I love.

At times the tracks decrease slightly in volume, either due to a mixing issue or audio fading, but overall it’s a decent mix for a musical.

Special Features 

Besides a short featurette about adapting the play into the movie, there’s a theatrical trailer and an introduction… None of which were impressive or worth the time and all of them were SD, so even the die-hard fans of the musical will be disappointed.

Final Thoughts 

The Music Man, being a classic part within the musical realm of classic cinema, may not have gotten its definitive release, with a lack of special features and an overall mediocre audio and video quality, but considering the sparse amount of classic films being brought to Blu-ray, it’s still an essential watch to film lovers and classic cinema aficionados. Rent it and give it a try!

Film 

Like everything else in Hollywood nowadays, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the 1980 hit film Fame got remade.  Like its predecessor, the film features a group of students attending the New York City High School for the Performing Arts.  The school was created to provide the diverse training and infusion of skills needed in students aspiring to obtain professional careers in dance, music or drama.  As you can imagine, the competition is quite fierce among these students.  The film follows the trials and tribulations of the students’ lives throughout each four years of the performing arts high school.  After all, not only are the students competing for a chance at achieving fame, but also they are still just your ordinary everyday teenagers who are experiencing the highs and lows that go along with life as a high school student.  You remember what that was like?  Now could you imagine throwing in the stress of trying to make it as an entertainment professional while just barely managing to keep your chin above water in high school and fit in?  I could not.  

The original 1980′s version went on to become an international sensation spawning not only a hit television show, but also a stage production of the same name that is still playing now.  How’s that for legacy?  Not bad at all!  While today’s Fame will likely not achieve that same level of success its predecessor did, that does not stop the talented cast from trying.  The MGM production features performances by Kristy Flores, Asher Book, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill, Naturi Naughton, Megan Mullally, Anna Marie Perez de Tagle and more.  We even procure seeing TV sitcom star Kelsey Grammer on the big screen as well as Charles S. Dutton, affectionately known as Rock, from his television show of the same name.

Whether you’re an actor, a musician, a dancer, a filmmaker or a participant in any other performing arts area, Fame has a little something to offer you.  Fame does not discriminate against any area within the performing arts category.  If you are artistic on any level, then this is the must-see feel good movie on the Blu-ray format for you.  The performances brought back some vivid memories of nostalgia within my sometimes-cold rigid self.  The film really inspired me to go out in life and get everything I want out of it, but most importantly to believe in myself and shun all the non-believers that seem to engulf me most of the times.  I undoubtedly felt the cast delivered a triumphant and rousing performance in capturing not only the energy required for a film like this, but also the inspiration that was essential to capturing the essence of the message the film conveyed.

For all the reasons listed above and for many more, I enthusiastically give a two thumbs up green light salute to anyone who has even an inkling of interest in visiting the newest Hollywood reincarnation of Fame.  The movie is far from being perfect and it obviously did not make my Top 10 of 2009, but that did not stop me from enjoying this musical gem.  And guess what?  Fame rocks it out even harder and louder on the Blu-ray format with an Extended Dance Edition.  The movie starts off a little slow, but the story quickly develops and emotionally reels you in as you become attached to these kids’ blossoming lives.  Although the film is not my usual proverbial cup of tea, I applaud it for its riveting performances, comedic elements and its inspirational value it bestowed upon me.  And now, best of all, I can enjoy it forever on the Blu-ray format.

Video 

Fame‘s visual presentation on the Blu-ray format is just as riveting and rousing as the song and dance performances within the actual film.  Fame graduates at the head of the class with a solid A in the video department and showcases a near perfect 1080P AVC MPEG-4 encode transfer and a 2.40:1 aspect ratio presentation.  The Blu-ray video presentation faithfully reproduces the rough and gritty streets of New York City, but most importantly it also captures all the beauty and wonder that can be found within the city of dreams.  But as I mentioned before, it’s not perfect.  The blacks are solid and inky, the characters in the shadows are always distinctively delineated, the flesh tones are accurate for the most part, but what prevents me from awarding a perfect 5-point score is the sometimes blurry images caused by the different filmmaking techniques and heavy palettes of grain found in certain scenes.  Other than the aforementioned minor qualms, Fame is a fabulous Blu-ray presentation to behold.

