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DVD Brigadoon
This Cinemascope production brought Lerner and Loewe's hit Broadway musical to the big screen with Gene Kelly and Van Johnson as the American hunters who stumble upon Brigadoon, the magical Scottish village that went to sleep in 1754 and awakens for just one day each century. MGM had originally planned to shoot this film on location in Scotland, but budget considerations turned it into a studio production, costarring Cyd Charisse as the bonny lass who wins Kelly's heart. Although it has never been ranked among the great musicals of MGM's golden age, Brigadoon has still got plenty of charm and continues to gain a loyal following. --Jeff Shannon
I saw a high school production of BRIGADOON in San Francisco at the ICA (Immaculate Conception Academy) at 24th and Guerrero. These girls who played the parts had never been anywhere near Scotland, you could tell, and some had not been in the USA very long and the charming accents of South of the Border stood in for the strong Scots burr. Nevertheless they played the show beautifully and ever since then I have had a fondness for the music and the story. I feel that the makers of MOULIN ROUGE were probably trying to capture some of the big-hearted appeal of BRIGADOON when they created their fantasy world. Watching the movie I have always felt that a bit of the magic was lost because so much of Minnelli's canvas was spent on dance elements which, IMHO, are just not that interesting. So many dance numbers created to take advantage of Gene Kelly's and Cyd Charisse's astonishing abilities. Maybe too many! Thus some of the musical numbers had to be cut out, including some of the loveliest of the songs Lerner and Loewe wrote for the 1947 musical.
Imagine my surprise and delight when the new DVD came out this spring and I discover that, in fact, Minnelli did film three of the rejected songs (and recorded another, perhaps the greatest) and that all of this deleted material would be available on the disc. I was in hog heaven. However we are all familiar with some deleted scenes that you watch and then you say, "Well, I know why that sucker got deleted" and I was afraid that these scenes would be of inferior quality. (Like "Is It A Crime?" in BELLS ARE RINGING--forgive me, "Crime" fans!)
But it is my pleasure to report that all 3 numbers here are keepers. I wish somehow they had been re-integrated back into the main print of BRIGADOON and we could then judge the movie for once and for all the way Minnelli wanted it. If it is too long, then maybe shorten down the "Sword Dance." I feel sure that somewhere footage must exist for the exquisite "There But For You Go I"--or is that just a dream of mine? In any case we can now hear the track, and we can see the fully staged versions of "Come to Me, Bend to Me" and the marvelous "From This Day On" which is to BRIGADOON what "From This Moment On" is to KISS ME KATE. All in all, the plus factor makes this disc the one to buy if you're wanting the full BRIGADOON magic.
Brigadoon an Overlooked Masterpiece
Brigadoon is widely considered as one of Vincente Minnelli's lesser achievements. The critics were somewhat disenchanted that Brigadoon was filmed on a sound stage in Culver City rather than "on location" in Scotland. MGM had not helped matters by actually dispatching Minnelli and Producer Arthur Freed to Scotland to scout for suitable filming locations. MGM, like the other major studios, were finding themselves in somewhat dire financial straits due to competition from television and certain pieces of anti-trust legislation that loosened their monopolistic grip over the entertainment industry. When MGM pulled the plug on the concept of an "on location" shoot (they were well aware of Minnelli's obsession with perfection and expected that he would go well over budget if given a free rein), the entire project became saddled with an image problem. By 1954, movie audiences expected something more than fixed indoor sets and painted scenery, especially from a work so site specific as Brigadoon. Minnelli faced other obstacles. Ansco was a cheaper and somewhat inferior colour processing system than Technicolor, which no doubt irritated his refined sensibilities. He also had to come to terms with the new demands of Cinemascope and full stereophonic sound, with somewhat mixed results. Even more troubling is that the choreography was in the hands of Gene Kelly, who seemed determined to emphasize the dancing rather than musical element at the heart of Brigadoon. The two had worked wonderfully together on "An American in Paris", but on the set of Brigadoon their artistic visions clashed. It is telling that Brigadoon was their last collaboration. Critics in the 1950's were also a better informed breed than they were 20 years earlier and they were quick to pounce on certain "inaccuracies", such as the outrageous blends of tartans, which cerainly would have made any Laird wince, and the suitability of much of Mr. Kelly's choreography; hardly Scottish by a long stretch. Yet in spite of these encumberances, I love this film. The painted diaramas are in keeping with the preposterous nature of the storyline, and what beautiful sets they are! Minnelli's artistic flourishes are evident eveywhere, such as the ample plantings of heather which must have caused a state of full employment for local florists. Minnelli"s outstanding contribution to American Film was his refined palette of colour schemes, and in Brigadoon his genius achieves its climax. Make no mistake, Brigadoon is a feast for the eyes. The music by Lerner and Loewe is superb, with haunting melodies and stirring choruses. Cyd Charisse, always more celebrated for her dancing than her thespian skills, in Brigadoon achieves her finest hour, even though her singing voice is dubbed. Gene Kelly's type of acting is perhaps an acquired taste, but there is no denying his cat like grace and radiant boyish good looks. On the whole, the imperfections of Brigadoon only make it more endearing. It is the one musical I never tire of seeing over and over again.
