The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition) with Slipcover

Starring:Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan, James Mitchell, Robert Gist, Betty Farrington, Frank J. Scannell, Bobby Watson, Herb Vigran, Steve Forrest, Wilson Wood, Harold Miller, Leroy Daniels, Ernest Anderson, Roy Engel, Ava Gardner, Judy Landon, Lillian Culver
Director: Vincente Minnelli, Richard Schickel
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi
Average customer rating:
- This is the greatest musical of all time!
- Keep out of reach of children
- Paint Your Wagon
- Western Musical with ModernThemes
- Great entertainment
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Paint Your Wagon
Starring: Ben Baker , Alan Baxter , Sue Casey , Alan Dexter , and Robert Easton
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Similar Items:
- Cat Ballou
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- The Hallelujah Trail
- Kelly's Heroes
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
ASIN: B00003CXBX
Release Date: 2001-07-24 |
Amazon.com
This film and Hello Dolly were the knockout blows to the studio movie musical, but Paint doesn't deserve its tarnished name. Ben Rumson (Lee Marvin) takes the model of a rakish derelict to an unequaled high as a prospector who teams up with a greenhorn named Pardner (Clint Eastwood), and they both end up marrying the same scorned woman (Jean Seberg). No-Name City, the prospecting town they found, is Sodom and Gomorrah without the camels, and a vision of humanity left to its own devices. The songs are mostly wonderful melodies from Lerner and Loewe, with definite high points, notably "They Call the Wind Maria" and "Wand'rin' Star." Clint Eastwood always gets flack for his versions of "I Still See Elisa" and "I Talk to the Trees," but that scorn is equally undeserved. Perhaps Paint's biggest sin, in retrospect, was trying to combine the aesthetics of the musical with the aesthetics of the male protagonists' world-weary machismo. Not the easiest task, but Paint pulls it off. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews:
This is the greatest musical of all time!.......2007-07-03
Hahahahahaha... The last person to review this movie has no clue about quality entertainment. I for one will watch this movie with my children and enjoy every crass moment with them... Like When Ben takes the Mormon boy to become a man at the local cat house...hahahaha... "Ooooh apple jack eeyyyy!" Hahahahaha...The lines in this and the comical delivery is spot on...hahaha Enjoy the movie for what it is and keep your pie hole shut...haha
Keep out of reach of children.......2007-07-02
I hate this movie. Boring plot, unlikable characters, horrible songs, obscene language, too many reasons why I hate the film. The filmmakers must've been out of their minds to produce this filth! Stay away from this trash, I mean it!
Paint Your Wagon.......2007-06-27
This DVD I received was flawed. I have tried to view it on 3 different DVD players and the picture breaks up every time. I really need to know how to return it.
Western Musical with ModernThemes.......2007-06-15
I was so happy when I watched this film for the first time because it was able to create both an entertaining story and one with a deeper meaning directed at society. It is much more scandalous than the Broadway version of this musical, but I think that makes its impact bigger. There are also very few musicals that exist that cater to both men and women. So, for those women out there who want to have a musical that you can watch with your boyfriend without him complaining that it is too girlie, then this a good choice. Enjoy!
Great entertainment.......2007-04-14
A wonderful western with a wry sense of humor. Where else can you hear both Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin sing solos? Not meant for very young kids but is hilarious with a great ending.
Average customer rating:
- The Band Wagon
- GOLD FROM THE GOLDEN AGE
- Dissatisfied
- Top Drawer
- The Band Wagon
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The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Fred Astaire , Cyd Charisse , Oscar Levant , Nanette Fabray , and Jack Buchanan
Director: Vincente Minnelli , and Richard Schickel
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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- You Were Never Lovelier
- Broadway Melody of 1940
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ASIN: B0007939MK
Release Date: 2005-03-15 |
Amazon.com
The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews:
The Band Wagon.......2007-05-18
This was a wonderful movie about making movies. Great comedy, Great songs, Great dancing, Jack Buchanan and Fred in Top Hat & Tails number, and of course Cyd Charisse, Nanette Fabre, & Oscar LeVant. Fred excells in his dancing as always. Love the "Old Fashioned Wake" party number "I like Beer"! Let's not forget the "New" song..."That's Entertainment" .
