Royal Wedding
|
Our Price: $6.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.80 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Royal Wedding
Movie Review: Royal Wedding
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of Jane Power's best musicals with a good story line. A very good print of a very good movie. It arrived as advertised. Thanks for the speedy delivery.Movie Review: Royal Wedding Review
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like musicals, this is a must-have. Astair's famous dancing on-the-ceiling number. Real footage of the original Royal Wedding.Movie Review: A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain
Summary: 4 Stars
"Royal Wedding" is a great movie for anyone who loves those big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's and the dancing of Fred Astaire. Of course, the big numbers in this film include Astaire dancing with a hat rack, which only goes to prove he could make any dance partner look good, as well as the famous number where Astaire dances on the walls and ceilings of his London hotel room. The trick here, well known by now, was that the room was actually set up to rotate. What is wondrous about this scene is that Astaire never seems to have any trouble keeping his balance as this rotation is going on. He just looks like someone who is so much in love he is just jumping with joy from floor to wall to ceiling and back. Less mentioned is the number where he dances with Jane Powell onboard ship in choppy waters as furnishings roll about, but it is also a charming piece of choreography.
The plot is fairly simple. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister song and dance team, Tom and Ellen Bowen, both of whom claim to be against any long-term romantic entanglement. They are invited to perform in London during the period preceding the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. While in England they both fall in love, leading to a happy ending for both but breaking up the partnership in the process. It's rather interesting that art loosely imitated life in this case, since Fred Astaire's long-running dance partnership with his sister Adele was ended when she got married to a member of the English nobility in 1932. It's also strange that this film was actually made four years after the royal wedding took place. By that time the royal couple already had two children. As for good supporting performances, Keenan Wynn is quite funny playing twin brothers who are theatrical agents on opposite sides of "the pond". They can't understand each other during their telephone conversations because, although both are speaking English, they are using the familiar expressions of their respective countries.
From a technical standpoint, this film is in rather rough shape since it has been in the public domain for some time. However, it is rumored that Warner Brothers is rescuing it from this no man's land, restoring it, and putting it in their upcoming boxed set "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 2", which should be available for purchase by the end of summer 2007.
Movie Review: Looks better than we have a right to believe
Summary: 4 Stars
Royal Wedding has been a favorite in the Fred Astaire canon ever since it was released 54 years ago. Astaire and Jane Powell turn in some of their best perfromances in this film, and Astaire's dance on the ceiling ("You're All the World to Me") is classic. The score, by Burton Lane (of Finian's Rainbow fame) and Alan Jay Lerner (future lyricist of My Fair Lady) is unbeatable. I need not comment further on the film's merits--it speaks for itself.
The film is now in the public domain and, unfortunately, nearly all VHS and DVD releases of such films are deplorable at best. That is not so in this case. The DVD I'm commenting on here is from Goodtimes DVD (edition 05-81171), and I must say that the transfer looks pretty darn good for a PD film. The picture is clear, for the most part, and although there are some minor color shifts and age-related artifacts present, they do not distract. Colors are fairly bold and are well defined. The soundtrack is pretty clear and sounds fine. There are no extras. I have a very old 1980s copy of the VHS tape from MGM/UA Home Video and also a VHS dub I did off Turner Classic Movies two years ago, and honestly, this DVD looks better than both. It is about as good as we can expect for a PD film that has not been restored from original elements. Goodtimes is often better than most in their releases of PD films--it could be a lot worse. Warner Home Video, which controls video/DVD release rights to the rest of the old MGM library, has not given us a studio DVD release of ROYAL WEDDING as yet, and as far as I know none is in the works.
If you want ROYAL WEDDING on DVD, I absolutely recommend this Goodtimes DVD release--it is probably the best one you'll find, is at a very good price, and comes in very nice packaging.
RECOMMENDED!
Movie Review: This is a True Classic!
Summary: 4 Stars
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell are very convincing and highly amusing in this classic flick... "Royal Wedding." It's a fun movie about a brother and sister dance team that bring their act to London during the same time that the Royal family is making wedding plans. The whole movie is full of fun romantic mishaps and goofy happenings! The quality of this DVD isn't spectacular, but it's really not that bad. Definately worth the money! This DVD made a great addition to our home library!