Ziegfeld Follies
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Red SkeltonBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-04-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 67859
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- A dead showman looks down upon the earth and dreams of his perfect show.Running Time: 110 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD Rating: NR Age: 012569678590 UPC: 012569678590 Manufacturer No: 67859
Movie Reviews of Ziegfeld Follies
Movie Review: Wake up the town and tell all the people--Ziegfeld's back in town !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
MGM's Ziegfeld Follies of 1946 gives us a terrific look at the best of the best at MGMas of the mid 1940s. This movie, replete with Hollywood talent, represents a grand spectacle that no classic movie lover should ever be without. Every number is a showstopper; and the movie as a whole holds your attention as it glides effortlessly through a cavalcade of stars putting on their best performances.
The movie begins with William Powell plays the late Flo Ziegfeld up in heaven; as he yearns to be back on Earth he dreams of what beautiful numbers he could put on if he could have just one more chance to produce yet another of his famous Ziegfeld Follies. The rest of the movie shows us Ziegfeld's dream numbers which just coincidentally star MGM's brightest stars working their tails off to perform their best.
Numerous song and dance numbers follow. The first number features Fred Astaire who introduces an astonishing array of beautiful young ladies in a style reminiscent of the much earlier classic number "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" from another movie. Look also for Lucille Ball who rather unexpectedly takes out a whip to control another smaller group of young ladies dressed in black who don't seem quite as pure as the first group of ladies! This first number, entitled "Here's To The Girls," stuns you and your attention remains focused from here on in. Virginia O'Brien also sings a great song about her love for men--and she even cracks a smile if you look carefully! hehehe
Esther Williams performs an opulent "water ballet" unlike any other; just how did they keep her makeup so perfect as she swam underwater like the most beautiful lady swimmer in the world? Keenan Wynn performs a comedy skit about a man who just can't get the telephone operator to give him the right number; and Victor Moore and Edward Arnold are very good in their comedy sketch entitled "Pay The Two Dollars."
Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer dance to perfection in two great numbers entitled "This Heart Of Mine" and "Limehouse Blues." In "This Heart Of Mine" Fred and Lucille dance to a background of a fancy ball which provides an elegant backdrop for a most elegant dance scene. "Limehouse Blues" takes place in a Chinatown district of a large city as Fred and Lucille dance with a chorus in the background. The sets for both of these two numbers are extremely elaborate; I was fascinated by the excellent quality of the design that you can only see in an MGM musical.
Another highlight is the pairing of Gene Kelly with Fred Astaire who together dance up a storm. They make some mildly amusing references to their rivalry, too. There's also a rather young Lena Horne singing "Love" so well you'll want to watch this segment over and over again!
Judy Garland spoofs movie megastar arrogance in her segment which is entitled "A Great Lady Has `An Interview.'" Judy infuses her character, an actress who is about to film yet another blockbuster picture, with the highest of camp as she sings about the upcoming movie during a press interview; and she won't hesitate to act "with (her) torso," either!
Red Skelton also performs his Guzzler's Gin skit as he pretends to be a TV announcer making a commercial for what was then the brand new medium of television. Excellent!
The finale could have been a little better; Kathryn Grayson sings way too high for my personal tastes as she performs "There's Beauty Everywhere." Like the opening number, "There's Beauty Everywhere" is an ode to the beautiful young women of the world. The MGM powers that were decided to use soap bubbles to create a light and airy atmosphere for the finale. This caused numerous problems according to the film historians who are interviewed on this DVD; so I know that the performers deserve lots of credit for managing to dance through all those soap bubbles even if I didn't quite like this number as much I did the others!
The DVD has for it's extras a collection of bonuses. Some extras are relevant to Ziegfeld Follies and others could easily have been cut for better extras. You get some great commentary from historians in the short documentary entitled Ziegfeld Follies: An Embarrassment of Riches; and you get the audio outtakes of "If Swing Goes, I Go Too;" "This Heart of Mine" and "We Will Meet Again in Honolulu." Great! Unfortunately, these extras are paired with two or three MGM cartoons that should have been exchanged for better material; and the MGM vintage short film entitled Crime Does Not Pay The Luckiest Guy in the World doesn't fit in well with the rest of the DVD package. Oh, well.
Overall, I highly recommend Ziegfeld Follies for classic movie buffs and fans of the greatest musicals ever made during the golden age of Hollywood. People and historians who are familiar with the work of Flo Ziegfeld will also appreciate this salute to his fine work.
Summary of Ziegfeld Follies
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