 |
That's Entertainment by Jack Haley Jr.
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
DVD Cover InformationActor: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Peter Lawford Director: Jack Haley Jr. Brand: TAYLOR,ELIZABETH Producer: Jack Haley Jr. Writer: Jack Haley Jr. Editor: Bud Friedgen Editor: David E. Blewitt Producer: Daniel Melnick DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 135 minutes DVD Release Date: 2004-10-12 Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Studio: Warner Home Video Product features: - DVD Details: Actors: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Peter Lawford, Liza Minnelli
- Directors: Jack Haley Jr.
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC. Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Warner Home Video
- DVD Release Date: October 12, 2004; Run Time: 134 minutes
Movie Reviews of That's EntertainmentMovie Review: Some of the very best from "The Dream Factory" Summary: 5 Stars
Dear Mr. Gable,
I am writing this to you
And I hope that you will read it so you'll know
My heart beats like a hammer
And I stutter and I stammer
Every time I see you at the picture show.
I guess I'm just another fan of yours
And I thought I'd write and tell you so.
You made me love you
I didn't wanna do it, I didn't wanna do it.
You made me love you
And all the time you knew it, I guess you always knew it.
You made me happy, sometimes you made me glad.
But there were times, sir, you made me feel so sad.
You made me sigh 'cause
I didn't wanna tell you, I didn't wanna tell you
I think you're grand, that's true
Yes I do, 'deed I do, you know I do.
I must tell you what I'm feeling
The very mention of your name
Sends my heart reeling.
You know you made me love you!
MGM's "Dream Factory" specialized in the artistic and technological development of the Hollywood musical; and this DVD proves it. The producers and editors have culled footage from dozens of films to illustrate MGM's successes at producing musicals that still enchant their audiences today. The singing, dancing and acting remain unsurpassed in movie history.
That's Entertainment uses a variety of their biggest stars as narrators for the film's many segments. Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Peter Lawford, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor are among the MGM stars who both narrate and perform in clips from the MGM vaults.
And wow, how that footage will astound you! They just don't make them with such care, style and grace as they used to. Rarely does a musical come out these days that can even hold a candle to the musicals honored here. We get two wonderful collages of film clips of Judy Garland singing her heart out; Fred Astaire dancing with a hat rack and even on the ceiling in Royal Wedding and Donald O'Connor performing the humorous "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing In The Rain. We also see the immortal Maurice Chevalier performing "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" from the movie Gigi. In addition, the ballet scenes from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and An American In Paris will stun you.
The color is excellent and even the older black and white footage is rather good quality. We also see how right from the start of sound "talkie" movies MGM pushed all it's stars into a musical even if they were truly fitted for the job or not. Look for clips of dramatic actors including Clark Gable singing and dancing; Jean Harlow singing in Reckless and Robert Montgomery singing in an early musical, too.
As for the dancing, Joan Crawford dances exceptionally well in Dancing Lady; Eleanor Powell dances to new heights with Fred Astaire in Broadway Melody of 1940; and Judy Garland dances wonderfully with Mickey Rooney in several numbers from the movies they did together at MGM.
That's Entertainment stands as a documentary produced to document its own achievements at making high quality musicals that have stood the test of time; therefore there need be no plot for a movie such as this one. The story of the development of the MGM musical is told as chronologically as possible; and the film merely goes back and forth between the narrators speaking on camera and the priceless film clips from these great movie musicals. Don't be fooled, however; That's Entertainment does a stupendous job of proving that MGM did indeed have "more stars than there are in all the heavens."
The DVD offers few extras. You get the theatrical trailer and an introduction by Robert Osborne of the Turner Classic Movies TV channel. One side of the DVD is widescreen and the other side has the movie in standard format without black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. If you want to view the film in widescreen format, for example, simply insert the DVD that side up into your DVD player and you will then be able to watch this movie in widescreen format. The same goes for the standard format. You won't need extras anyway, the film stands so tall and so strong on own that you won't feel disappointed in the slightest when you finish watching it!
If you want to find out what REALLY good musicals and movie production are all about, That's Entertainment is an excellent place to start. I highly recommend this film not just for movie buffs but also for people who want to begin the serious study of the development of Hollywood films and especially the greatest of Hollywood musicals.
Summary of That's EntertainmentA history of Hollywood films and musicals produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, featuring excerpts from many beloved classics. Genre: Documentary Rating: G Release Date: 12-OCT-2004 Media Type: DVD
|
 |