Herb Kane
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Yankee Doodle Dandy – Two Disc SE
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1942
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: 125 Mins.
Aspect Ratio: Standard (OAR)
Audio: DD Mono
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
The Feature:
Yankee Doodle Dandy is the 2nd installment of the recently released Warner Brothers Legends Set, which also features The Adventures Of Robin Hood and The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. For those who are unaware, if you purchase the entire box set, you also get a 108 minute documentary on the history of the studio titled Here’s Looking At You, Warner Bros. The Legends Box is an attractive black cardboard case with pictures of the films three stars; Bogart, Cagney and Flynn. The pictures of the cover art also adorn the bottom of the set showing off the beautiful original art for the films. All in all it’s quite an attractive set.
Although Yankee Doodle Dandy was nominated for eight Academy Awards, it won only three; Best Actor (James Cagney), Best Music Scoring In A Musical (Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld) and Best Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson and the Warner Bros. Sound Department). MGM’s Mrs Miniver took the Oscar for Best Picture. 1942 was a profitable year for Warner Bros. and Yankee Doodle Dandy was partly responsible along with Now Voyager and In This Our Life as being among the studio’s top three money makers.
Some say that the patriotic timing of the film is what led to its success rather than the quality of its content. Others said Cagney didn’t have what it took to pull off the part of George M. Cohan. Regardless of what the critics thought, the film obviously stands on its own merits, placing #100 on the AFI’s list of greatest films ever made.
Directed by the legendary, Michael Curtiz, Yankee Doodle Dandy is a story chronicling the life of composer, singer & dancer George M. Cohan (James Cagney). The story begins late in Cohan’s life while finishing in a role from the Broadway play, I’d Rather Be Right. After his performance, he is summoned by President Roosevelt. In this role, he mimics the President and thinking he is in trouble, he sets out for the White House to meet with FDR. At the start of their meeting, Cohan starts to reminisce and we are taken back sixty years earlier by way of flashback.
The film is a history of Cohan and his family (his father played by Walter Huston, mother played by Rosemary DeCamp and sister played by his real life sister Jeanne Cagney), chronicling their failures and their successes. It is here where we are treated to many of the great dance scenes Cagney has become so famous for. At the end of the reminiscences, we return to present time when surprisingly, the President awards Cohan the Congressional Medal Of Honor for his dedicated and patriotic service to the country.
It is just after he receives his award that we get to see the infamous scene where Cagney tap dances down the stairs of the White House and off to march with the troops who are soon sent off to fight for their country.
Video:
Yankee Doodle Dandy is another great video offering from Warner Bros. It is stunning. The level of image detail is exceptional. Black levels are deep and rich while contrast and shadow detail is gorgeous. As a result, this is yet another example of a film that has a 3D look to it. It was extremely consistent throughout the entire movie.
At the 79:45 mark, I noticed some very visible film dirt which appears on a curtain but lasts only a few seconds. Also visible was a very minute amount of mosquito noise. Neither of these imperfections was even remotely bothersome.
The level of film grain was slightly heavier than my recent viewing of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre… while it wasn’t distracting, I’m just mentioning this as an observation. I’d be curious to get RAH’s thoughts on the level for this film.
An absolutely gorgeous video presentation…!
Audio:
The audio is a DD Mono soundtrack. Again, with a mono track, we shouldn’t be expecting miracles. What we can hope for is a track that is hiss free and offers solid dialogue and this track delivers. While I wouldn’t go on to say that the track is dynamic, I would say that it is solid and does what it is supposed to do.
Much of the film is filled with various musical numbers. My only complaint was during a few of the pieces where horns were used, the treble seemed rather heavy rendering a slight harshness. Again, more of an observation as it wasn’t necessarily troublesome.
A solid offering.
Special Features:
Disc one of the set features the film as well as a number of special features. First up is a Commentary By Author/Film Historian Rudy Behlmer. This is an extensive voice-over the entire movie filled with history of the shoot and various tidbits that fans of the film are sure to appreciate. Very detailed and informative. Duration: 125:30 Mins.
Warner Night At The Movies. First is a brief introduction by Leonard Maltin. Duration: 3:21 Mins., A theatrical trailer for Casablanca, A Movie Newsreel – featuring many clips and footage of WWII. Duration: 09:15 Mins., Beyond The Line Of Duty – a recruiting documentary narrated by Ronald Reagan Duration: 22:01 Mins., and finally a Bob Clampett WB animated short from 1942, Bugs Bunny Gets The Boid… hilarious stuff. Duration: 07:26 Mins.
Cagney Trailer Gallery – Features seven trailers from many of the great Cagney Films; The Public Enemy, Footlight Parade, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Angels With Dirty Faces, The Roaring Twenties, Yankee Doodle Dandy & White Heat. It really makes me anticipate a future WB release of The Public Enemy and White Heat…
Awards. A text listing of the awards.
Cast & Crew. A text listing of the cast and members of the film.
Disc 2 is exclusively dedicated to special features. The first special feature is titled, James Cagney – Top Of The World. This is an informative and thorough biography on the successful actor narrated by Michael J. Fox. Duration: 46:32 Mins.
Let Freedom Sing: The Story Of Yankee Doodle Dandy is narrated by film historian Bob Thomas and is a mini biography on George M. Cohan which also covers the feature film. Duration: 44:31 Mins.
The next special feature is titled, John Travolta Remembers James Cagney which is a brief interview with producer AC Lyles and John Travolta as he recounts his memories of the film and his zest for his childhood hero James Cagney. Duration: 5:10 Mins. While I’m not so sure this inclusion was necessary, it does offer some insight to the reclusive actor, Cagney.
Looney Tunes. Two animated shorts; Yankee Doodle Daffy and Yankee Doodle Bugs. Again, the inclusion of the WB animation is nothing short of brilliant in illustrating the feature films they were parodying. Just a few more weeks to wait for the big release…
You, John Jones is a military recruiting film prepared for the War Activities Committee made in 1943 starring James Cagney. Duration: 10:26 Mins.
Next up is the Audio Vault which contains 5 clips of outtakes and rehearsal clips of the feature film. Also in this section is the Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater Radio Show which ran on October 19th, 1942 and starred Cagney and Huston. While I didn’t listen to the whole thing, much of what I did listen to sounded somewhat scratchy and poppy.
Last but not least is Waving The Flag Galleries which features:
-George M. Cohan Sheet Music
-Dressed Set Stills
-Scene Stills
-Publicity & Posters (a nice collection of old posters and lobby cards used to promote the film).
For the most part this compilation is a most impressive assortment of special features to compliment this great film.
Final Thoughts:
After watching Cagney in many of the tough guy roles, the part of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy may initially seem an unlikely fit… it’s not. Cagney is brilliant in his portrayal of Cohan at a time when his country needed him.
The audio/video presentation on this disc is incredible. The set is loaded with informative special features that honor this wonderful film. As for my recommendation… it’s a must purchase. And if you do, My father will thank you, my mother will thank you, my sister will thank you, and I thank you. Sorry, I couldn’t resist…! Highly Recommended…!!!
Released: September 30th, 2003