Strange color transfer
Has anyone else noticed a problem with the new DVD transfer? My copy has a constant "flicker" in which the color tint changes back and forth to a pinkish hue...This is supposed to be a new digital transfer.....
Well, bless my beautiful hide! Director Stanley Donen invests this rollicking musical with a hearty exuberance. Howard Keel, with his big-as-all-outdoors baritone, stars as a bold "mountain man" living in the Oregon woods who brings home a bride (plucky songbird soprano Jane Powell) to his six slovenly brothers. Taming the rambunctious brood, Jane proceeds to make gentlemen of them so they can woo sweethearts of their own. But old habits die hard: their flirting gives way to fighting in the film's celebrated barn-raising scene, a lively acrobatic dance number exuberantly choreographed by Michael Kidd. Big brother chimes in with his own brand of advice--an old-fashioned kidnapping! Donen manages to get away with such a politically incorrect plot by investing the boys with a... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Stanley Donen DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A funny thing happened to Finian's Rainbow in between its debut as a Broadway musical in 1947 and its appearance as a film in 1968. After 21 years, its theme of racial tension in the American South was no longer cutting edge, and the fact that its heroes are a group of sharecroppers called the Rainbow Valley Tobacco Cooperative dates it even further. Add a number of subplots and the heavy hand of a 29-year-old Francis Ford Coppola directing his first and only musical, and the two-and-a-half-hour running time feels bloated. Hermes Pan (best known for the classic Astaire-Rogers movies) is credited with choreographing the overbusy musical numbers, but he was reportedly overruled by Coppola at every turn. Still, there is a lot to enjoy in this movie, most notably Fred Astaire in his... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Fred Astaire - Petula Clark Director(s): Francis Ford Coppola DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Decades before the Hollywood film industry became famous for megabudget disaster and science fiction spectaculars, the studios of Southern California (and particularly Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) were renowned for a uniquely American (and nearly extinct) kind of picture known as The Musical. Indeed, when the prestigious British film magazine Sight & Sound conducts its international critics poll in the second year of every decade, this 1952 MGM picture is the American musical that consistently ranks among the 10 best movies ever made. It's not only a great song-and-dance piece starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and a sprightly Debbie Reynolds; it's also an affectionately funny insider spoof about the film industry's uneasy transition from silent pictures to "talkies." Kelly plays... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Donald O'Connor - Debbie Reynolds Director(s): Stanley Donen DVD Release Date: Released the 24 September 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The hit Broadway musical from the 1940s gets a lavish if not always exciting workout in this 1955 film version directed by old lion Fred Zinnemann (High Noon). Gordon MacRae brings his sterling voice to the role of cowboy Curly, and Shirley Jones plays Laurie, the object of his affection. The Rodgers and Hammerstein score includes "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," and "People Will Say We're in Love," and Agnes DeMille provides the buoyant choreography. Among the supporting cast, Gloria Grahame is memorable as Ado Annie, the "girl who cain't say no," and Rod Steiger overdoes it as the villainous Jud. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gordon MacRae - Gloria Grahame Director(s): Fred Zinnemann DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 1999 Usually ships in 6 to 8 days
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The show that first defined the Broadway musical has never come to the screen intact, despite three tries. But take this splashy 1951 MGM extravaganza on its own terms, and it boggles the eyes. Not to mention the ears: The Kern-Hammerstein score includes some staples of the American songbook, such as "Make Believe," "After the Ball," and "Can't Help Lovin' That Man." Perhaps a riverboat gambler is almost too-easy casting for Howard Keel, and Kathryn Grayson is overly twittery, which may be why the film's middle sags when they take center stage. But any time the uncannily beautiful Ava Gardner smolders, a lush tragic undertone takes over (even if the most interesting parts of her story seem to take place offscreen). The physical production is extraordinary: the busy riverside... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Kathryn Grayson - Ava Gardner Director(s): George Sidney (II) DVD Release Date: Released the 02 May 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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