The Great Ziegfeld

Starring:William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, Fanny Brice, Virginia Bruce, Reginald Owen, Ray Bolger, Ernest Cossart, Joseph Cawthorn, Nat Pendleton, Harriet Hoctor, Jean Chatburn, Paul Irving, Herman Bing, Charles Judels, Marcelle Corday, Raymond Walburn, A.A. Trimble, Buddy Doyle
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, The Great Ziegfeld stars William Powell in a biopic "suggested by romances and incidents in the life of America's greatest showman, Florenz Ziegfeld Jr." With admirable accuracy, the film follows Ziegfeld's career from small-time sideshow barker to creator of the famous Ziegfeld Follies, the collection of singing, dancing, and comedy vaudeville acts that launched the careers of such luminaries as Fanny Brice, Ray Bolger, and Harriet Hoctor, all of whom play themselves in the film. In the title role, Powell offers a believable combination of ambition and hucksterism, and his Thin Man costar Myrna Loy makes a late appearance as his second wife, but it's large-eyed Luise Rainer who has the showier role (and won an Oscar) as Ziegfeld's first big star and first wife. The musical numbers, however, don't hold up quite as well as the plot, and the film is overlong at 185 minutes. It's fascinating, though, to see the vintage stars performing, and the eight-minute spectacle "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" is an eye-popper, with an elaborate revolving set supporting a large cast singing and dancing to the Irving Berlin tune while throwing in some Puccini, Strauss, Leoncavallo, and Gershwin for good measure. --David Horiuchi

Description

Flo Ziegfeld's midway attraction isn't drawing flies. "How's business, Ziggy?" a rival taunts. This winner of 3 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture provides the career-chronicling answer. Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.'s business was good (with Broadway's legendary Follies and more), bad (including times the showman could scarcely rub two nickels together) and rarely lacking optimistic excess. Year: 1936 Director: Robert Z. Leonard Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer

Customer Reviews:

A Best Picture decision that hasn't held up over time.......2007-06-24

This movie is worthwhile viewing for any fan of classic cinema or William Powell, but over 70 years later it's hard to see why this film won Best Picture of 1936 and a film like "Dodsworth" lost. Today it does seem overly long on musical numbers that could have been cut and short on storyline. There are probably several reasons that the picture could have been better and wasn't, the primary reason being that at the time the film was made Ziegfeld had only been dead four years and was thus still fondly and recently remembered. Also, according to the little featurette that comes with the DVD, Ziegfeld's widow Billie Burke was heavily involved in the making of the film and wouldn't allow anything in it to besmirch his memory. Finally, the production code had just begun to be sternly enforced in 1934, making a true accounting of Ziegfeld's personal life pretty much impossible. As a result Ziegfeld is portrayed as just the unluckiest of fellows who is always being wrongly perceived as a ladies' man just because his business involves large numbers of chorines. In fact, Ziegfeld cheated on both wives incessantly, and Ziegfeld never even formally married Anna Held to begin with - instead they had a common law marriage according to the statutes of New York. However, none of these other factors can account for the complete lack of chemistry between Powell (Ziegfeld) and Loy (Billie Burke) in the film. Considering how the two had already been in several movies together by the time this film was made, and that they never failed to sparkle on screen together in the other movies, there must have been either a complete lack of direction or over-direction to wind up with the rather wooden performance that results whenever the two are in scenes together.

This movie would probably warrant only about three stars if it wasn't for William Powell's performance. Marvelous as always, he was at least allowed to portray Ziegfeld as the cagey trickster and gambler with tremendous class that he was, and he absolutely makes the film. I can't think of any other actor of that time period who could have done as good a job. As far as video quality, I was surprised at the scratchiness of the video portion of the transfer. There are numerous artifacts in the video that can be quite distracting at times, and at other points the video looks nearly perfect. There are only two extras features. One is a featurette lasting under ten minutes on the film and Ziegfeld's life with Luise Ranier, Ziegfeld's daughter, and others. The other feature is an unedited movietone newsreel of the grand opening of the film with short greetings from Harpo Marx, Ed Sullivan, and other celebrities.

