Blu-ray Review At Long Last Love Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Eric Vedowski]

According to Frank Capra's autobiography all the songs in "Riding High" (1950) with Bing Crosby were recorded live on set.

 

[classicmovieguy]

And as another person has already mentioned, for the film version of "My Fair Lady", Rex Harrison performed his songs live via a wireless microphone hidden inside his cravat.

 

[ahollis]

Watched this last night and not nearly as bad as I remembered it. A very different type of film that maybe time has been good to it. The seven leads are all energetic and Mildred Natwick is the scene stealer as always. Good to see Liam Dunn playing newspaper seller. He is another that takes up the whole screen when he is on. Watching Madeline Khan is infectious and allowed me to ponder what we missed by her untimely passing. I think it misses its mark trying to recreate the Astaire/Rogers films since, to me, the dancing is just ok. But then the stars were not hired for their dancing. They weren't hired for their singing either, but they actually do a very decent job with it. My list of movies not on DVD or Blu-ray is shrinking. By the way has there been any complaints that this is Blu-ray only?

 

[Matt Hough]

For me, Kahn, Natwick, and Brennen are the film's most valuable players.

 

[usrunnr]

Great Review. Thank you. What a thoroughly enjoyable film. I saw this when it came out and liked it very much and could not understand the critical derision. And then --- it disappeared. Over the years I had to settle for my LPs of the soundtrack.

We watched the new Blu-Ray last night and were thoroughly delighted and amused from start to finish. To see stars of this caliber, at the top of their form, in this kind of material, would never happen today. Perfect? No. But it doesn't matter.

I understand the "dark, grainy" scene, although I don't see why it couldn't have been restored along with the rest of the film. And what happened to the Twentieth Century Fox logo and opening titles at the beginning? Looks terrible. Just nit picking. The film was a lot of fun, and I'm grateful to have it on Blu-Ray.

 

[Doug Bull]

Watched it last night.
I think this is either the 4th or 5th cut that I've seen and I have to say that, to me at least, it is the definitive version.
It seemed to flow better than ever.

What a joy this Blu-Ray is.

Picture quality and the mono sound ( even allowing for the stupid decision to record live) cannot be faulted.
It is head and shoulders above every other version I've seen on Film, TV or Video.

It's also wonderful to hear the Cole Porter background score complete and in Stereo.

This is now one of my favourite Blu-Ray discs and I fully recommend it to all those who love fun and good music.


Doug.

 

[Richard V]

Saw it the original day it came out at Radio City Music Hall. I assume that this was the Bogdonovich cut. Thought it was OK, I did enjoy the Cole Porter songs, but Cybil Sheppard, almost single handedly ruined the movie for me. To say she was a terrible actress, at least at this stage of her career, is a gross understatment. Hated every scene she was in, but loved every scene Madeline Kahn was in. She was such a great actress in EVERYTHING she ever did. Hillerman and Brennan also excellent, and in many ways they carried the movie much better than Reynolds and Sheppard. Movie was ok, but I didn't enjoy it enough to go for the BD and will pass, but I'm happy for the people who have waited a long time to get this.

 

[Nick*Z]

I'm really torn about this one. I've always wanted to love it, being a huge Bogdanovich fan and a musical buff besides, but it still doesn't really work for me on a multitude of levels, primarily in the rather turgid delivery of the songs by Cybill Shepherd. Her dancing isn't nearly as flat footed as the critics seemed to lambaste at the time of the film's release.

The atmosphere is all there. Bogdanovich has done an outstanding job resurrecting the 30s pastiche. But the Porter score, despite containing many gems, never comes to life except in fits and sparks and, well, this being a musical the focus ought to have been on making the musical sequences the best they could be. Regrettably, this doesn't happen. I'll concur with Doug Bull though. It does flow more readily now than it did back in 75 when the studio Ginsu-ed it into veritable gumbo.

It's still not a masterpiece or even a gem, however. It's just a very VERY fascinating misfire. I can see where Bogdanovich wanted to steer his ship. He just never gets to port as far as I'm concerned. As for the Blu-ray. The image is fabulous and that's a definite bonus, having seen some gawd awful bootlegs and rare TV broadcasts of this looking about as appealing as an Ansco print suffering from extreme vinegar syndrome. No, the Blu-ray sparkles. Regrettably, it hasn't improved the over-all stature of the performances.

I really have a double-edged appreciation for Fox in releasing this title. On the one hand, bravo - because movies (all movies) are meant to be seen, studied and appreciated (or not) on their own merit and in their own time. But Fox's back catalogue is such an embarrassment of riches that I wouldn't have rushed this release to the front of the line. Just my opinion, I suppose, but there it is and for what it's worth.

I'd like to see Fox go after some of its better known movies still MIA in hi-def. Would really love to see The House on Telegraph Hill, State Fair, The King And I, Carousel and Oklahoma! for instance. Star!, Road House, The Fox of Harrow, Forever Amber, Anastasia (1956), The Inn of the Six Happiness, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Two for the Road, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and, Can-Can would be others I would hope Fox has in line for some rapid release. But now, I've digressed.

