Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Amazon.com

A guilty, guilty pleasure, perhaps not one a left-wing feminist should be admitting to in public. Female boomers should recall yearly TV reruns of this Rodgers and Hammerstein production, featuring such delights as "Impossible" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" It may appear a bit stark to younger viewers, but part of the charm of this 1964 network TV special, a remake of the live 1957 telecast originally built around Julie Andrews, is its utter simplicity. An extremely young Lesley Ann Warren and Stuart Damon (of General Hospital fame) are joined by Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, and Celeste Holm. Warren is all sweetness and innocence without a hint of saccharine artificiality, while Damon is a clear-eyed romantic. This very handsome love story is a bit of an oddity, but worth owning just for the memorable score. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

i love this movie.......2007-09-01

i must have watched this movie 100 times over when i was younger and i had it on a vhs tape. i have been looking for the dvd for years. i am very happy that amazon.com had it for me and at such a low price even with shipping and handling. affordable! i am going to keep shopping for my dvd's at this website because they are prompt and make it so easy...tx diane

Great!.......2007-08-12

I remember seeing this show on TV when I was a kid. It's one of my favorites and I love singing along with the songs.

Great movie from my childhood.......2007-08-07

I watched this movie every year as a child when it came on. I fell in love with Lesley Ann Warren watching this movie. Props are outdated for this day and time, but still a great movie in my book.

Its been so long .......2007-07-16

this is the cinderella i grew up with and only 21 i saw it a bit after its first release. It was a shared favorite of my mothers. The only other cinderlla story as a little girl i remember liking as much was the Slipper and the Rose. I am still as big into fairytales then as now. And i am so happy to see this on dvd being as i lost the video we used to tape it off tv along long long time ago. When they came out with the new politically correct version in the mid 90s i was never as hooked by brandys singing roger and hammerstiens classical music as i a was by lesly ann warren or of course julie andrews. i always felt she didn't have enough strength in her voice she couldnt hit the same notes. it was so dissapointing that so many kids today think thats the best those songs can be sung.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.......2007-07-14

The first time I remember seeing this was on a school holiday! I remember being enthralled - because it looked like a play on TV - that everything "...was possible!" Of course seeing it in color (vs black & white back then) is no contest. An all-star cast - I'm sure you'll see someone you like/admire! A definitely YOUNG Lesley Ann Warren as the title character - very different from her performance in Victor/Victoria; A great Celeste Holmes as the Fairy Godmother; Stuart Damon as Charming - very different from character on General Hospital & he can sing(!!); Ginger Rogers in (I thought) minor role as the Queen. Musical fans, get out your wallets, because you'll kick yourself for not purchasing this one. I've seen the updated version with Brandy & Whitney Houston and (in MY opinion) the re-make never quite measures up to the original! A definite purchase!

Average customer rating:

If you enjoy watching misery...
Delightfully cruel
Ryan and Reese do it again
Changing Movies Forever
In 1999 a miracle happened, Cruel Intentions Happened

Cruel Intentions
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar , Ryan Phillippe , Reese Witherspoon , Selma Blair , and Louise Fletcher
Director: Roger Kumble
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00001PE4D
Release Date: 1999-08-03

Amazon.com

This modern-day teen update of Les Liaisons Dangereuses suffered at the hands of both critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominated Dangerous Liaisons). In fact, this intermittently successful sudser plays like high comedy for its first two-thirds, as its two evil heroes, rich stepsiblings Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), blithely ruin lives and reputations with hearts as black as coal. Kathryn wants revenge on a boyfriend who dumped her, so she befriends his new intended, the gawky Cecile (Selma Blair), and gets Sebastian to deflower the innocent virgin. The meat of the game, though, lies in Sebastian's seduction of good girl Annette (a down-to-earth Reese Witherspoon), who's written a nationally published essay entitled "Why I Choose to Wait." If he fails, Kathryn gets his precious vintage convertible; if he wins, he gets Kathryn--in the sack. When the movie sticks to the merry ruination of Kathryn and Sebastian's pawns, it's highly enjoyable: Gellar in particular is a two-faced manipulator extraordinaire, and Phillippe, usually a black hole, manages some fun as a hipster Eurotrash stud. Most pleasantly surprising of all is Witherspoon, who puts a remarkably self-assured spin on a character usually considered vulnerable and tortured (see Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liaisons). Unfortunately, writer-director Roger Kumble undermines everything he's built up with a false ending that's true to neither the reconceived characters nor the original story--revenge is a dish best served cold, not cooked up with unnecessary plot twists. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

If you enjoy watching misery..........2007-08-31

The DVD includes scenes/dialogue that got edited in the airline/TV version that I saw previously. Sarah Michelle Gellar (I keep thinking 'Buffy' whenever I see her...) looks great in every scene and there are a few chuckles, but for the most part, it's a relatively dark plot with a few surprises and a lot of heartache...

Delightfully cruel.......2007-08-28

First-time director Roger Kumble concocts a wickedly attractive update of Dangerous Liaisons, this time set among rich and spoiled Manhattan teenagers. The screenplay is interesting, the settings are sumptuous and beautiful and the actors shine--with the exception of a sorely miscast Selma Blair, who looks like a thirty-year-old woman playing a five-year-old girl.

Ryan and Reese do it again.......2007-07-27

Fun Fun Fun! This is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat! Great action and lots of drama! Thrilling with each passing minute! Hot, really hot scenes that steam up the car window if you like to watch movies on a DVD player in a car. I would recommend watching this while eating Ben and Jerry's Ice cream!

Changing Movies Forever.......2007-04-28

I absolutely loved this movie! There is just no getting around it, the plot is well developed and the twists and turns that happen in the movie are very well done. I think that the casting was done really well; Sarah Michelle Gellar can play the bitchy attitude very well and Reese Witherspoon has always had that innocent girl next door look about her. it is most certainly a movie that I think would have the most appeal to teenagers and people in their 20s.