The Great Ziegfeld.......2007-06-21

Top MGM musical recreates the glory days of the musical theatre, before movies overtook Broadway as our primary form of entertainment. The ever-charming, debonair Powell is perfect casting for Zeigfeld, and frequent co-star Myrna Loy is also on hand playing second wife Billie Burke. Winner of that year's Best Picture Oscar, Luise Rainer also won a statuette for her portrayal of "Ziggy"'s first wife Anna Held (her culminating phone scene is justly famous). Long but dazzling, "Ziegfeld" combines backstage drama with on-stage spectacle-in particular, don't miss that "Pretty Girl" musical number.

Shopping for older films on DVD.......2006-07-14

The film was in new wrapping, and packed very well for shipping. I was happy to find this old film on DVD as it was part of a birthday gift for a friend who was born the year the film won the Academy Award.

1st hour Dull--2nd Hour a Masterpiece--3rd a mixture.......2006-05-16

The title just about sums up my review. The dramatic sequences of this film really don't stand the test of time; they're alternately melodramatic and boring. To modern day audiences, the 1st hour, in particular, is almost unbelievably dull.

But when the production numbers begin at about the second hour, the senses are overwhelmed. I don't think I've ever seen a more spectacular production--ever--in 30 years of viewing movies. No superlative adequately expresses this production. More beautiful girls than you ever saw, more beautiful gowns, more beautiful music, just doesn't exist anywhere else on celluloid. I wonder who the handsome crooner was? His voice was haunting in its beauty.

The third hour is part melodrama, part musical production. The circus number is first-rate, but doesn't match the sheer genius of the 2nd hour.

You must watch this movie at least to enjoy the numbers!

The Great Ziefgeld.......2006-02-23

I just wish they'd make movies like this one today instead of all the rubbish they churn out of Hollywood.

Average customer rating:

Great way to start your collection of Best Pictures
Eighteen of the best movies of all time
Best Picture Oscar Collection - fantastic present
good deal but not in collectible condition
This is a great deal; looks like they fixed the problems,,,

Best Picture Oscar Collection (18-Pack)

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)
From Here to Eternity
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Lawrence of Arabia (Limited Edition)

ASIN: B0007KXRZI
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

Great way to start your collection of Best Pictures.......2007-02-03

This is the set of 18 Best Picture winners on DVD that Warner Home Video controlled the rights to as of Feb. 2005, and spans the time period 1929-1992. Some of them hold up over time, and others were given the award because of technical achievements that no longer seem important. I'll go through each one and give my opinion:

Broadway Melody of 1929 - This was the first "talkie" to win the award. The screenplay is a mediocre love story, but the song and dance numbers are good. There's even a musical number in Technicolor - "Wedding of the Painted Doll".

Grand Hotel - Won in 1932 and contained a great ensemble cast about the personal lives of guests in a fancy Berlin hotel. This is a great one that still is worthy viewing today.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - Probably the best of all the pictures about the famous mutiny. Still good viewing today. An odd aside - all of the nominees for best actor that did not win were from this film - Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, and Charles Laughton.

The Great Ziegfield (1936) - After the Hays code was fully in effect, the personal aspects of Ziegfield's life had to be modified for the screen. Still, a great movie with a great performance by William Powell as the famous showman.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937) - One of those period pieces that just didn't grab me. It is a very skillfully done film, very artistic, and Paul Muni gives a tremendous performance in the title role. It's hard to believe the articulate and gentile Emile Zola is being portrayed by the same actor who was equally convincing in "Scarface".

Gone with the Wind (1939) - This movie charts the life of a Southern belle who always wanted what she didn't have and took for granted what she did have as she lives through the Civil War and reconstruction. It is the most popular film of all time and probably the biggest money-maker if you factor in inflation. It was shown in movie theatres until it made its TV debut in 1976.