Audio 

Fame‘s technical report card is looking pretty good with another A on record, this time in the prestigious audio category.  Like the video presentation described in detail above, the audio is near reference as well.  If Fame were an action movie, then there is no doubt in my mind that you would be using this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track as the next demo to impress upon your friends.  The dynamics of the mix will put you right in the center of the thunderous bass action, the infectious groove of the songs and the crystal clear sing-along vocals.  From the ambient New York City traffic passing by to the clip-clap of the tap shoes on the wooden floors this track brilliantly captures it all.  The music of Fame resonates clearly through every channel of your surround system.  What more can you ask for?  It won’t please the pickiest of hardcore audiophiles completely, but make no mistake; they will be left with little to complain about.

Special Features 

What’s not impressive about the Fame Blu-ray package is its supplemental materials or therefore lack of.  Despite most of it being presented in hi-def, there’s simply nothing of quality or quantity to keep me entertained for hours on end here like most Blu-ray releases are able to elicit.  Sure there are the two versions of the film to watch, but where is the obligatory audio commentary track or the extensive behind the scenes look at the production of the film?  Oh well, I do enough complaining in life so let’s say we just briefly go over what hidden treasures await you on the Fame Blu-ray release.

• Extended Edition – As I previously stated, the Blu-ray release contains two versions of the film, the theatrical presentation and an extended edition which runs an extra 15 minutes longer and clocks in at 123 minutes in length.
• Deleted Scenes (HD) – There are really no new and exciting dance numbers to be missed here.  These are mostly conversational pieces that were cut.
• “Fame” Music Video (HD) – A crowd-pleasing music video that contains many appealing clips and moments from the film.
• Remember My Name Character Profiles (HD) – Here we have short video bios about the featured actors.  The profiles include Anna Marie Perez De Tagle, Asher Book, Collins Pennie, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Kristy Flores, Naturi Naughton, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill, Walter Perez and director Kevin Tancharoen.
• Fame National Talent Search Finalists Featurette (HD) – I think you can easily guess what this one is about.  Personally, being such a non-fan of anything reality TV related, I could have done without this one.
• The Dances of Fame Featurette (SD) – Actress Kerrington Payne gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the casting, boot camp and various dances featured in the movie.
• Digital Copy (SD) - The second disc in the Blu-ray package is none other than a lovely DVD that contains the even lovelier Digital Copy of the film.  I am being facetious here of course.  You all know how I love these standard definition extras.  Enjoy Fame on the go with your favorite portable media player.

Final Thoughts 

So what do you think?  You ready to give Fame a try on the Blu-ray format?  C’mon.  What do you have to lose?  You already know in addition to the near reference video and audio package that you will be bedazzled with plenty of songs to sing and dances to move to.  It may just be what the doctor ordered to get you off that couch this weekend.  Or if you are like me, Fame on Blu-ray may be the perfect medicine to kick your career into high gear and start doing something about achieving your dreams and goals in life.  If Fame teaches us one thing in life, it’s that not everything comes easy for everyone.  You either have what it takes or you don’t.  However, you will never know what you are capable of until you give it your all.  Whatever your poison is, Fame is the cure.  Live forever today with Fame on Blu-ray. 

I hope you enjoyed my review of the MGM’s Fame Blu-ray release.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.  I look forward to receiving any and all feedback from my readers.

Fame was released on Blu-ray January 12^th, 2010.  If you like what you read in the review above, then please show your support for our site by clicking the shopping cart link above to order and save with Amazon’s everyday lowest prices.  Thanks!

Film 

Gigi, not to be confused with the unfortunate Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez flick Gigli, is a musical set in Paris in 1900.  The film opens with an older gent (Maurice Chevalier) singing a song that contains the lyrics, “Thank Heaven for little girls.”  Yeah, that was a little creepy.  I know what you may be thinking.  I’ve grown up in a different time; those words were probably light-hearted back then.  But you know what?  I did grow up in a different time and an older man smiling at a 5-year old he doesn’t know while singing “Thank Heaven for little girls” does not sit well with me.  You can say I’m overreacting but it is what it is.  We’ll revisit this in a bit.

The character Gigi is played by Leslie Caron, who also starred in An American in Paris.  Gigi meets with her high-brow aunt on a weekly basis who instructs her on the ways of the upper crust of society.  Everything from dining etiquette to choosing the right cigar for a man is covered by the eccentric aunt who even says at one point, “Bad table manners, my dear Gigi, have broken up more households than infidelity.”  Gigi is utterly bored by the stale atmosphere of these meetings but continues on with them as advised by her grandmother. 