In 1999 a miracle happened, Cruel Intentions Happened.......2007-04-02

In 1999 one of the best movies ever made was released Cruel Intentions a movie about seduction and destruction. Srah Michelle Gellar plays the leading character deceptive Kathryn Merteuil who makes a bet with her cunning stepbrother Sebastion Valmont played by the incrediable talented Ryan Phillippe who plots to sleep with the headmaster's clever virginal daughter Anette Hargrove (Reese Whiterspoon)before the school year begins. The terms are if Sebastion doesn't succeed in sleeping with Anette than than hot little car of his is hers but if he wins she'll give him something he's been obssessing about ever since the day their parents got married: he would get to sleep with her. Other characters add to the plot like Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair) a naive teen who Court Renyolds dumped Kathryn for. Blaine Tuttle (Joshua Jackson) an openly gay friend of Sebastion. Cecile's black chello teacher and crush Ronald Clifford (Sean Patrick Thomas). Gregory McConnell (Eric Mabius) the first on a list of suspects on who wrote Anette warning her about Sebastion's cruel intentions. Adding to the mix is Sebastion's overcharging pyhciatrist Dr. Greenbaum (Swoosie Kurtz) her easily seduced daughter Marci (Tara Reid)Cecile's prim and proper mother Bunny (Bunny Caldwell) and Sebastion's kind and generous aunt Helen Rosemond (Louise Fletcher). Now that you've been introduced to the characters lets talk about the plot.

Step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastion Valmont had always like the game of seduction and they played it good. After being dumprf on 4th of July weekend, Kathryn learns he fell for naive Cecile Caldwell and offers Sebastion a challeng to seduce Cecile. But Sebastion suggests a greater challlenge to deflower the new headmasters virginal daughter Anette Hargrove before the school year begins. The terms are if he fails Kathryn gets his car and if he wins he gets to sleep with Kathryn. The game is taken to far and until the end of the summer no one will be able to escape their dangerous game of Cat and Mouse. And the biggest shock is the rule is broken when Sebastion begins to fall in love with Anette. Who will win?

I thought this was a fantastic movie. It had suspense emotion, drama, romance and even a little comedy throwed in. When people say this is just another teen movie they are so wrong. This movie had depth and wasn't just an idiotic film. Sarah Michelle Gellar shinned in this movie never like before. Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon were so convincing and the movie itself was brilliant. Cruel Intentiuons has become one of my favorite novies over the years so not much compares to it. I have not seen Dangerous Liasions but Cruel Intentions will probably turn out better in my view. Don't judge this movie too quickly. Don't look at it has a teen movie. If you ignore that you might find this movie quite good. I love this movie. It is thrilling, clever, sexy, dramatic, romantic, and a very good twisted love story. If I could give it more than 5 points I would!

Cream - Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005

Average customer rating:

Cream-cream of the crop!!!!!!!!!!!
These guys can really play!
Outstanding!
Rock Stars are like pro athletes, they should retire by 45
Cream's Triumphant Return

Cream - Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005
Starring: Eric Clapton , Jack Bruce (II) , and Ginger Baker
Director: Martyn Atkins
Manufacturer: Warner Strat. Mkt.
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0009WFFS6
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Amazon.com

They step onto the stage of London's Royal Albert Hall: Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton. The capacity crowd, which includes Sean Penn and Jude Law, stands to greet them. Thirty-seven years after their farewell concert, the famously fiery Cream did the unthinkable--they reunited. This double-disc collection (and accompanying CD set) captures highlights from the historic four-day engagement, beginning with a buoyant "I'm So Glad" and ending with a triumphant "Sunshine of Your Love." It would be churlish to suggest that Cream appears exactly as they did in the 1960s (Bruce looks a little frail), but the legendary power trio still has the goods. Bruce is still the essence of soul (a particularly rich vocal on "Politician"), while Baker is as irrepressible as ever (a rare vocal on "Pressed Rat and Warthog," percussive tour-de-force "Toad"). Then there's Clapton, who remains as much a master of the guitar as of understatement. "Thanks for waiting all these years," he quips after a slow-burning "Outside Woman Blues," then adds, "We're going to do every song we know." The track listing is, indeed, generous, despite the absence of such Cream classics as "I Feel Free," "Strange Brew," and "Tales of Brave Ulysses." All told, there are 22 songs plus three alternate takes--and not a bad one in the bunch. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

In May of 2005 Cream returned to London's Royal Albert Hall-to the same stage where they had completed what was thought to be their final performance in 1968. It was one of the most eagerly anticipated, hard-to-get tickets in rock history. With the exception of a brief reunion set at their 1993 induction into the Rock and roll Hall of Fame, Cream had not played together in nearly four decades. This DVD documents Cream's momentous London shows. Performances from each of the four nights are featured and much more. Also included are alternate performances and interviews with Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton. Cream formed in 1966 and disbanded in 1968. The band were a prolific and thrilling live act and toured incessantly in their short but remarkable history.Track Listings: I'm So Glad, Spoonful, Outside Woman Blues, Pressed Rat & Warthog, Sleepy Time Time, N.S.U., Badge, Politician, Sweet Wine, Rollin' & Tumblin', Stormy Monday, Deserted Cities of the Heart, Born Under a Bad Sign, We're Going Wrong, Crossroads, Sitting on Top of the World, White Room, Toad, Sunshine of Your Love, Spoonful (Alternate Takes), Sleepy Time Time (Alternate Takes), Badge (Alternate Takes), Sweet Wine (Alternate Takes), Rollin' & Tumblin', We're Going Wrong, White Room, Sunshine of Your Love

Customer Reviews:

Cream-cream of the crop!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-09-12

Don't believe everything you read in these reviews- this is a great DVD!!!!!! Yes, these guys are ALOT older, but man they can still COOK!!!! Clapton is relaxed, and the music just blows you away!!!!!!Think 30 years ago- it's a miracle these guys are still alive much less still cookin'-ENJOY this for what it is!!!!!

These guys can really play!.......2007-09-04

If you came from the era of loud music, psychadellic lights and excitement and remember the 60's and 70's you'll love this! Even if you were born later, this is still a great dvd to watch (who knows, maybe you'll see your parents!) The music is just as much fun today as it was then.

Outstanding!.......2007-08-23

Cream was my favorite band in high school and this production tells me why. Enough said. Love those guys, love their music. Bless them for getting together again. I treasure this DVD set.

Rock Stars are like pro athletes, they should retire by 45.......2007-06-25

I've read some of the delusional, worshipping comments of other's reviews here, and I just think they are all looking at Cream through Rose-tinted glasses. This put-back together band sounds slow,tentative, tired. Jack Bruce looks like they pulled him out of a nursing home to do this. Individually, they can still play, but their cohesion is slow- they are devoid of energy. Just go look at the other DVD, the one from the same place at the end of the 60s, and see the forcefull energy that band fired out there at the end of a comet-like three year run. The before-and-after contrast of 46 years is startling.

Cream's Triumphant Return.......2007-04-01

Crream's triumphant return is brilliantly filmed during their week in Albert Hall. The sound quality and photography is first rate, and the images are well-timed and skillfully directed.

