Alexander's Ragtime Band
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Movie Reviews of Alexander's Ragtime Band
Movie Review: Good performances, great tunes.
Summary: 3 Stars
Comparing it to other old musicals, say Singin' in the Rain or The Music Man is 10, Alexander's Ragtime Band is probably about 7, mainly due to the great Irving Berlin tunes.
Anyway, the plot is fairly standard, a love triangle between the members of the band, including Tyrone Power (as the leader, Alexander), Don Ameche (song writer), and Alice Faye (the band's singer). Power and Faye start out with a love-hate relationship, but when they split up she ends up with Ameche; meanwhile Power fights in World War 1 and returns to form a new band with Ethel Merman singing. Question is, who will finally get Alice Faye?
Here are some good performances by several great performers. John Carradine is outstanding in a small but key role near the end. There are many great Irving Berlin tunes, including Merman singing Blue Skies, Tropical Heat Wave, and others. And the finale is the first and greatest swing tune of all: Alexander's Ragtime Band..
Movie Review: Some nice songs but overall disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Basically, this is a collection of Irving Berlin songs. The plot (if you can call it that) adds nothing. The songs are well sung. This would have been a more enjoyable DVD if they had eliminated the story and simply presented a concert of the songs, replacing the dialog with more songs. However, since the price of this DVD is less than most CDs, I suppose one shouldn't complain too much.Movie Review: Hollywood's Ragpickin' Band
Summary: 2 Stars
I was disappointed by this film. Tyrone Power, who is apparently devoid of musical talent, portrays a bandleader. Alice Faye, who can't carry a tune, is his Chantoozie. Ethel Merman, the one singer in the cast, never got to sing the title song! In later years she made it famous, probably to stick a finger in the eye of the producer. When "Alex" takes his band to Carnagie Hall in 1938, it is three times the size of the actual Benny Goodman orchestra that played the real gig the movie copies. Perhaps the saddest scenes of all are when Alex Haley, a decent hoofer, has to pretend to be a drummer. Good thing the beat was faster than his sticks! The one saving grace of the film is it was shot close to the period it portrays - so at least they got that right!Movie Review: FILM GETS 5 STARS---DVD GETS 1 STAR. WHAT A SHAME!
Summary: 1 Stars
I love this movie. Its story is ridiculous. The main characters span 27 years but do not age. The dialogue is corny. But the SONGS, those great Irving Berlin songs, are performed with gusto by Alice Faye, Ethel Merman and many more. Add to that Alfred Newman's great musical direction, and Eddie Powell's orchestration and heaven is at your doorstep.
Unfortunately, this release has a blatant WHITE STRACTCH down the left side of the image for most of the film. It's so distracting it makes it hard to enjoy the film. How could Fox do this, with their prestigious STUDIO CLASSIC series, which also by the way, could use a fresh coat of packaging paint. Their covers are awful.
The commentary by Ray Faiola is fun, the outtakes are fun, and the trailer looks TEN TIMES better than the movie.
C'mon Fox, pay attention and do a better job. This was a Best Picture nominee!
Movie Review: Great movie - deplorable quality DVD from Fox
Summary: 1 Stars
Fox Studios obviously took a worn print that was shown 250 times on late night tv and slapped it onto a DVD format. This is a classic film that deserves better. What an absolute disgrace! The execs at Fox should be ashamed of themselves.