GOLD FROM THE GOLDEN AGE.......2007-04-16
YOU ALREADY KNOW THE STORY. THE BAND WAGON IS ONE OF THOSE GEMS THAT HAS IT ALL ON EVERY LEVEL. VINCENTE MINELLI IS ONE OF THE FINEST DIRECTORS THAT EVER LIVED. FRED ASTAIRE IS IMMORTAL. LOVELY CYD CHARISSE. OSCAR LEVANT IS GREAT. EVERY SONG IS A GEM. WHETHER YOU'RE A FAN OF MUSICALS OR NOT, THIS IS JUST A GREAT MOVIE. ALSO CHECK OUT ALL THE SPECIAL FEATURES. A MUST HAVE.
Dissatisfied.......2007-04-01
You sent the product to the wrong address where it was returned to you as undeliveraable. We had typed in that it should be sent to our winter address and not our home address in PA. So, you got it back and alledgedly have given us credit on our MC. Since then we have responded to your e-mails and requested that you re-enter the order and send it to our current quarters to no avail. This has not been a good experience. Fortunately, TCM was playing the movie the other morning and we copied it on VHS and we have found someone who will copy the particular scene that we need to practice for our show onto another tape and we don't need you now.
Top Drawer.......2006-07-28
Movie miracle. Folks will still be watching this film in another fifty-someodd years to remember or discover the innocent joy that was "golden-age" Hollywood entertainment.
The Band Wagon.......2006-07-08
I'm not a big fan of musicals, but I've always made an exception for this one. Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a Hollywood song-and-dance man who comes to New York to star in a Broadway flop. Cyd Charise agrees to be his dancing partner. Neither thinks the other wants him/her in the show, so they don't get along very well - at first. Not only does Astaire get the show on the right track, he makes things right between him and Charise. They also dance fantastically together. Jack Buchanan is brilliant in a minor role. The great music by Comden and Green, with marvelous songs by Dietz and Schwartz, are what make the movie exceptional: BY MYSELF, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, DANCING IN THE DARK, I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO CHANGE MY PLANS, TRIPLETS, I LOVE LOUISA, and, best of all, A SHINE ON YOUR SHOES all became standards in the Great American Songbook. The movie is a great earful as well as an eyeful.
Average customer rating:
- brigadoon is short-changed
- Five of the Best Color Musicals Ever Made
- Not the best musicals
- Thank You, WB!
- A SUBLIME COLLECTION OF GREAT MUSICALS!
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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)
Starring: Judy Garland , Fred Astaire , Peter Lawford , Ann Miller , and Jules Munshin
Director: Charles Walters , and Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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- Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway)
- 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)
- Classic Musicals Collection - The Cole Porter Gift Set (High Society / Kiss Me Kate / Les Girls / Broadway Melody of 1940 / Silk Stockings)
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- 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)
ASIN: B0007939PW
Release Date: 2005-03-15 |
Amazon.com
Broadway to Hollywood: The Classic Musicals Collection is a five-film set of fondly remembered, mostly MGM musicals: Easter Parade (1948), The Band Wagon (1953), Bells Are Ringing (1960), Finian's Rainbow (Warner, 1968), and Brigadoon (1954). Four of the films are making their DVD debut, all are available separately (for a higher price), and the two best films, Easter Parade and The Band Wagon, come in two-disc special editions complete with commentary tracks, new and vintage documentaries, and musical outtakes. Both of those films star Fred Astaire following his return from premature retirement. Easter Parade is a Pygmalion-like tale of a Vaudeville veteran (Astaire) who attempts to develop an act with a small-timer (Judy Garland) after his partner (Ann Miller) leaves him. Favorite songs include the title tune, "Steppin' Out with My Baby," and "We're a Couple of Swells." The Band Wagon was a sort of career retrospective for Astaire, as he plays an aging film star trying to resurrect his career by returning to the Broadway stage. Costars include Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabray, and favorite numbers include "Dancing in the Dark," "By Myself," "Triplets," and "A Shine on Your Shoes."