The band itself is in top form and shows its musical age and experience brilliantly. Eric Clapton's guitar playing is as good as you will see or hear anywhere. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker still are an exciting and stimulating rhythm section, and, in fact, Bruce does his famous duelling with Clapton on some of the numbers here. We see it especially in Sunshine of Your Love. Bruce and Clapton, despite their ages, still manage to sing their numbers with the same kind of verve as they did almost 40 years prior.

Of special interest here is the lack of gimmickry. There are no wah-wah pedals, for example, and no real distortion feedback effects. Stilll, the DVD has much to keep up the interest of the Cream fan who watches it.

No DVD of a live performance is perfect, and there are few but notable letdowns here. For instance, they include the witty but musically weak "Pressed Rat and Warthog" from the Wheels of Fire collection. The version of "Toad" here is rather long, and I'm not a fan of drawn-out drum solos, although Baker is amazingly energetic in this one.

Still, for any Cream fans out there, this is a fine DVD to have. You probably won't watch this just once!

Average customer rating:

The beauty of balmy nights and dirty windows
A Love Song for Bobby Brown
Quite a Love Song for Bobby Long
SLOW AND STEADY
Better than you've heard

A Love Song for Bobby Long
Starring: John Travolta , Scarlett Johansson , Gabriel Macht , Deborah Kara Unger , and Dane Rhodes
Director: Shainee Gabel
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007Q6VY6
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Amazon.com

A misfit drama in the grand Southern (by way of Hollywood) tradition, A Love Song for Bobby Long takes its cue from Carson McCullers's The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. Re-establishing his indie-cred, John Travolta adds Bobby Long to his gallery of colorful characters. Hobbled by an infected toe, the 50-something Bobby is a white-haired, unshaven, vodka-soaked mess. But he's also a former English professor, and the piles of books in his ramshackle house, and the authors he drunkenly quotes give him a wounded dignity. Just how wounded will be revealed over the course of this atmospheric tale of redemption and penance. Bobby lives with Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), his former teaching assistant who is writing a book about his mentor, a project deferred by drinking, sitting around with the locals, or engaging in quotation oneupsmanship. Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Ghost World) holds her own against Travolta ("You are such a shameless ham," she chastises the loquacious Bobby) as Pursy, the estranged daughter of Lorraine, a recently deceased singer-songwriter in whose house Bobby and Lawson reside. A battle of wills between the two men and the headstrong young girl gives way to the formation of a tentative family unit. Pursy agrees to return to high school if Bobby and Lawson quit drinking. There will be the expected revelations, recriminations, and dramatic confrontations, but what makes this Love Songresonate are the performances by a cast that rarely hits a false note. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

The beauty of balmy nights and dirty windows.......2007-09-10

This film is awesome, using the original meaning of the word which is awe- inspiring. I've always been a John Travolta fan and anyone that is I think would agree with me when I say he brings to mind eternal youth. So to see him playing a jaded and bitter character with white hair is a tribute to the true natural talent of the man. I think he's one of the bravest actors we have to take parts that are physically unflattering but unexplainably beautiful because of the amount of spirit and pure joy that went into becoming 'unflattering.' Even Hairspray it looked like he was having a ball and I know he must have been thinking "the reporters will start back up with the 'he's gay' bit, as if saying someone's gay enough times will turn them gay. John Travolta is wonderful in everything he's done because when you wake up every morning and say "I can't wait to get to work!" it shows. He's like Southern comfort food, something that you grew up with and you know will always be around.

A Love Song for Bobby Brown.......2007-08-23

John Travolta has never been better. This is his best work. I'm not even a huge fan of his but, good golly miss molly, this is a stand up and cheer performance. Scarlett Johansson is always a sure fire hit in my book and this movie continues to support my admiration for an exceptional performance. Do yourself a favor and buy this DVD. It is utterly amazing.

Quite a Love Song for Bobby Long.......2007-03-30

I loved this film! Some critics knock the movie for using some clichés and there are some aspects of New Orleans in particular that are romanticized. Romanticism aside, the cinematography is beautiful and the film features many of New Orleans great attractions such as the Café du Monde, the old mansions of the garden district, and the dreamy Audubon Park. Of course, what is New Orleans without music? The soundtrack is a wonderful mix of jazz and twangy southern blues that is nicely incorporated into the plot. If that doesn't do it the acting alone makes the film worth seeing. The script is well-written, and the actors do a good job of making it seem spontaneous and real. I never felt like they were reading from a script. John Travolta's performance as the washed-up Bobby Long, an alcoholic former English professor who reminisces about his glory days is magnificent and one of his better performances. Gabriel Macht, plays Lawson Pines, the brilliant, guilt-ridden writer who can't seem to write anything good. Macht, best known for independent films, is one of the better kept secrets of the film world. His allegiance to Bobby is touching and also leaves you wondering, "Why?" His performance is very well done. Scarlett Johansson who plays Pursy Will completes the package and is the powerhouse of the film, but does so without overshadowing the other cast members. Her portrayal of a lonely, strong-willed young woman who reminds her two has-been roommates that they are still alive and capable of much more than drunken lechery is superb and believable. Overall, I think the film is very well done and entertaining. It is a story that highlights many human frailties and struggles and it demonstrates that redemption can be found through friendship and family in the most unlikely places.

SLOW AND STEADY .......2007-03-28

I do love exciting cliff-hanger types of movies, but I also love character studies and marvelous acting. That's what A Love Song For Bobby Long is all about!

If you're an adrenilin junkie, you probably should pass. But if you like a solid cast and a quirky but solid story, try this movie!

Better than you've heard.......2007-03-26

Damaged characters in NOLA. Before Katrina. Makes it even more interesting than anticipated. Travolta works well. Worth a look.

Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition (Flying Down to Rio / The Gay Divorcee / Roberta / Top Hat / Follow the Fleet / Swing Time / Shall We Dance / Carefree / The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle / The Barkleys of Broadway)

Average customer rating:

wonderful Edition
Dazzling and Beautiful
A set of classics
BEWARE!
a thesaurus of musicals in a package for musicals lovers

Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition (Flying Down to Rio / The Gay Divorcee / Roberta / Top Hat / Follow the Fleet / Swing Time / Shall We Dance / Carefree / The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle / The Barkleys of Broadway)
Starring: Fred Astaire , and Ginger Rogers
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B000H6SXME
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Amazon.com

2006 marks the arrival of five Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films (Flying Down to Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Carefree, and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle) on DVD after the first five were released in 2005. The big package is this Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition, which contains all 10 films plus a CD, a bonus DVD with the documentary Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm, press-book replicas, and some other material. If you want the big package with the extra stuff but already bought the five films in 2005, you can get the Astaire & Rogers Partial Ultimate Collector's Edition, which includes everything except the actual discs of those first five films. Or, if you only want the five new films, pick up Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 2 as a bookend to Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1.

