Dennis Morgan's THE DESERT SONG? (1 Viewer)

[lionel59]

Thanks for responding so swiftly Matt and great to hear someone commenting on the image/sound quality of the '43 film.(All three versions were made by Warner Brothers, a studio which I personally think led the way with Broadway to Hollywood musicals in the late '50's-mid'60's, egs PAJAMA GAME, THE MUSIC MAN, GYPSY, MY FAIR LADY)
Most or all of the 1929 John Boles version is on You Tube for those curious to make some kind of a comparison. Glad to hear that Warners are restoring it for a future release.
I admire both the 1936 and 1951 versions of SHOW BOAT. Hammerstein told George Sidney that they came up with a better ending and I agree with him. Ava's final moment is touching, as is the final scene Keel and Grayson have together (which originally had much more dialogue AND the stage character of the "old lady on the levee" but Sidney wisely cut it down and made it play more simply and visually).I think William Warfield's rendition of 'Ol Man River' is unbeatable and I love the way they intercut it with Gardner's sad departure from the happy life she was leading "passing". I'm never overly impressed with Kathryn Grayson's acting, but I think she has her best moments as an actress in this movie (primarily in the latter portion of the film). Howard Keel gives (probably) his best dramatic performance in this film. Charles Rosher's Technicolor camerawork is terrific.A wedding sequence was shot but edited out of the final cut, as were most of Adele Jergens' scenes (as a girl in one of the gambling locales). Most people forget that 'Why Do I Love You?' was cut from the '36 film and restored to the score in the remake, which was a bigger hit at the Box Office for MGM in '51 than AN AMERICAN IN PARIS.
I hope when they release this on Blu Ray that they offer what is on the laserdisc boxed set ie. the remixed stereo soundtrack from the recording sessions, the mono soundtrack with Gardner's (great) vocals and the George Sidfney commentary track.

 

[Matt Hough]

The next time I get a spare moment, I will check out the John Boles version on YouTube which I've never seen and always wanted to. Thanks for mentioning it! I don't know why I didn't think to check there myself. I'd have never seen Deanna Durbin's Spring Parade if not for YouTube.

 

[Joel Arndt]

I had the Morgan version of THE DESERT SONG for a few days before returning it due to a visible flaw on my disc that made the film lock up at one point. i returned it and am now waiting for a replacement.

After a quick scan through the disc, I can say it looks beautiful. It has that late 30s-early 40s Technicolor look that reminds me of THE GARDEN OF ALLAH, not garish at all but always striking and quite lovely. If the film itself appeals to you, this transfer won't disappoint. The sound was typical of 1943 Warner. Very acceptable mono. It was fun seeing the CASABLANCA marketplace set in color!

I've heard so many disparaging dismissals of this version from those who have seen it, but I must say on a cursory scan that in some ways it seems superior to the later Gordon MacRae version. Warner, and Hollywood in general, was at the peak of their powers in 1943 and by 1953 MGM, like other studios, was starting to cut some corners budget-wise on titles such as this one. Scanning through the two films back to back, it shows. Technically, the 1943 version seems quite solid. Whether it does artistically, I can't say until I view it from start to finish.

I've watched this film several times already and can vouch that it's a solid film technically. Very typical early 40's WB production with the added bonus of being shot in that beaurtiful 3-strip Technicolor of the era. I agree with Robert (Post# 47) that this version is more story than music driven and that's no surprise as Warner's had cut back their production of musicals significantly after the 1930's focusing on more hard-hitting wartime topics. Compared to their competitors, WB produced very few musicals during the war years and most of the ones made had patriotic or wartime themes (YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, THIS IS THE ARMY, HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN, etc.) such as this one. However, I found the songs used to be well done and staged effectively for the storyline; sung magnificently by Dennis Morgan and Irene Manning. I thought Ms. Manning to be very good in her role and it's a shame she didn't make more movies.

I’m sure that since this production has been out of circulation for so many years that the artistic expectations for it ran much higher than what the actual product could possibly deliver. While no CASABLANCA, what is here is very entertaining and well executed. Definitely worth a look as the WAC transfer is gorgeous. Thanks to the diligent legal team at WB we are very fortunate to be able to see yet another film that has been collecting dust far too long in a vault due to rights issues.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I mistakenly attributed the 1953 remake to MGM because Kathryn Grayson was in it. My mistake. Warners made all three versions. The third one has a more garish, brighter but less textured color pallette (an artistic choice of the time, not a slam on the transfer) and has that general early 50s cheesiness prevalent in 1953 as budgets were tightened during difficult economic times for the studios. It does, however, evoke the original source material much better than the 1943 version, however much they may have altered and streamlined it.