The Broadway Melody (Special Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bessie Love, Charles KingBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Silent, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Broadway Melody (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Those men aren't going to pay ten bucks to look at your face; this is Broadway!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Broadway Melody Of 1929 scored a coup at the box office; it was also the first "talkie" to receive the Oscar for Best Picture. This incredible film was very modern for its time even though the story today would never suffice as a movie plot. The acting is convincing; Bessie Love and Anita Page shine as the sister act Hank and Queenie Mahoney. Just one look at Charles King as Eddie Kearns tells you he's the good guy who can't help being human; and Kenneth Thomson turns in an excellent performance as the rich playboy Jacques Warriner. Arthur Freed himself gets a small role as a bystander in the rehearsal room for Francis Zanfield's latest Broadway production. Clearly the character of Francis Zanfield refers to the great Flo Ziegfeld--excellent!
The movie opens with sisters Hank and Queenie arriving in New York to seek fortune and fame as a Broadway act. They talk it over with Eddie, who loves Hank until he gets a glimpse of Queenie now that she's "all grown up." Eddie tries to get the sisters into the latest Broadway revue production staged by Francis Zanfield. Things begin to happen both for the better and for the worse as Eddie realizes that he loves Queenie and not Hank anymore. Queenie tries to escape Eddie by dating a rich playboy named Jacques so that Hank, her sister, could be happy with Eddie. However, Jacques' money may not be enough to win Queenie's true love. Queenie must then decide between Eddie and Jacques; and her decision effects Hank's life, too.
The shades of black and white complement the fine acting perfectly; and the superb musical numbers strike you as infectious even today. The movie score boasts the infectiously happy "The Broadway Melody;" "You Were Meant For Me" and "Truthful Parson Brown." These numbers are sung with the great sensitivity you expect from a MGM musical and the musical arrangements reflect forethought, too.
The cinematography is quite good for it's time. The opening moments feature beautiful aerial views of Manhattan; the lighting is good and the subjects are well framed within the screen. You get excellent sound and the strength of the choreography shows in the dancer numbers as well as the brief fight scene between Eddie and Jacques.
The DVD offers wonderful extras, too. MGM spoofs its own movie with "The Dogway Melody." The trained dogs act out a story that is remarkably similar to The Broadway Melody of 1929--excellent! There are five "Metro Movietone Revues," too, which showcase other talented acts in the form of short movies. Van & Schenck get to display their talents in their own musical revue as well.
As for Broadway Melody itself, sure, the plot might be corny, contrived and predictable--but, then again, who cares? These characters show their human sides well through fine acting and the musical numbers exceed your expectations. The movie holds your attention throughout and the themes of love, humanity and wanting success will remain forever relevant to us both today and in the future. Kudos to MGM and these superb actors for producing such a treat as The Broadway Melody of 1929! Great job, everyone!
Summary of The Broadway Melody (Special Edition)
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