Meanwhile, the very wealthy Gaston, played by Louis Jourdan, searches for his one true love that he cannot seem to hang on to.  Already known by Gigi’s grandmother and Gigi as well, Gaston makes an occasional visit to their incredibly red apartment.  I felt the need to mention this because WOW, I’ve never seen so much red in a room before.  If you looked up the word ‘gaudy,’ there may be an accompanying photo of this very scarlet parlor. 

I’ve already got the attention span of a goldfish and I can’t seem to get the vision of that room out of my head while trying to write this review.  Anyway, Gaston begins a flirtatious and seemingly unwitting courtship of Gigi.  What starts out as a trip owed to Gigi on a playful bet, begins to turn into something more serious.  I want to make sure I’ve my facts straight because it appears that Gigi is about the age of a sophomore or junior…in high school.  Gaston is around 40.  Was this acceptable 100+ years ago?  Quite possibly, but watching it today where everyone on screen views it as a social norm was a bit weird. 

All in all, the film was not all that slow moving but no speed records for entertainment were set either.  There was also a bit of repetition and rehashing of lines and songs.  It seemed like the repeated dialogue/tunes were more filler than they were storyline content.  For a musical, there was not as much singing as you’ll find in other musicals.  This may be good news for those who are curious about the film but not generally big on musicals.  I really do not care to refer to this as a classic musical though.  It was assembled well enough, but there are so many other options out there of the same genre that Gigi would struggle to hold a tune to. 

Video 

Grain is present throughout the film but it is derived from the original film quality.  Thus, the Blu-ray, which is presented in 1080p with a VC-1 encode and 2.4:1 aspect ratio, cannot be faulted for this.  The grain does create a visual noise to the extent that the picture almost seems a bit cloudy at one particular scene later in the film.  It was almost as if there was a haze over the camera lens. 

As for the skin tones, they remained natural looking and consistent throughout Gigi’s 1-hour and 55-minute runtime.  There were a few shots featuring the sea in the background which looked amazingly blue.  That in and of itself did not appear unnatural but when set against the rest of the content in the scene, it did look like someone was a little over-ambitious in the restoration of the film.

While speaking of the film’s restoration, all I can say is that is was a phenomenal job overall.  You cannot watch Gigi and not be overly impressed visually when comparing it to films made today (keep in mind it is over half a century old).  However, if you want the perfect side-by-side comparison, I recommend checking out the theatrical trailer on the disc.  Yes, the trailer is in standard definition but the colors are faded and the screen lacks life when put up against the fully restored feature film. 

Audio 

I’ve become so accustomed to the ‘classic’ films being monaural on Blu-ray, that I was pleasantly surprised to have Gigi deliver a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 format.  Still, while rear speakers were utilized, the music would occasionally block out the singing or dialogue like an audible eclipse.  However, while the music tended to dominate the dialogue, those scenes that had music only were carried out quite well.  You won’t find any kind of static or top-notch sound delivery, nor will you find your sub woofer being used as it is the original score that has been cleaned up for the Blu-ray release.  Like the video though, you cannot fault an unimpressive original release for a less than perfect track on Blu-ray.

Special Features 

While the list is a short one, I am happy to report that for a film that is five decades old, there is one extra on the disc that is in High Definition; Thank Heaven!.

• Behind the Story – Gigi (1958) – Commentary by acclaimed film historian Jeanine Basinger with award-winning actress Leslie Caron describing the creative struggles behind one of the most daring musicals of all time.
• The Million Dollar Nickel – 1952 MGM short – What starts out as a quick bit telling you all the things a nickel can get you in 1952, turns into borderline anti-Communist propaganda.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a noteworthy piece and I’m all for it but it was interestingly disguised (9:30).
• Thank Heaven!  The Making of Gigi – How the last of the classic MGM musicals survived a turbulent production – featuring an all-new interview with star Leslie Caron, plus a rare interview with award-winning director Vincente Minnelli (35:49).
• Theatrical Trailer - (3:30)

Final Thoughts 

I really did not care for this film.  It has nothing to do with the year when it came out or that it’s a musical.  I’m not a fan of musicals but as Simon can appreciate country music done right on American Idol, I can appreciate a solid musical.  The content was somewhat bothersome and the last 30 minutes did elicit some sloth-like qualities.  I cannot believe that this movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture (one of many Academy Awards for the film).  It must have been a weak year for films in 1958 or someone picked the wrong movie to win.  I didn’t see anything ground-breaking in Gigi and during the film’s original release, one New York Times columnist even referred to its lack of originality by saying, “a musical film that bears such a basic resemblance to My Fair Lady that the authors may want to sue themselves.”  I rest my case.