The Astaire-Rogers films mix light romantic comedy (usually centered around mistaken identities and ending, inevitably, in blissful wedding promises) with elegant dinner wear and surreal sets intended to transport '30s audiences away from the Depression to such locales as Rio, Paris, and Venice. The two stars are also aided by a recurring stable of RKO players such as Edward Everett Horton (master of the double-take), Eric Blore, and Helen Broderick. And then there's that sensational dancing set to great songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Jerome Kern, numbers that are not merely entertaining but also innovative for their time in that they reveal character and advance the plot. Add it all up, and you have a recipe for an irrepressible joie de vivre that practically defines the movie musical.

Flying Down to Rio (1933) headlined Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond, but it was the fourth- and fifth-billed stars who would rewrite cinematic history. Astaire and Rogers had limited screen time, but were still able to establish many of the trademarks of their later films. The heart of the film is "The Carioca," a company dance extravaganza in which they take the floor together for the first time; their eyes meet and their foreheads touch. Their dance lasts only a few minutes, but it was the highlight of the film and audiences wanted more. The Gay Divorcee (1934) is their best early picture, a loose adaptation of Astaire's stage show, 'The Gay Divorce.' The only song retained for the movie is Cole Porter's smash hit "Night and Day," which is the setting for a sublime pas de deux between Fred and Ginger. The closer is the sprawling 17-minute ensemble number "The Continental." Roberta (1935) was a step backward, with too much time spent on 1930s Parisian fashion and the romance between top-billed Irene Dunne (who gets the best Jerome Kern ballads, "Yesterdays" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") and Randolph Scott. But as the second-banana couple Astaire and Rogers still get a tap battle, a romantic duet, and plenty of comic banter.

With a score by Irving Berlin, Top Hat (1935) is most famous for two numbers, Astaire's definitive tuxedo setting "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" and the feathery duet "Cheek to Cheek." But other joys include Astaire's "Fancy Free" declaration, "Isn't It a Lovely Day," and the grand finale "The Piccolino." Follow the Fleet (1936) changes the pace a bit, with Astaire playing a sailor, and it suffers from making him and Rogers the second-banana couple to the dull Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard. But it still has plenty of laughs and some classic Irving Berlin numbers, including "Let Yourself Go," which Rogers sings before she and Astaire compete in a dance contest; a Rogers solo tap number; "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," their best comic dance. The pièce de résistance is "Let's Face the Music and Dance," a show within a show in which the pair dons their customary evening formals. Effortlessly flowing from pantomime to song to dance, this sublime piece of storytelling is one of the series' defining moments. Maybe their most enjoyable picture, Swing Time (1936) features the set-piece "Pick Yourself Up," in which Rogers "teaches" Astaire to dance before they break into a spectacular number; the farewell ode "Never Gonna Dance," and the Oscar-winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight," from the team of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields.

Shall We Dance (1937) has a complex plot that has Astaire and Rogers actually getting married before the final credits roll, and turns George and Ira Gershwin's brilliant "They Can't Take That Away from Me" into a heartbreaking ode. Other great songs include "Slap That Bass," "They All Laughed," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," unforgettably performed on roller skates. The eighth and ninth entries in the series tried some different approaches, with the underrated Carefree (1938) more of a comedy vehicle for Ginger (yet still including some fine dances and Irving Berlin songs as well as their first onscreen kiss) and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) portraying the pair as historical dancing stars and using a score of turn-of-the-century standards. The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) is the oddity, reuniting the stars 10 years after their last RKO picture when Judy Garland had to be replaced due to health problems. It's trademark MGM: splashy colors, Fred in a gimmicky solo number (playing sorcerer's apprentice to a line of unoccupied shoes), Oscar Levant providing his usual dynamic pianism and acerbic personality, and a score that is at its best when it borrows songs from a previous generation (including the big ballroom number set to "They Can't Take That Away from Me"). The film falls short of their best work, but serves as a fond remembrance of the most glorious partnership in film history. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

wonderful Edition.......2007-08-27

This is a wonderful edition with all movies of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with bonus features (Trailer, Cartons, Short Movies, a documentary on bonus DVD, Reprints of Lobbycards + 1 Audio CD with any soundtracks. But I do missing "The Piccolino" Soundrack.

Dazzling and Beautiful.......2007-04-20

Ibelieve everything has been said already of Rogers and Astaire.The two together on the screen is magical and entertaining.Funny whitty beautiful.The music by some othe greatest composer such as Berlin costumes by the best of Hollywood is a treat for the eyes.You will not be dissapointed,when you are feeling low his will make you sore to the sky.Get it.

A set of classics.......2007-02-28

If you enjoy Fred & Ginger, you need their entire set of these classics. The dialogue can be a little corny at times, but so was yours when you were young. They practiced for hours, and it shows.

BEWARE!.......2007-02-19

Twice I ordered this set for my wife, and each time the package arrived with DVDs missing from the set! All the containers were there, but as many as five (5) DVDs were gone. What a joke. I gave up and purchased the set at Borders. Does Amazon care? Never heard from them.

a thesaurus of musicals in a package for musicals lovers.......2007-02-19

each movie starring Fred and Ginger can be considered as a jewel; so is this collector's edition with bonus of value ( many photographs "off screen", newspapers articles,...) certainly collected by a true lover who aimed to enjoy the buyer.