Mrs. Miniver (1942) - This is a good film, and it has great acting, but it is one of those films that probably won because of the times. It depicts how the British coped while under seige during World War II as experienced by one British family headed by Mrs. Miniver.

Casablanca (1943) - This one probably won because of the wartime theme, but it is a great piece of moviemaking that just gets better with time. The chemistry between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart just oozes off the screen. It's more what's not said than what is in this film. The fact that Bogart didn't win best actor was one of the great injustices of all time.

An American in Paris (1951) - Of course the point of this film not the plot, it is Gene Kelly's dancing, which is fabulous as always. It inspired the quickly thrown together and even more popular "Singin In the Rain".

Around the World in 80 Days (1956) - A fun adventure, David Niven is great, and how they got all of those stars to play bit parts I'll never know. However, it really doesn't hold up as a great movie 50 years after the fact.

Gigi (1958) - The academy award winner in the year of my birth just does not inspire today. There are a couple of good songs, but not many. Plus the screenplay is antiquated and outright campy by today's standards.

Ben-Hur (1959) - One of those great Bible-era epics of the 50's. Even though it is a story on a large scale, it is all of the small scale stories going on that make it great - revenge, love, loyalty, loss.

My Fair Lady (1964) - One of the great musicals starring Rex Harrison in one of his greatest and most amusing roles. Nobody did stuffy British low-key comedy like Rex. He was robbed when it came to best actor, but fortunately the Academy rectified the situation a few years later.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Jack Nicholson is a rebel confined to a mental institution. When he doesn't conform, the evil nurse Ratchett has him lobotimized. A great film that will stir emotions even today.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I personally love this film about the 1924 Olympic games and the conflict between God, country, and conscience seen through the eyes of two men - one a Christian who wants to be a missionary, the other Jewish who wants to be an insider in British society. It's a love it or hate it kind of film - either you find the internal struggles of these men compelling, or you'll find it torture to sit through.

Amadeus (1984) - Another of the modern era Oscars where you either love the message and love the film, or it puts you to sleep. I really loved this one too, partly because Mozart has always interested me, and partly because Salieri was such a ridiculous creature thinking he could best God by destroying Mozart. Didn't he ever realize that the fact that he recognized Mozart's talent before everyone else did was a talent in itself? If you can't build Microsoft yourself, then the next best thing was to have bought stock in it in 1975.

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) - The story of a wealthy elderly woman and her driver from 1948 up to the mid-70's. In spite of the difference in their races and the place - Georgia - they have much in common and slowly become friends. She is Jewish and he is Black in a time and place that wasn't ordinarily welcoming to either group of people. This is a sentimental favorite of mine, plus there's some good comic one-liners in it too.

Unforgiven (1992) - A different kind of Western in which Clint Eastwood wins his first award for Best Director. Eastwood is out to avenge the scarring of a prostitute in return for money when the justice the sheriff metes out on the offending cowboy is just not satisfactory to the prostitute or her friends. Eastwood plays an ex-criminal widower trying to make a go of farming when this assignment lands in his lap. In the end, he doesn't have a hard time finding his "inner killer". A really great film. Who'd have thought in 1965 that Ramrod Rowdy Yates had it in him?

This package is a good value at eleven dollars per Oscar winner, especially when you consider one of those Oscar winners is Gone with the Wind. Plus it has a good sampling of Oscar winners from all genres up to 1992. Depending on how you feel about the more modern Oscar winners (post 1965) that are usually slower, more thoughtful films, you may or may not feel the same. To me the only real dud is Gigi.

Also note that if you buy this set, "Studio Classics Best Picture Collection", and the new "Best Picture Collection", you'll have 29 of the soon to be 79 best picture winners. Not a bad start on your collection.

