A Few Words About A few words about...™ Musicals 4-Movie Collection -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Noel Aguirre]

I was eagerly anticipating - and have pre-ordered - the 3D release of Kiss Me Kate, but as I don't have any of the films included in this Blu ray collection anyway - and it includes a 3D KMK, I might as well cancel that and order this one instead. Got to be the bargain of the year at this price!

I just did exactly the same thing!

 

[Mark-P]

The Band Wagon is stereo? Derived from mono right?

Derived from the multi-angle (as in channels) recordings that MGM was known for in this era. That's how we have true stereophonic sound for Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Singin' in the Rain.

 

[benbess]

Just bought this set. Looking forward to it! I'll pass on the Singin' blu-ray, which I already own, to a family member or friend....The great price and strong review make this set a pretty easy decision.

 

[Robert Harris]

The Band Wagon is stereo? Derived from mono right?

Should have been derived from the original stems.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

The 1953 theatrical release was optical mono only.


Is this the stereo debut for THE BAND WAGON?

 

[Matt Hough]

The 1953 theatrical release was optical mono only.


Is this the stereo debut for THE BAND WAGON?

No, I believe the DVD was Dolby Digital 5.1 if I'm remembering correctly.

 

[david hare]

Doesn't the DVD release of Band Wagon have a DD5.1 track? (Yes, just checked) as well as the original Mono DD. And of course the commentary track with Liza and Michael Feinstein.


I recall George Feltenstein saying at the time of the DVD release they had devised the 5 track DD from the original mono rather than from stems (assuming there weren't any available), and while it's not "authentic" I found myself usually listening to it if only for the increased presence on those sublime Conrad Salinger orchestrations (with the horn section over strings that frankly rivals Bruckner for lyrical expressiveness.)


Even the lossy mono still sounded good but the thought they have found some original stems makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I consider Salinger's orchestration of this great score the finest musical achievement of the whole Arthur Freed era. And probably the whole American Musical Film canon. (This is my all time favourite musical.)


I cannot wait for these to arrive!!!! GRRRRRRRRR/

 

[bryan4999]

I apologize for this question in this thread (but it is somewhat related and I couldn't find a dedicated thread) - is the Blu-ray of the That's Entertainment series worthwhile? That's one I never picked up for some reason, but as some of these titles are only now coming to blu, I was wondering how the clips look in TE. Thanks for your indulgence!

 

[Joel Arndt]

I apologize for this question in this thread (but it is somewhat related and I couldn't find a dedicated thread) - is the Blu-ray of the That's Entertainment series worthwhile? That's one I never picked up for some reason, but as some of these titles are only now coming to blu, I was wondering how the clips look in TE. Thanks for your indulgence!

I was a bit disappointed in this set from a PQ standpoint. It was one of WHV's early releases in blu-ray and the sound is not as vibrant as it could be. In addition, a restoration/remastering of many individual sequences would need to be completed to meet today's high standards and this wasn't done as I'm sure it would cost a fortune without much ROI. Don't get me wrong, these compilation films are superb and worth watching always. There are parts of them that look great, but overall a letdown.

 

[david hare]

I think WBHV ported the three TEs over from HDDVD in which format they originally appeared (I had these when I was backing the wrong horse. Now I have the BDs).


I think general acclaim would have it TE 3 is the prize of the collection, best outtakes, best alternate versions of things ("Two Faced Woman", from Torch Song via Band Wagon and "A Lady loves to Love" from I Love Melvin) and best audio and PQ I thought.

If you can get them for a good price why not?

 

[Garysb]

I believe for the DVD version of the "That's Entertainment " films where films such as "Singin' In The Rain" ," Meet Me In St Louis", The Band Wagon etc had been restored, they used clips from the restored footage and not the clips that were used in 1970's when 2 of the 3 films were released. Presumably the source materials used for the DVD were the same used for the HD and blu ray releases Much of criticism of the clips used in the TE films, at the time of the blu ray release was about the high amount of grain especially in the B&W clips from the 30's and 40's.

 

[Robert Harris]

Here is the information regarding the Band Wagon tracks.


Although there may have been a final 3-track stereo mix, possibly for interlock at theatres such as RCMH, there is no extant original stereo track.

It may or may not have ever existed. We do know that the broad release was monaural.


As the general mechanism during 1952-3 was to archive a down-mix from original elements, even if recordings might have been in stereo,

what did survive was a down-mix and a D/M/E.