Average customer rating:

As good as ever.
Top Hat
A Wonderful Classic
Silliness Squared But Who Cares
Top Hat

Top Hat
Starring: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Edward Everett Horton , Erik Rhodes , and Eric Blore
Director: Mark Sandrich , and Lloyd French
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009NSCQW
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Amazon.com essential video

Even the best Fred and Ginger musicals are merely lavish excuses for some of the most elegant dancing ever put on screen, and Top Hat is no exception. The story is a silly but timeless tale of mistaken identity that compounds itself to extremes. Fred Astaire is the famous American hoofer Jerry Travers, in London preparing for a new show with his befuddled producer Horace Hardwick (the always entertaining Edward Everett Horton) when he falls for Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers), a lovely, wisecracking American girl as light on her feet as Jerry. Dale believes Jerry to be Horace, the husband of her best friend Madge (Helen Broderick) and rebuffs his advances by marrying her dressmaker Alberto (Erik Rhodes), but in the best tradition of musical comedy, true love finds its own way. Practically the entire cast of the 1934 hit The Gay Divorcee reunites for this frothy confection, along with director Mark Sandrich, designer Van Nest Polglase, and choreographer Hermes Pan. Irving Berlin provides a tuneful score, including "Cheek to Cheek," which provides a classic duet for Astaire and Rogers, and "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails," which remains one of Astaire's finest solo numbers. Polglase outdoes himself with sets both elegant and outrageous and Hermes Pan's choreography is as smooth as ever, but ultimately it's the grace and chemistry of the leads that makes Top Hat top entertainment. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Perhaps the best remembered of the 10 Astaire/Rogers musicals, Top Hat has it all: Art Deco elegance, a wonderfully addled storyline, loopy support from skilled farceurs and the incomparable chemistry of the two leads cheek-to-cheeking to Irving Berlin's finest film score. It's a wake-up call for romance when Fred's exuberant No Strings dance in his hotel suite disturbs the sleeping beauty (Ginger) in the room below. They meet cute, Fred decides he'd like a few strings (preferably a tied knot) after all and love beckons until Ginger mistakenly gets the idea that Fred is a married playboy. But mistakes can be wonderfully, wackily resolved. Among the highlights: Fred mows down the chorus line in his signature Top Hat, White Tie and Tails, the shimmeringly dreamy Isn't It a Lovely Day (to Be Caught in the Rain)? and the rhapsodically tender Cheek to Cheek. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Top Hat is top-drawer entertainment magic.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by Fred Astaire?s Daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie and Film Dance Historian Larry Billman
Featurette:On Top: Inside the Success of Top Hat
Other:Comedy Short Watch the Birdie with Bob Hope, Classic Cartoon Page Miss Glory

Customer Reviews:

As good as ever........2007-08-27

I have always loved this movie, especially the dance with the feather dress. The humor in it, and the characters that present it go right along with Astare and Rogers. It could not have had a better cast!

Top Hat.......2007-08-18

Good movie but pictured on cover as in color but in b & w. Didn't say anywhere whether it was black and white or color. Otherwise, pretty good

A Wonderful Classic.......2007-08-13

Fred Astaire plays a (fancy this) stage dance performer signing up for a new show. As he's dancing in the producer's hotel room, he disturbs the sleep of the very beautiful Ginger Rogers. It's a wonderful ride from there. One of the songs that appears here is "Cheek to Cheek". This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Silliness Squared But Who Cares.......2007-08-05

"Top Hat," RKO-Radio Pictures, 1936, is fourth in the canon of ten Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films. It's as silly as any of them; it opens on an argument about whether a square tie must be worn with evening dress, and floats along by pushing a wafer-thin mistaken identity plot further than you might imagine. However, it did get four Oscar nominations, so turn off the uber-critic, and enjoy.

The story, written by the uncredited Sandor Farago, Aladar Laszlo, and Karoly Noti, and credited to Astaire's frequent collaborators/writers, Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor, is, in many ways, a remake of the same people's 1934 "Gay Divorcee." But it's got its own wit and charm. Pandro S. Berman produced, as he generally did, with an open purse for this team's efforts. Mark Sandrich directed: cinematography was by David Abel. Hermes Pan had a hand in the choreography, as usual; Bernard Newman designed Rogers's elegant evening wear. Art direction was by Van Nest Polglase, who gave us glorious art deco sets, glistening with white. London itself, its hotels and clubs, has never looked so glamorous; Venice and its hotel are of a fantastical beauty, though I don't know about those swimmers in the canals....

The film's leads, Astaire as Jerry Travers, dancing star, and Rogers as Dale Tremont, model, are given strong support by the usual suspects. Edward Everett Horton plays Horace Hardwick, Jerry's impresario/rich best friend, with Eric Blore as his valet Bates. Helen Broderick is Madge Hardwick, Horace's wife -- and why must she always be called Madge or Marge? Erik Rhodes is Albert Beddini, Dale's employer/dress designer, who will be her usual disappointed swarthy suitor. A young Lucille Ball has a tiny part.

Famed American composer Irving Berlin contributed both words and music. "I'm Fancy Free" was a light-hearted romp for a solo Astaire; it starts the action rolling. The unforgettable duet, "Isn't It A Lovely Day," was sung and danced by both stars. "Top Hat and Tails," is one of Astaire's signature solos: he's backed by a line of chorus boys. "Cheek to Cheek" is a memorable melodic duet. "The Piccolino," Roger's somewhat shaky vocal solo, to me, does not rise to the same sublime heights as the very similar "Continental," from the two years earlier "Gay Divorcee." But make no mistake, Astaire was a lucky man. He and Berlin were old friends from their scuffling Tin Pan Alley/vaudeville days, and Berlin knew just how to write for the hoofer. Songs are comfortably in his range, and allow him to talk/sing them in his inimitable style.

And oh, the dancing. Nobody's ever done it better. In addition, Astaire and Rogers could act and dance at the same time. Mind you, Astaire's very walk is one of extraordinary athleticism and grace: he's never quite not dancing. But, to adapt one of Berlin's great lines, "Heaven, I'm in Heaven, when they're out together dancing cheek to cheek." So, enjoy.

Top Hat.......2007-06-21

Finally, the long-awaited Astaire-Rogers classics are being released on DVD, and "Top Hat" (arguably the best of the series, along with "Swing Time") has never looked or sounded better. The plot is soufflé-light, but runs on the divine hilarity of its ensemble players, in particular Eric Blore as persnickety butler Bates, and Erik Rhodes as Beddini, rival to Dale's affections. Beyond that ineffable Astaire-Rogers chemistry, the real stars are the buttery Berlin score (highlight: "Cheek to Cheek") and dancing sequences that define beauty and grace in motion. Heaven-I'm in heaven!

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway)

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Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway
JAR
GREAT MOVIES!
the astaire collection volume 1
A Real Classic

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway)
Starring: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Edward Everett Horton , Erik Rhodes , and Eric Blore
Director: Mark Sandrich , and George Stevens
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009NSCR6
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Amazon.com

Fans of classic movie musicals will be in heaven with Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1, featuring the DVD debut of five films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the quintessential dancing duo. The two gems of the set are Top Hat (1935), generally considered their definitive movie, and Swing Time (1936), which many consider their most enjoyable. Follow the Fleet (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) fill out the set, each with its own charms.

