Andrew Budgell
Senior HTF Member
In addition to That's Entertainment on October 12th is:
WARNER HOME VIDEO CELEBRATES THE
50th Anniversary of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
Get ready for one of the liveliest, leaping-est, sassiest and happiest musicals
ever, as Warner Home Video presents the 50th Anniversary Two-Disc Special
Edition DVD release of the classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on October
12.
Directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain), and starring Jane Powell (Royal
Wedding, Hit the Deck) and Howard Keel (Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate), Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for Best
Scoring of a Musical Picture. This Western musical is distinguished by a
soaring score by Saul Chaplin (Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story) and Gene de Paul
(Alice in Wonderland) with lyrics by Johnny Mercer ("Moon River"), and
brilliant, acrobatic dancing scenes choreographed by Michael Kidd (Band Wagon,
Guys and Dolls).
Presented for the first time on DVD in new anamorphic 16x9 format transfer,
enhanced for widescreen and with new Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio, the Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers Two-Disc Special Edition DVD has extras to please
every mountain man or woman, including the newly remastered original CinemaScope
(2.55:1) version as well as the rarely-seen alternate widescreen (1.75:1)
version, director Stanley Donen's commentary, a newly updated cast & crew
documentary, vintage featurettes and premiere newsreel, and a Donen musicals
trailer gallery, all for a $26.99 SRP.
"Seven Brides For Seven Brothers is a landmark in motion picture history. It was
a surprise smash at the box-office when it first opened in 1954, and its
popularity has only grown in the ensuing years," said George Feltenstein, WHV
Senior VP, Classic Catalog. "The sparkling performances, clever screenplay, and
ingenious choreography and direction of this film make it as fresh and vital
today as it was 50 years ago. Seven Brides is one of the top-selling MGM
musicals of all time and we are proud to add this enduring classic to our series
of prestigious Two-Disc Special Editions."
Of interest to press and consumers alike is that two versions of the film exist,
one in CinemaScope and the other in traditional widescreen, due to fact that
Cinemascope was brand new in 1953. MGM was concerned that if it was a fad they
would have an unusable film in the long-run, so for protection they shot the
film twice. Two different takes of each shot with different staging were
filmed, which reflect the different frame size of traditional widescreen (less
wide and more rectangular) and CinemaScope. By the time the film was released,
CinemaScope had proven a huge success and the alternate version has rarely been
seen.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers DVD extra content features include:
Disc One:
Audio Commentary by Stanley Donen
MGM Jubilee Overture (1954 MGM "30th Anniversary" Theatrical Short Subject shot
in CinemaScope and Technicolor, featuring the M-G-M Symphony Orchestra, led by
Johnny Green, playing a medley of eleven well-known songs used in some of the
studio's best-known musicals. Presented in a new 16x9 2.55 anamorphic transfer
with 5.1 digital audio)
Stanley Donen Trailer Gallery: On the Town 1949, Royal Wedding 1951, Singin' in
the Rain 1952, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 1954, It's Always Fair Weather
1955, The Pajama Game 1957, Damn Yankees! 1958
Disc Two:
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Rarely-seen 1.77:1 alternate Widescreen Version
Updated and revised cast and crew documentary Sobbin' Women: The Making of
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, hosted by Howard Keel and featuring new
interviews with Jane Powell and Jacques D'Amboise
Radio City Music Hall Premiere - July 22, 1954
MGM's 30th Anniversary (1954 MGM Newsreel)
WARNER HOME VIDEO CELEBRATES THE
50th Anniversary of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
Get ready for one of the liveliest, leaping-est, sassiest and happiest musicals
ever, as Warner Home Video presents the 50th Anniversary Two-Disc Special
Edition DVD release of the classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on October
12.
Directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain), and starring Jane Powell (Royal
Wedding, Hit the Deck) and Howard Keel (Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate), Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for Best
Scoring of a Musical Picture. This Western musical is distinguished by a
soaring score by Saul Chaplin (Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story) and Gene de Paul
(Alice in Wonderland) with lyrics by Johnny Mercer ("Moon River"), and
brilliant, acrobatic dancing scenes choreographed by Michael Kidd (Band Wagon,
Guys and Dolls).
Presented for the first time on DVD in new anamorphic 16x9 format transfer,
enhanced for widescreen and with new Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio, the Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers Two-Disc Special Edition DVD has extras to please
every mountain man or woman, including the newly remastered original CinemaScope
(2.55:1) version as well as the rarely-seen alternate widescreen (1.75:1)
version, director Stanley Donen's commentary, a newly updated cast & crew
documentary, vintage featurettes and premiere newsreel, and a Donen musicals
trailer gallery, all for a $26.99 SRP.
"Seven Brides For Seven Brothers is a landmark in motion picture history. It was
a surprise smash at the box-office when it first opened in 1954, and its
popularity has only grown in the ensuing years," said George Feltenstein, WHV
Senior VP, Classic Catalog. "The sparkling performances, clever screenplay, and
ingenious choreography and direction of this film make it as fresh and vital
today as it was 50 years ago. Seven Brides is one of the top-selling MGM
musicals of all time and we are proud to add this enduring classic to our series
of prestigious Two-Disc Special Editions."
Of interest to press and consumers alike is that two versions of the film exist,
one in CinemaScope and the other in traditional widescreen, due to fact that
Cinemascope was brand new in 1953. MGM was concerned that if it was a fad they
would have an unusable film in the long-run, so for protection they shot the
film twice. Two different takes of each shot with different staging were
filmed, which reflect the different frame size of traditional widescreen (less
wide and more rectangular) and CinemaScope. By the time the film was released,
CinemaScope had proven a huge success and the alternate version has rarely been
seen.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers DVD extra content features include:
Disc One:
Audio Commentary by Stanley Donen
MGM Jubilee Overture (1954 MGM "30th Anniversary" Theatrical Short Subject shot
in CinemaScope and Technicolor, featuring the M-G-M Symphony Orchestra, led by
Johnny Green, playing a medley of eleven well-known songs used in some of the
studio's best-known musicals. Presented in a new 16x9 2.55 anamorphic transfer
with 5.1 digital audio)
Stanley Donen Trailer Gallery: On the Town 1949, Royal Wedding 1951, Singin' in
the Rain 1952, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 1954, It's Always Fair Weather
1955, The Pajama Game 1957, Damn Yankees! 1958
Disc Two:
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Rarely-seen 1.77:1 alternate Widescreen Version
Updated and revised cast and crew documentary Sobbin' Women: The Making of
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, hosted by Howard Keel and featuring new
interviews with Jane Powell and Jacques D'Amboise
Radio City Music Hall Premiere - July 22, 1954
MGM's 30th Anniversary (1954 MGM Newsreel)