Bells Are Ringing is a charmingly dated Vincente Minnelli film starring Judy Holliday, in a reprise of her Tony-winning Broadway role as an employee at an answering service who finds herself falling for a client (Dean Martin). Favorite songs include "Just in Time" and "The Party's Over." Finian's Rainbow is a bloated oddity directed by a young Francis Ford Coppola and starring Astaire as a leprechaun and '60s pop icon Petula Clark as his daughter. It does have some great songs, however, including "How Are Things in Glocca Mora," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love," and "Old Devil Moon." Brigadoon has been out on DVD twice before, but appears now in its best version yet, remastered, anamorphically enhanced, and with musical outtakes. It stars Gene Kelly and Van Johnson as Americans who stumble across a Scottish village that only appears on Earth one day every 100 years, which is a problem when Kelly falls in love with one of its residents (Cyd Charisse). Favorite songs include "Almost Like Being in Love," "The Heather on the Hill," and "I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean."
While none of the films in the Broadway to Hollywood collection are absolutely top-tier MGM (and Astaire, Garland, and Kelly all made better films in their careers), all have their charms and are welcome additions to the DVD catalog. Trivia note: The title of the set isn't 100% correct. Easter Parade did not originate as a Broadway musical, but Tommy Tune made an unsuccessful attempt to adapt the movie into a Broadway show in the late 1990s. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews:
brigadoon is short-changed.......2007-06-24
This set was given to me a few months ago. My personal interest is in Brigadoon. Cyd and Hugh are probably the greatest dancers to ever crossover (and Mr Kelly doesn't count since he was never really on the other side). What angers me about the transfer of the film version to dvd is that it was edited. DVD transfer is an opportunity to realize a film's full life. The version of Brigadoon in this collection is clearly formatted for some kind of commercial-tv presentation. The beautiful and crucial number "Come to Me Bend to Me" is formatted as an outtake, as if there wasn't time for it in the tv format. I remember when the film was released in 1964. All of us in the production had a sense that this was a show that could delight and move people who would never see a stage production. I cannot fathom why the people that gained the rights to the dvd transfer did nothing more than dump a tv-commercial-edited version onto a piggy-back of a multi-dvd set--they don't know the show, or don't give a damn
Five of the Best Color Musicals Ever Made.......2006-03-28
BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD is Warner Home Video's blanket title for five of the splashiest and most tuneful color MGM musicals ever made: THE BANDWAGON, EASTER PARADE, BRIGADOON, BELLS ARE RINGING, and FINIAN'S RAINBOW.
Two of these are sleeper gems. Vincente Minnelli's BRIGADOON (1954), with an army of musical numbers by Lerner and Loewe, has travelers Gene Kelly and Van Johnson coming upon a Scottish village that can only be seen once every hundred years; Cyd Charisse is the lovely leading lady. The movie has been criticized for its sound stage re-creation of a Scottish village, but that is a plus for me. Along with CinemaScope, one gets the feel for what this show was like on Broadway. A dozen songs, choreographed by Kelly, include "The Heather on the Hill" and "It's Almost Like Being in Love." BRIGADOON is a lovely movie, with remastered color and sound. Bonuses include three outtake musical numbers and several original theatrical trailers.
Francis Ford Coppola does brand-new audio commentary on his own fabulous FINIAN'S RAINBOW (1968), in Technicolor and letterboxed Panavision. Again, we are mostly on a soundstage, with Fred Astaire and Tommy Steele as leprechauns and Petula Clark at her loveliest as Astaire's daughter. This E.Y. Harburg-Fred Saidy-Burton Lane musical has songs I cannot get out of my head weeks later, including "Look to the Rainbow,""That Old Devil Moon," "How Are Things In Glocca Mora?" and Steele's show-stopper: "If I'm Not With the Girl I Love, I'll Love the Girl I Am With." The movie is glorious and very underrated, from a late 1960's era of underrated movie musicals, including STAR! and HELLO, DOLLY!
BELLS ARE RINGING.(1960), with Vincente Minnelli directing a delightful Betty Comden-Adolph Green screenplay, with Jule Styne music, is a great musical vehicle for wonderful Judy Holliday, re-creating a Tony winning stage role. She is a switchboard operator named Melasande at Susanswerphone in a lower-depths part of Manhattan. She is not supposed to get personally involved with the clients, but as "Mom" falls in love with songwriter Dean Martin. She also does not know that bookie Eddie Foy, Jr. is using the answering service as a gambling front. Terrific songs here include the legendary "Just in Time" and "The Party's Over". DVD bonuses, in addition to remastered color and sound, include outtake musical numbers and a filmmaking documentary. You also get to see a CinemaScope movie at its right aspect ratio.