Follow the Fleet

With a score by Irving Berlin, Top Hat is most famous for two numbers, Astaire's definitive tuxedo setting "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" and the feathery duet "Cheek to Cheek." But other joys include Astaire's "Fancy Free" declaration, "Isn't It a Lovely Day," and the grand finale "The Piccolino." Favorite musical moments in Swing Time include the set-piece "Pick Yourself Up," in which Rogers "teaches" Astaire to dance before they break into a spectacular number; the farewell ode "Never Gonna Dance," and the Oscar-winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight," from the team of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields.

Swing Time

Follow the Fleet changes the pace a bit, with Astaire playing a sailor, and it suffers from making him and Rogers the second-banana couple to the dull Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard. But it still has plenty of laughs and some classic Irving Berlin numbers, including "Let Yourself Go," which Rogers sings before she and Astaire compete in a dance contest; a Rogers solo tap number; "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," their best comic dance. The pièce de résistance is "Let's Face the Music and Dance," a show within a show in which the pair dons their customary evening formals. Effortlessly flowing from pantomime to song to dance, this sublime piece of storytelling is one of the series' defining moments. Shall We Dance has a complex plot that has Astaire and Rogers actually getting married before the final credits roll, and turns George and Ira Gershwin's brilliant "They Can't Take That Away from Me" into a heartbreaking ode. Other great songs include "Slap That Bass," "They All Laughed," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," unforgettably performed on roller skates. The Barkleys of Broadway is the oddity, reuniting the stars 10 years after their last RKO picture when Judy Garland had to be replaced due to health problems. It's trademark MGM: splashy colors, Fred in a gimmicky solo number (playing sorcerer's apprentice to a line of unoccupied shoes), Oscar Levant providing his usual dynamic pianism and acerbic personality, and a score that is at its best when it borrows songs from a previous generation (including the big ballroom number set to "They Can't Take That Away from Me"). The film falls short of their best work, but serves as a fond remembrance of the most glorious partnership in film history. --David Horiuchi

Description

You'll Love The Way Fred and Ginger Look Tonight in the 5-film, 5-Disc Astaire and Rogers Collection Volume One, including the highly acclaimed Top Hat and Swing Time.

Customer Reviews:

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway .......2007-07-25

Loved them all. Brings back memories of good times. Well worth the price in memories and escaping into the past if only momentarily.

JAR.......2007-05-15

I love Fred Astaire Movies, classic movies there's nothing like these type of movies. excellent....

GREAT MOVIES!.......2007-02-24

ARRIVED NEXT DAY I ORDERED THEM! VERY GOOD QUALITY OF MOVIES.

the astaire collection volume 1.......2007-02-20

Fred Astaire is unbeatable especially when paired with Ginger Rogers or Eleanor Powell. These are older films and of course not up to modern technical standards. However the charm and the eleghance and the excellence shine through- A must for a fan or collector.

A Real Classic.......2007-01-21

Very well done. A must have for anyone who loves the old films. Even my 10 year old son, enjoyed the dancing and singing. :-)

Average customer rating:

BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE SINCE AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
Growing Pains...
Hands Down the BEST Werewolf/Horror movie made
A movie worth sinking your teeth into!
For a werewolf movie i loved it!

Ginger Snaps
Starring: Emily Perkins , Katharine Isabelle , Kris Lemche , Mimi Rogers , and Jesse Moss (II)
Director: John Fawcett
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000A1HSS
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

Like Carrie before it, Ginger Snaps uses horror-movie conventions as an inspired metaphor for puberty. When beautiful but reclusive goth teenager Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) is attacked by a monstrous wolf on the eve of her first period, her body starts changing in a big way, as do her suddenly lusty, feral appetites. Director John Fawcett masterfully balances the expectations of teen horror exploitation (blood, bodies, sex, smart dialogue, and good old-fashioned monster-movie scares) with clever black humor and tender sisterly solidarity. Only devoted sister Brigitte (gloomy Emily Perkins) knows the truth, and even as Ginger's abrupt transformation threatens their once unbreakable friendship, bonds of blood and love keep them together: Brigitte disposes of Ginger's victims while searching for a cure. Mimi Rogers costars as their dotty but unexpectedly sensitive mom, ready to sacrifice all to protect her daughter. Blood and blood ties have never been more evocative. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE SINCE AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON.......2007-07-24

O.K. I'm sitting up in the middle of the night, can't sleep, and bored. All of the sudden this movie comes on T.V.(I.F.C. maybe, can't be sure). I'm willing to give ANY horror movie a chance, but at first, I wasn't into it. A werewolf movie about teenagers, that's two strikes automatically in my book. After the first 15 min. of the movie I was completely sold!!
The movie starts off with the aftermath of a dog mauling, then wastes no time in introducing the main characters GINGER(KATHRINE ISABELLE) and BRIGITTE(EMILY PERKINS). GINGER and BRIGITTE are two sisters(seperated by about 9 months) who are social misfits. They are loners, obsessed with death, and have made a packed to commit suicide when BRIGITTE(the younger) turns 16(Out by 16 or dead in the scene, but together forever). After the introduction of the sisters, we are treated to a very disurbing and morbid title sequence consisting of 'death scenes' that the sisters are photogrphing for a school project. The scenes are accompanied with very emotive music consisting of electronica mixed with a haunting violin. this is the "hook" that keeps you watching, and it is VERY sucsessful.
As the movie progresses, the girls have a run in with the 'popular' girl at school, and decide to take some revenge on her. they go out one night to kidnapp her dog, and while out GINGER starts her period. A split second later, she is attacked by "the Beast of Baily Downs"(werewolf). this is a very good sequence!! The one flaw with the movie is the werewolf, it doesn't look very authentic. after the attack, GINGER starts to have very bizarre mood swings, and takes a very sudden interest in boys. In addition, she starts to show signs of transformation, and in a panic, BRIGETTE finds help in the form of the local drug-dealer SAM(KRIS LEMCHE).One of the scenes in this movie really stands out, but it's very simple. It involves SAM and BRIDETTE in a closet; without giving anything away, the scene cuts to dark(as the door is shut) and all you hear is BRIDETTE franticly breathing. simple, but very effective!
GINGER SNAPS is a very well thought out and well acted movie. The only noticeable actress in the movie is MIMI ROGERS who plays the sisters dingy, but supportive mother. the rest of the cast are relatively unknown. There are moments of 'black humor' as well as suspence and gore in the right places that compliment the movie perfectly. It wasn't until the end of the movie that I realized it was ALL just a metaphor for female adolecence!! witch is why the end of the movie, although somber, is fitting. My biggest complaint is with the DVD. there is nothing!! and I mean NOTHING!! You get the full-screen version and that's it!! There is another version with the wide-screen with all kinds of extras floating around but it is hard to come by. Overall, this is a great and unique film that fans of 'monsters' SHOULD check out!!!!