Anyway, at long last we have At Long Last Love on home video. Let the chips fall where they may. I'm not a fan but that doesn't mean the movie shouldn't be out there for those who find it more than mildly amusing.

 

[theonemacduff]

For the record, and speaking as one who has taught the novel, Daisy Miller, I have to disagree that it's a dud. Yes, I know (as Matt said) that it wasn't a box-office succes and yes, I know it was critically panned at the time. But the film is, I would say, practically note perfect as a rendition of the novel. Yes, it changes a few things, but it catches the spirit of the original, and particularly it catches the spirit of the two main characters, Daisy and Winterbourne, and really, that's the heart of the story. Cybil Shepard does a fantastic job with her role, and Barry Brown catches just the right note of wanting Daisy, and yet being cowed by his hoity-toity relatives into moderating his pursuit of the American Girl. Bogdanovitch uses his trademark long, choregraphed takes here, allowing the acting to breath, and letting the cast react to one another, rather than building a sort of fake mood through editing; which means of course, that the film allows the audience to watch and listen and discover. If this one isn't on blu ray yet, it certainly should be.

 

[classicmovieguy]

"Daisy Miller" (and Ms Shepherd's performance for that matter) are both note-perfect when you cross reference back to the original novel. Bogdanovich was certainly ahead of his time, in a decade when the literary adaptation wasn't as abundant as it would be in the decades ahead, thanks largely to Merchant-Ivory, etc.

 

[classicmovieguy]

I



I'd like to see Fox go after some of its better known movies still MIA in hi-def. Would really love to see The House on Telegraph Hill, State Fair, The King And I, Carousel and Oklahoma! for instance. Star!, Road House, The Fox of Harrow, Forever Amber, Anastasia (1956), The Inn of the Six Happiness, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Two for the Road, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and, Can-Can would be others I would hope Fox has in line for some rapid release. But now, I've digressed.

Nick, I believe that the Rodgers & Hammerstein Estate has grand plans for rest of their Fox titles on Blu-ray in the (hopefully) not too distant future. "Forever Amber" has been released in France in BD (with other territories to follow - I sincerely hope). The others are all ones I hunger for as well.

 

[bryan4999]

I really enjoyed watching this blu-ray. I see the flaws but it has an exuberance that appeals to me. Especially "Friendship", which is positively giddy, especially Eileen Brennan. Burt Reynolds plays a rather different sort of character than I have seen him do (not that I am a fan; I haven't seen nearly all of his movies). It is also nice to see a story where the women are really friends. Yes, there are some hurt feelings, but without real rivalry. Madeline Kahn also plays a different sort of character from her norm. Yes, her character has a strong personality, but she is utterly real and likable, unlike, say, the over-the-top Eunice in "What's Up, Doc?".

I am also enjoying the music only track, but, speaking of "Friendship", has anyone noticed that the music doesn't match the picture until they are all in the car together? It seems like something went awry there.

 

[Nick*Z]

Dear classic movie guy - thanks for the heads up on Forever Amber and R&H. We'll keep our fingers crossed. I also know that Amazon is currently advertising a digital HD download of 1956's Anastasia. Hmmm? HD master. Why not a Blu-ray? I'm hoping for this one to have an isolated score too when it comes out a la Twilight Time maybe because the Alfred Newman orchestrations are among his best and also because the current Varese Sarabande CD release is pathetic - omitting whole portions of score and having mislabeled just about all of the tracks they have included so as to really jumble the whole darn mess. Disappointing!

But let's keep our spirits up and hope for the best on the Blu-ray front. Fox has proven they can do an amazing job when they want to. Let's just hope they want to!!!

 

[roxy1927]

I am revisiting this very old thread because I unfortunately was late to the bluray game as I could not adapt the player to the Toshiba box I had at the time. By the time I was able to get a flat screen tv and bought one the film was out of print and going for exorbitant prices used. I wanted to see what was said here about the release. As it has been gone awhile maybe another company will pick it up. I hope.

I saw the film when it opened at Radio City and knew it had been cut before opening because there were songs listed in the pre-opening ads that were not in the film. I returned to the Hall a couple of weeks later and there were more cuts! It made the film shorter and worse. I saw that happen with New York New York on its original run as well. A real disappointment. It was a visually beautiful film(such a rarity at the time when most films looked like made for TV movies blown up) to see on the large screen there and that ending!

I do have a question about the aspect ratio at 1.66. At the Hall the ratio was 1.85 What happened?

 

[mark-edk]

Just now finding this old thread and noting the absence of 'Etiquette' from this version. Etiquette wasn't in the theatrical cut and didn't make it onto the 2-LP RCA album for that reason. But when the movie debuted on network TV (the ABC late movie) there was a new edit made (rumored to be by Bogdanovich himself) that included Etiquette (which wasn't exactly the high point of the film...I can see why it was cut). It also had additional bits of 'Tomorrow' and the one or two other songs that are slightly trimmed on the Blu-ray. And on ABC the end credits played without music...only the distant sounds of traffic below.