The two crown jewels of the BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD set are double disks of Charles Walters' EASTER PARADE (1948) and Vincente Minnelli's THE BANDWAGON (1953). Both have magnificently remastered sound and picture to look and sound brand new. EASTER PARADE has about fifteen old and new Irving Berlin songs, performed by the incomparable Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. Its magnificent bonuses include the finest Garland documentary, two full hours from PBS, that I have ever seen; a filmmaking documentary; and audio commentary by Astaire's daughter Ava and Garland biographer John Fricke. This is an all-time favorite musical of mine, and I have never enjoyed it more.
Last and probably best (which is saying a lot!) is THE BANDWAGON (1953), which several movie musical experts feel is the best movie musical of all time. It is certainly one of the most sophisticated and stylish color ones, with a wonderful Oscar-nominated Comden and Green screenplay about putting on a Broadway show. Astaire stars this time with lovely Cyd Charisse, never better than in "Dancing in the Dark." Other hit songs include "By Myself," "Shine on My Shoes." "Triplets," "Louisiana Hayride," the gorgeously-designed Mickey Spillane climax, and "That's Entertainment!" Comden and Green have a delightful time spoofing themselves as the Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant characters. The biggest bonus here is audio commentary by a very happy and friendly Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein, along with a filmmaking documentary and an hour-long "Men Who Made the Movies" documentary on Vincente Minnelli.
If you'd like to own this DVD boxed set, BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD, it retails for about $60, but sells from Amazon for about $45, less than an orchestra ticket for a downtown San Francisco stage show. Happy viewing!
Not the best musicals.......2005-05-22
Theses are not the best examples of the Hollywood musical. While I love Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, there a much better films with Fred or Gene.
Easter Parade has the two best musical stars, Fred and Judy, but together they have no chemistry and are further hampered by a weak script.
Finian's Rainbow is Fred's last musical and what a poor choice. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, he went on to much better fare. This was a groundbreaking musical but does not translate well to the large screen.
Brigadoon is for Gene Kelly super fans only. Kelly is great but this is not one of Lerner and Lowe's better efforts (Think Gigi and My Fair Lady).
There are only 2 great films.
The Band Wagon is Fred at his best. This is classic camp. A show within a show. Fred, Nannette Fabray and Oscar Levant are making a musical version of Faust that turns into a big egg. But they quickly take all the good pieces and rework it to a smash. Sounds familiar but it is original. Most people remember this for the Tripplet's Song.
Bells are Ringing is Judy Holiday at her best. She conquered Broadway with this show and then proved herself again with this film. Dean Martin is her costar and features Jean Stapleton.
Of course both are Comden and Green shows, which of course helps. My suggestion is buy the titles you like seperately.
Thank You, WB!.......2005-03-31
The wonderful folks at Warner Home Video have outdone themselves recently with several amazing boxed sets of great films. We now have definitive batches of the best of Film Noir, Classic Comedy, Gangster Films--and this beauty, my favorite so far. The sheer brilliance of the technical work that went into restoring these classic musicals is reason enough to pounce on Amazon's bargain price while it lasts.
What can you say about the films themselves that hasn't already been said? THE BAND WAGON is the crown jewel here, of course, but the others are excellent. EASTER PARADE is terrific. BELLS ARE RINGING, though not the strongest story or score around, has B'way legend (and Oscar-winner) Judy Holliday in her final star vehicle. And BRIGADOON has all that dancing in the heather, not to mention the stunning score of Lerner & Loewe.
For me, the most pleasant surprise in the box is FINIAN'S RAINBOW. I'm familiar with all the other titles here, but I'd never really looked at this one all the way through before, and it's visually impressive and surprisingly charming. Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks, and an energetic supporting cast of singer/dancers do wonders with the dated story and timeless score. And young Francis Ford Coppola had some fresh and interesting visual ideas (montage, cross-cutting, swooping aerial shots, etc.) to keep it all humming along. Coppola is unnecessarily self-effacing throughout his commentary track--he has no reason to apologize. With its restored widescreen picture and 5.1 stereo soundtrack, this film is really quite beautiful.