Growing Pains..........2007-07-18

The Fitzgerald sisters, Ginger (Katherine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), are social outcasts. Considered weirdos at their highschool, their deep relationship w/ each other is pretty much all they have. They live in a typical sub-division, w/ it's endless rows of non-descript houses. The girls don't seem to be bothered by their isolation or separation from the "normal" (aka: dull) folks around them. In fact, The Fitzgerald's are the only interesting people in their entire town! They have a romanticized view of death, and a jet-black sense of humor about it. Their school film project is a bloody (literally) riot! One night, Ginger and Brigitte are attacked by a lycanthrope, and Ginger is badly mauled on the very night she starts her first period. Soon, she begins to change- growing claws, sprouting hair in odd places, and sporting a tail! Now, not all of this can be attributed to Ginger's recent menstruating madness. Most of all, Ginger's personality undergoes a bizarre change. She becomes increasingly agressive, hostile, and downright psychotic, causing Brigitte to seek help from the local drugdealer (Kris Lemche). Between the two of them, they come up w/ a possible solution, but it could prove to be just as bad as Ginger's murderous state! I love this movie! Through all of the horror, gore, death, darkness, etc., the bond between the Fitzgerald's holds true. Brigitte is willing to risk anything to save her sister, even her own life. Emily Perkins is an amazing actress. Katherine Isabelle is great as well. Mimi Rogers portrays the girls' oblivious mum w/ humor and perfectly empty-headed facial expressions. GS is a movie w/ depth and heart within its impaled and oozing ribcage. It's also a fantastic werewolf movie! Highly recommended...

Hands Down the BEST Werewolf/Horror movie made.......2007-07-03

Let me begin by saying that Im a huge fan of the horror genre. I have read the foundational works of H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. I have seen many of the werewolf movies like Howling I & II, American Werewolf in London, Dog Soldiers, Beast of Gauverdan, but none, NONE have come close to the pathos and sheer characterization that Ginger Snaps has. Two girls who are inseparable, struggle with becoming women and undergoing their first menstrual development into womanhood. Both are fascinated with death and live typical ansgsty suburban lives. Both experience first hand the absolute horror of becoming werewolves. Plainly said, this movie takes the metaphor of growing up and turns it upside down. Like Joss Whedon's Buffy, these girls have to confront what it is to be female and what it means to be an outsider.

After renting this movie I have now purchased all 3 of the Ginger Snaps movies. While the second two dont achieve the magnificence of the first, they are worthy of the title (the 3rd is actually a prelude that tells the story set in the 19th century). I highly, highly recommend these movies to enthusiasts of the horror, werewolf and supernatural genre!

A movie worth sinking your teeth into!.......2007-06-01

I haven't really come across any really good werewolf movies since The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, and more recently The Brotherhood of the Wolf and Dog Soldiers. Ginger Snaps was a pleasant surprise in its ability to entertain with the story of two sisters, Brigitte and Ginger being the main players. The two siblings are considered weird by the rest of their peers and share a close bond with each other.Things change when Ginger is bitten one fateful night setting the stage for Ginger's transformation into a werewolf, and complicating life for Brigitte whose sense of loyalty to her sister makes her cover Ginger's tracks and enlist the help of a guy, Sam to help save her sister.
Its fast-paced, and thrilling with scares thrown in for good measure. A competent addition to the werewolf horror genre.

For a werewolf movie i loved it!.......2007-05-13

Most werewolf movies i see are cheesy. For a B-movie this movie had a good storyline. The characters were good. Movie cam fast, in good quality.

Melody Time (Disney Gold Classic Collection)

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An Underrated, Unremembered Disney Classic
melody time
Disney at its best!
Roy Would NOT be Happy
Melody Time is good, in parts

Melody Time (Disney Gold Classic Collection)
Starring: Roy Rogers , Trigger , Dennis Day , Laverne Andrews , and Maxene Andrews
Director: Clyde Geronimi , Jack Kinney , and Wilfred Jackson
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004R99D
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Amazon.com

This is another collection of Disney shorts set to music, but this time the formula works. That's predicated on the inherent strength of the individual pieces and almost all of them come through. Surprisingly, two American folk heroes, Johnny Appleseed and Pecos Bill, are the stars of this show, with rousty little tunes, humor, and compelling linear story lines (a rarity in most of these shorts). Even the shorts that are weak in one area, thematically or musically, make up for it in another. There's very little of the Disney animators attempting to be 1940s modern, thank goodness, and there's a sterling quality in the depth of the art work. A definite plus to an animation (or Disney) collection. --Keith Simanton

Description

In the grand tradition of Disney's greatest musical classics such as FANTASIA, MELODY TIME features seven classic stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters! Donald Duck -- an all-time Disney favorite -- puts on a display of jazzy antics as the star of "Blame It On The Samba." Music becomes a real adventure for a busy bumble bee in "Bumble Boogie." From the mischievous young tugboat in "Little Toot," to the heroes of legend and myth in "Johnny Appleseed" and "Pecos Bill," this feast for the eyes and ears entertains with wit and charm. A timeless addition to your video collection, MELODY TIME is a delightful Disney classic with something for everyone in your family!

Customer Reviews:

An Underrated, Unremembered Disney Classic.......2007-09-04

In 1948, Walt Disney combined animated sequences with popular music of the time to create one of his lesser known, lesser appreciated classics, "Melody Time." The animated anthology feature presents 7 pieces to the audience, each wonderful in its own way, though probably not to everyone's tastes. Our host, with the help of a paint brush, is a talking, animated theatrical mask, and he introduces each story with a voice over, beginning with a holiday favorite (as most of these segments were released as individual shorts in the years to come), "Once Upon a Wintertime," with vocals provided by Frances Langford. "Once Upon a Wintertime" is a romantic tale of nostalgia with a Christmas card feeling. It focuses on a young couple's sleigh ride together, which is followed by ice skating, leading them into a rather harry situation on thin ice. Of course, the boys save the girls in the end, and all is hugs and kisses and melting snow. It's a very charming animated short many will feel nostalgic about due to its airings on various Disney holiday specials.