What occurred was that the two surviving elements were captured with different microphones, and could be remixed to create faux

stereo, although all of the dialogue and songs are still mono.


Listening to it on my system, I thought I was listening to original 3-track. It's that convincing.


What helped here was that all elements were magnetic, and not optical.


RAH

 

[david hare]

I think some of the clips were from movies that had been fully restored (at least at that time), but a number of other clips appear to have been given some cleanup and color timing treatment on their own as later DVD releases of the entire films were not up to the same relatively high standard PQ as the clips alone. Jupiter's Darling and Anchors Aweigh were two of these. The DVD of Anchors Aweigh was one of their very worst looking MGM Freed Unit DVDs, so a new 1080p master for BD is very welcome indeed.

 

[Matt Hough]

Anchors Aweigh wasn't a Freed Unit production.


At any rate, I reviewed the That's Entertainment set on Blu-ray way back in 2007 as one of the first Blu-ray sets I got to review. You can read what I said about it here.

 

[GlennF]

For me a big problem with the THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT set is that they do not use the original framing for many of the films. When the first film was released it was in a 70mm blow up and for some sequences, like The Varsity Drag, A Pretty Girl, The Acheson Topeka, Million Dollar Mermaid, pretty much all of SHOW BOAT etc., they blew up the academy ratio to fill the screen. It was cool to see then, but it means these bits are particularly grainy and parts of the top and bottom of the frame are cut off. When CBS first showed the film, since everyone had a square box television in those days, these parts were reverted to their original framing. That is what I was hoping for from the blu-ray, but that is not the case, so it makes these sequences particularly soft and grainy. The DVD of GOOD NEWS looks better than the Blu-ray sequence in THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, for example.


Having said all that, I got the 3 films for about $30 so it was a worthwhile investment, but be aware of this and, as others have said, the black and white from the 30's and 40's is very grainy. I have to admit to being disappointed, but the price made the pill easier to swallow.

 

[davidmatychuk]

A lot of the material on this 1996 "That's Entertainment! The Ultimate Musical Treasury" five-laserdisc box set (with AC-3 audio!), including the two sides of the exclusive "That's More Entertainment!', three sides of bonus audio material, and various musical shorts tacked onto the end of feature-ending sides, didn't make it onto the Blu-Rays. Then there's everything left off from the "That's Entertainment! Part III" laserdisc box set, a true embarrassment of riches that arguably may have been the actual reason there was any sort of theatrical release for Part III. I think a much more comprehensive Blu-Ray box set of "That's Entertainment!" movies would be in order. How about it, Mr. Feltenstein? Your heroic work on this "Ultimate Musical Treasury" deserves to be ultimately appreciated!

 

[david hare]

Anchors Aweigh wasn't a Freed Unit production.

My bad!


David M, is it too much of a drag to list the additional contents for the TE3 deluxe LD edition? As the current BDs stand, some numbers are "complete" others are not. "Mr Monotony" which is on TE 1 or 2 (can't remember) is truncated although it was never put together at the time. But the Easter Parade DVD includes a lengthy sequence of outtakes (in sequence for the lyrics) and a very well thought out and executed "Edit" of the completed number in around a dozen shots after the event that works very well indeed. Puzzlingly that footage on the DVD looks like mint IB Technicolor with gorgeous fine grain and inky blacks. But the same footage on the Blu Ray of Easter Parade looks like really poor dupe quality 480p quality Eastman.... go figure?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Although there may have been a final 3-track stereo mix, possibly for interlock at theatres such as RCMH, there is no extant original stereo track.

It may or may not have ever existed. We do know that the broad release was monaural.

Thanks, RAH.


There is no indication that stereo tracks are available in the existing documents. Many other MGM titles were offered to exhibitors in 3-track at that time - including KATE - but not this one.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

RCMH installed stereo sound equipment in mid-June 1953 and BAND WAGON premiered there on July 9 in mono.

 

[benbess]

I would love to see WB release more "4-movie collections" on blu-ray. For instance, "Danny Kaye The 4-Movie Collection" would be a lot of fun. Actually, I think you'd need two volumes. Vol. 1 might be Up in Arms, Wonder Man, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and A Song is Born, while Vol. 2 might be White Christmas, The Court Jester, Merry Andrew, and The Five Pennies. But ok, if you had to do one volume of Kaye movies that haven't yet been released on blu-ray, perhaps Up in Arms, Wonder Man, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and The Court Jester.