All in all, this is yet another must-have collection for all serious film buffs. Thanks again, Warner Home Video!
A SUBLIME COLLECTION OF GREAT MUSICALS!.......2005-03-16
Warner has been doing a magnificent job of using the latest picture resolution process to restore and/or polish up their best movies; and again they do not disappoint! Warner Home Video truly hits a home run and does the incredible with this boxed set of five of the greatest musicals of all time! The set is well presented with excellent digital transfer, wonderful sound and a bevy of sublime extras.
The Band Wagon (which itself is a two DVD special edition) stars Fred Astaire as an older entertainer trying to be successful again in show business. Things do not go well: he doesn't like the director; there aren't fancy dance scenes that he prefers to perform and he has to dance with a ballerina! The show is unpopular and Fred's character Tony Hunter saves the day using his superior technique and know-how. The extras are wonderful! Liza Minnelli (whose Dad, Vincente Minnelli, did an excellent job as director of the picture) and Michael Feinstein provide an engaging commentary. There are also two documentaries: "Get Aboard! The Band Wagon" about the making of the movie and an older expose entitled "The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli." You won't regret these-they are excellent and very informative! SMILE There's also the outtake musical number of Two Faced Women. Very good! For Astaire fans there's an Astaire trailer collection and even a musical short of Jack Buchanan with the Glee Quartet. I was particularly pleased with the fine commentary Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein give here.
The other two disc special edition is of the MGM classic Easter Parade. Wow! This has always been one of my very favorite musicals. The acting and the chemistry between Astaire playing the professional dancer and Judy Garland playing Hannah Brown his at first unlikely dance partner-and eventually romantic partner-is nothing short of excellent and captivating! Ann Miller turns in a great performance as the dancer who leaves Fred's character to try to get even further ahead in her career. The digital quality of the video and the sound are both excellent. There's a documentary of the making of this movie and a particular favorite of mine is the American Masters documentary profile: "Judy Garland: By Myself" put out only with the essential effort of my friend John Fricke. (The American Masters documentary won more than just one Emmy, making this a particularly valuable extra! John won one of the Emmys for this; he is the leading Garland biographer who wrote several books on Judy.) John worked so hard on this profile! John's fine commentary along with Ava Astaire (Fred Astaire's daughter) proves to be an excellent resource for reliable information about this film and Judy. You also get the outtake musical number "Mr. Monotony." There's a Judy Garland trailer collection and some promotions for the original film are provided. Wow! A fine two disc set in and of itself.
Bells Are Ringing is Judy Holliday's last performance; she plays a worker at a telephone answering service who gets overly involved with her client's personal lives. Jean Stapleton, a favorite actress of mine (from All In The Family as Edith) is in this picture as well. This picture was nominated for an Oscar for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and the song "Just In Time" is certainly one good reason why! Outtake musical numbers include "Is It a Crime?" and "My Guiding Star." The digital transfer is again excellent and the sound quality is excellent. This is definitely a classic musical.
Brigadoon boasts a wonderful musical score by Lerner and Lowe. The principle cast is only the best: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse. An adventurous American suddenly uncovers a magical Scottish town which is only visible one day a century! Does he stay there and perhaps experience a fine true love; or should he return to his life as it is? Quite the dilemma! There are three musical outtakes you want to look at: "Come to Me Bend to Me," "From This Day On," and "Sword Dance." An audio outtake and a brand new digital transfer make this a fine addition to the box set as well as your DVD collection.
Last, but certainly not least, is Finian's Rainbow. A wonderful fanciful musical, this film stars Fred Astaire in his final full length performance as Finian McLonergan. Somehow Finian steals a pot of gold from Og the leprechaun. Finian and his daughter Sharon (the lovely Petula Clark) go to America (as does Og) and use their powers to overcome a rather prejudiced senator. Not only are the musical numbers excellent; the cinematography is superlative and the ending is a happy one! There is an excellent commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola and a cute feature on the film's premiere.