My only real complaints are that there have been four changes that should be incorporated into the pack to really make it complete as of Spring 2007 based on what is available, although it might require a price increase.
1. Ben-Hur is now available in a 4 disc special edition that includes the silent version of the film.
2. Cimarron, Best Picture 1930-1931, was released on DVD in 2006 by Warner Home Video and should be included.
3. After this pack was released "Million Dollar Baby" and "The Departed" won Best Picture for 2004 and 2006, respectively. These films are not included.
I'm really just pointing out minor flaws because, compared to all of the other studios, Warners has done the best job of putting all of the Best Picture winners they control into one attractively priced package.

Eighteen of the best movies of all time.......2005-09-26

This set contains 18 Best Picture winners from the Warner Video library. A few of them are fairly basic, with limited extras (Broadway Melody, Grand Hotel), while others are multi-disc deluxe editions (Gone with the Wind, Ben Hur). If you're looking to get your collection off to a start, with some of the all-time classics, I haven't seen a better boxed set than this one.

Best Picture Oscar Collection - fantastic present.......2005-09-21

This made my father very happy - has all the golden favourites and is great value.

good deal but not in collectible condition.......2005-06-11

It's a bunch of oscar winning movies from warner brothers with a great discount. but collectors beware of this set :

1. First of all, most of the items are not sealed. many of them looks like new, but some are not brand new, at least look like used!
2. I talked with 3 persons who purchased this item. all of them had complains about ruptures at the edge of some boxes which had caused with a blade or a sharp instrument.
3. there is not a huge outer box. only a wrap around all items.

after those negative points, lets say that, all of the DVDs are the best releases of each item. my word is, it's a good deal but don't expect to receive all of them in collectible condition! I don't want to blame warner but it seems that some of these DVDs are clean returned to market items!

This is a great deal; looks like they fixed the problems,,,.......2005-05-28

I purchased this set when the price was $140. However, I did not get Casablanca or Cuckoo's net SE's, but after I contacted AMAZON twice and waited for a while, they corrected the problem to my full satisfaction! I have never been happier with their service!

But, this is a great set because it has 18 of the best picture winners.

It has some of the best ones, and all the discs are the top of the line editions! way to go!!!

Now, if they could opnly get the last three best picture winners on DVD, I'd have them all!

Best Picture Oscar Collection - Musicals (My Fair Lady Special Edition / An American in Paris / The Broadway Melody of 1929 / Gigi / The Great Ziegfeld)

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Picture Oscar Collection - Musicals (My Fair Lady Special Edition / An American in Paris / The Broadway Melody of 1929 / Gigi / The Great Ziegfeld)
Starring: Leslie Caron , Maurice Chevalier , Louis Jourdan , Hermione Gingold , and Eva Gabor
Director: Charles Walters , Vincente Minnelli , and Robert Z. Leonard
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Best Picture Oscar Collection - Drama (Amadeus/Casablanca Special Edition/Driving Miss Daisy/The Life of Emile Zola/Mrs. Miniver)
The Classic Musicals Collection - Broadway to Hollywood (Easter Parade Two Disc Special Edition / The Band Wagon Two Disc Special Edition / Bells Are Ringing / Finian's Rainbow / Brigadoon)
Classic Musicals Collection - The Cole Porter Gift Set (High Society / Kiss Me Kate / Les Girls / Broadway Melody of 1940 / Silk Stockings)
Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 1 (Ziegfeld Follies / Till the Clouds Roll By / Three Little Words / Summer Stock / It's Always Fair Weather)

ASIN: B0006V6TO4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-03-20

Give me any of the musicals anytime. These performances are like a thing in the past. Some of these production companies should take a look at the old to bring back the Glitz!!!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

A Best Picture decision that hasn't held up over time
The Great Ziegfeld
Shopping for older films on DVD
1st hour Dull--2nd Hour a Masterpiece--3rd a mixture
The Great Ziefgeld

The Great Ziegfeld [Region 2]
Starring: William Powell , Myrna Loy , Luise Rainer , Frank Morgan , and Fanny Brice
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video