"Bumble Boogie" comes second, and this is a surreal, visual extravaganza of one bee's musical nightmare. It's music, a take on "Flight of the Bumblebee," is performed by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra, and it's great fun to watch. Of course, being that this one is less of a story than the others, it is probably among the less popular pieces in the program.

The third musical tale in this package feature is actually some of Disney's best work. It's the legend of Johnny Appleseed as told and sung by Dennis Day. The visuals are a feast for the eyes and the music a feast for the ears, while the story will bring a tear to your eye.

"Little Toot" follows Johnny Appleseed, and though the tale is a simple and none too original one about an anthropomorphic, kid tugboat having to redeem himself after causing too much trouble, the animation is pleasing and the musical narration makes it great! The singing is provided by the always delightful Andrews Sisters.

The fifth installment is "Trees," in which Alfred Joyce Kilmer's poem is sung to enchanting visuals and haunting melody. This is the most thoughtful and "artsy" piece in this particular anthology. Many will hopefully find it beautiful, but, of course, there are those who will want to skip over it.

The next piece in "Melody Time" is a treat for Joe Carioca and Latin music fans everywhere! In his last theatrical appearance, Joe, or Jose, and his pal Donald Duck are down in the dumps when they stroll into a Latin American bar and are pepped up by the Aracuan bird and some fantastic Samba music and dancing! The song is performed by the Dinning Sisters and the segment includes some dazzling live-action integration featuring Ethel Smith on organ. Oh, and the title is "Blame It On the Samba," of course!

The last but anything but least is the tall tale of none other than Texas's folklore favorite, Pecos Bill! As with "Johnny Appleseed," this part of the film is a classic in its own right. Who else could sing this fantastically tall tale than Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers in a charming live-action opening. Roy and his buddies, including Trigger, Smartest Horse in the West, sing the story around a campfire to young Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten of "Song of the South" and "So Dear To My Heart" fame. Well, Trigger doesn't sing. It's all to answer Bobby's question of why coyote's howl at the moon. From there, we get the animated saga of Pecos from childhood (found and raised by coyotes) to adulthood, when he became a rootin' tootin' cowboy riding his dangerous palomino horse, Widowmaker. Pecos is a legend in his own time for being the greatest cowboy on Earth, but it all goes awry when he encounters one of Disney's most heavenly creations, Slue Foot Sue. Widowmaker is immediately jealous of the gorgeous, redheaded cowgirl, and he successfully separates the two forever on their wedding day in a most amazing way.

Pecos Bill's end closes the book on "Melody Time," a most enjoyable musical experience that is far too unknown by far too many people who often think the previous segments were always stand alone shorts. Even many folks who know the Disney anthology films well don't truly appreciate them, including many who simply don't like the fact that they are anthologies. In fact, that was a general feeling about the Disney anthologies during their initial releases, but coming out of WWII, Walt was doing his best until he could release a solid feature again. The results, in my opinion, are some really great films that offer so much variety in one sitting, and this is probably the best of them. The trouble with anthologies is that often a viewer only likes certain segments. Of course, to be negative about them in general due to that reason would make you a real "glass is half empty" kind of person. In all honesty though, I can't see any reason not to love all the segments of this film, but I'm one of those people who greatly enjoys music of the 1940's despite being born decades later.

Now, time to talk about this Gold Collection DVD release. If you're wondering why I have given this film only 4 out of 5 stars, there's a plain and simple answer. It is EDITED!!! Yes, it's edited, something I and most film lovers simply cannot stand! When Disney released this and its other anthologies some 7 years or so ago, it took the liberty of removing things (sometimes entire sequences) it found inappropriate for modern American viewers (yes, from what I hear, the U.K. Region 2 version of Melody Time is uncut!). In this film's case, Disney has unforgivably hacked up the Pecos Bill segment due to the fact that Pecos rolls and smokes a cigarette. Look, folks, I'm against smoking completely, but I'm also against book burning, and that goes for films too. History is history, including film history. Not to mention the fact that it takes an important chunk out of his story and song, the legendary encounter with a tornado! The following part of Pecos's song, animation and all, was removed:

"Once he roped a raging cyclone out of nowhere
Then he straddled it and settled down with ease
And while that cyclone bucked and flitted
Pecos rolled a smoke and lit it
And he tamed that ornery wind down to a breeze."

Along with that famous part of the Pecos Bill legend, any other footage of Pecos smoking has been altered, as in the cigarette has been digitally removed. It's sickening. I'm a huge Disney fan myself, but this is something I won't be able to forgive them for until they rerelease an uncut version (which, by the way, I and everyone else who bought this release should get for free). The same goes for "Saludos Amigos," from which Goofy's cigarette has been removed, and especially "Make Mine Music," from which an entire animated sequence was removed (The Martins and the Coys).

Well, all that having been said, this is a wonderful film and those who don't remember the original version probably won't notice anything missing, and the Disney animation that IS included intact is a must have. Love all the Mary Blair influence throughout! Still, it's terribly painful for those of us who do remember the original version and the editing is just as wrong and stupid as smoking itself. Besides that though, the fullscreen DVD (yes, it's supposed to be fullscreen, as the movie always was) offers three delightful extras in the form of classic Disney animated shorts. This is something I applaud them for, though it's strange that there are no extras relating to the film itself.

The three shorts included as bonus features are the Disney favorite "Lambert the Sheepish Lion," about a Lion raised by a sheep and mistreated by the flock until he saves their hides from a wolf, "Donald Applecore," featuring the usual, highly enjoyable hi-jinks of Donald and Chip 'n' Dale, and "Casey Bats Again," a favorite of mine that tells a follow-up story to "Casey At Bat." This sequel is about Casey forming a baseball team of his nine beautiful daughters. Always loved this one because of the girls, ha. Strange that it is found on this DVD rather than on "Make Mine Music" though, which includes the original Casey story as part of the feature presentation.

So, overall, this is a DVD that is a must have because the film is 5 star worthy and the extras are three must-have Disney shorts. The picture quality is nice too. Unfortunately, it has the one major flaw of Pecos's section being hacked up. I guess all we can do is hope that Disney makes a couple of Treasures Collection tins for the anthologies someday. I'd love to see a set for Make Mine Music and Melody Time, both uncut, and likewise for Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, and even Song of the South and So Dear To My Heart! Again, ALL uncut!

melody time.......2007-01-11

This is one of the great classics of the past. It is Walt Disney's Pecos Bill w