All in all, this is clearly one of the best boxed sets of supremely fine great musicals and it is very reasonably priced. For me personally this set was an easy decision-it is already in my personal DVD collection! I highly recommend this boxed set for fans of the great American musicals as well as all patrons of the arts. This is also a solid introduction to some of the quality musicals produced on film to date. Equally important, the hard work and effort everyone put into the seemingly countless extras is superlative.
Average customer rating:
- The Band Wagon
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- The Band Wagon
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The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition) with Slipcover
Starring: Fred Astaire , Cyd Charisse , Oscar Levant , Nanette Fabray , and Jack Buchanan
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Similar Items:
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ASIN: B0007YXPKQ
Release Date: 2005-03-15 |
Amazon.com
The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews:
The Band Wagon.......2007-05-18
This was a wonderful movie about making movies. Great comedy, Great songs, Great dancing, Jack Buchanan and Fred in Top Hat & Tails number, and of course Cyd Charisse, Nanette Fabre, & Oscar LeVant. Fred excells in his dancing as always. Love the "Old Fashioned Wake" party number "I like Beer"! Let's not forget the "New" song..."That's Entertainment" .
GOLD FROM THE GOLDEN AGE.......2007-04-16
YOU ALREADY KNOW THE STORY. THE BAND WAGON IS ONE OF THOSE GEMS THAT HAS IT ALL ON EVERY LEVEL. VINCENTE MINELLI IS ONE OF THE FINEST DIRECTORS THAT EVER LIVED. FRED ASTAIRE IS IMMORTAL. LOVELY CYD CHARISSE. OSCAR LEVANT IS GREAT. EVERY SONG IS A GEM. WHETHER YOU'RE A FAN OF MUSICALS OR NOT, THIS IS JUST A GREAT MOVIE. ALSO CHECK OUT ALL THE SPECIAL FEATURES. A MUST HAVE.
Dissatisfied.......2007-04-01
You sent the product to the wrong address where it was returned to you as undeliveraable. We had typed in that it should be sent to our winter address and not our home address in PA. So, you got it back and alledgedly have given us credit on our MC. Since then we have responded to your e-mails and requested that you re-enter the order and send it to our current quarters to no avail. This has not been a good experience. Fortunately, TCM was playing the movie the other morning and we copied it on VHS and we have found someone who will copy the particular scene that we need to practice for our show onto another tape and we don't need you now.
Top Drawer.......2006-07-28
Movie miracle. Folks will still be watching this film in another fifty-someodd years to remember or discover the innocent joy that was "golden-age" Hollywood entertainment.
The Band Wagon.......2006-07-08
I'm not a big fan of musicals, but I've always made an exception for this one. Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a Hollywood song-and-dance man who comes to New York to star in a Broadway flop. Cyd Charise agrees to be his dancing partner. Neither thinks the other wants him/her in the show, so they don't get along very well - at first. Not only does Astaire get the show on the right track, he makes things right between him and Charise. They also dance fantastically together. Jack Buchanan is brilliant in a minor role. The great music by Comden and Green, with marvelous songs by Dietz and Schwartz, are what make the movie exceptional: BY MYSELF, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, DANCING IN THE DARK, I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO CHANGE MY PLANS, TRIPLETS, I LOVE LOUISA, and, best of all, A SHINE ON YOUR SHOES all became standards in the Great American Songbook. The movie is a great earful as well as an eyeful.
Average customer rating:
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Live in Branson
Starring: Chuck Wagon Gang
Manufacturer: Seraphim
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00080W3V6
Release Date: 2005-06-07 |
Product Description
New Released featuring 23 songs. Includes re-creation of an old radio show from the early 40's. 23 SONGS: I've Been Changed, The Church In The Wildwood, Echoes From The Burning Bush, Jesus Hold My Hand, If You Believe, I'll Fly Away, Sundown, Just A Little Talk With Jesus, When I Looked Up And He Looked Down, The Long Black Train, I've A Precious Friend, When I Walk On The Streets Of Gold, He Set Me Free, The World's Greatest Story, Hard Trials Will Soon Be Over. CREATION OF AN OLD RADIO SHOW FROM THE EARLY 1940's: Gettin' Ready To Leave This World, A Beautiful Life, Come Unto Me, Higher, On The Jericho Road, Perfect Joy. CLOSING SONG: God's Gentle People
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