 

[Will Krupp]

Just now finding this old thread and noting the absence of 'Etiquette' from this version. Etiquette wasn't in the theatrical cut and didn't make it onto the 2-LP RCA album for that reason. But when the movie debuted on network TV (the ABC late movie) there was a new edit made (rumored to be by Bogdanovich himself) that included Etiquette (which wasn't exactly the high point of the film...I can see why it was cut).

I LOVE "Etiquette" (it was in the film when I saw it for the first time on television, too) and sincerely lament that it's not included on the blu-ray, even as an extra. Any additional moments with Eileen Brennan are worth it in my book.

If you'd like, it can be seen here in context :




Here's the thing, though (and where memory play tricks on us) :
Bogdanovich claims definitively that 'Etiquette' was not in ANY of the final cuts he approved. While it was part of the preview edit, it wasn't in the original theatrical version and it wasn't in his own re-cut of the film for network (ABC) television. Where it DID show up was in the non-theatrical 16mm version of the film (which featured yet another cut but not by Bogdanovich) and THAT 16mm version was often sold to local TV stations for use on their schedule (our local ABC afiliate must have owned a copy because, for awhile, it showed up regularly at all times of day) so there were at least TWO cuts floating around TV stations at the same time (Channel 11 out of New York played the OTHER version) so that's where the confusion arises.

EDIT: I found an old blog post which is really helpful in keeping track of the different versions and what each of them contained (though at one point toward the end it claims that Etiquette was in the ABC version which doesn't square with Bogdanovich's own recollection.)

Happy Reading!

.....................unwanted child.....................

a series of essays devoted to Peter Bogdanovich's fabulous 1975 film musical, "At Long Last Love." "Joe's pieces are amazing" ~Peter B...

thepassionatemoviegoer.blogspot.com

 

[mark-edk]

Here's the thing, though (and where memory play tricks on us) :
Bogdanovich claims definitively that 'Etiquette' was not in ANY of the final cuts he approved. While it was part of the preview edit, it wasn't in the original theatrical version and it wasn't in his own re-cut of the film for network (ABC) television.

I made a Betamax tape of that ABC broadcast and I still have it. I used it to compile a fanatic-edit of the film with every possible segment I had included (using VCRs which was no easy trick). The ABC edit had several bits missing from other versions...and did include 'Etiquette'. (See version #6 in the 'Work in Progress' section of the blog post you cited).

The one thing I've always wanted to do, but never got around to, was try to sync the RCA stereo soundtrack LP set with the film so I could watch the movie in stereo. (Godspell could use a similar refurbishing.)

 

[Harold Chasen]

Would really love to see The House on Telegraph Hill, State Fair, The King And I, Carousel and Oklahoma! for instance. Star!, Road House, The Fox of Harrow, Forever Amber, Anastasia (1956), The Inn of the Six Happiness, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Two for the Road, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and, Can-Can would be others I would hope Fox has in line for some rapid release.

I know this is off topic, but I'm always fascinated when these older threads are brought to the top, to see what has and has not been released. The above was written in 2013, and since then, we've gotten Blu-Ray releases of The King And I, Carousel, Oklahoma!, Road House, Forever Amber, Anastasia, The Inn of the Six Happiness, Two For The Road, AND The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie!

 

[roxy1927]

When the film opened Natwick was hardly in it. Was most of her role left on the cutting room floor and made it into later cuts? I couldn't figure out why you would hire her and then not use her. Mabel Albertson has a bigger role in Doc. The two appear together briefly in Barefoot in the Park.
This movie seems to have more versions than any other film made.

 

[Will Krupp]

I made a Betamax tape of that ABC broadcast and I still have it. I used it to compile a fanatic-edit of the film with every possible segment I had included (using VCRs which was no easy trick). The ABC edit had several bits missing from other versions...and did include 'Etiquette'. (See version #6 in the 'Work in Progress' section of the blog post you cited).

My apologies then! Is it possible that Bogdanovich did NOT rework the film for the 1978 broadcast but for some other (perhaps syndicated?) TV version? I remember reading that he never had an approved final version with "Etiquette" included. It was years ago that I read it and could NOT find it anywhere. I finally found the reference and now realize that it's an anecdote told by a poster on the "other" forum back when the blu-ray was released.

I met Bogdanovich a few years back when he was in town here giving a talk and he autographed my ALLL soundtrack LP. He asked me why someone my age liked the picture and when I mentioned my 16mm print he stopped everything he was doing and asked me what version it was. I described it to him best I could and that I had no idea what version it was. He then said he didn't either because he couldn't remember ever doing a release cut with "Etiquette" in it.

Now I realize that the anecdote is much less definitive than I originally reported (sorry!!) but it would be an odd thing for him to make up.