- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,312
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Of the several studio "periods" which one might use to break down the cinematic dancing career of Mr. Astaire and Ms. Rogers, the earliest was their work for Radio Pictures, later RKO, from the 1933 Flying Down to Rio to their final RKO in 1939, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.
If one were to remove the filet of this group, those produced from 1935 to 1937 -- Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time and Shall We Dance, and add to these a single M-G-M, the 1949 Technicolor The Barkleys of Broadway, one would have the films represented by this first boxed set.
While the quality of the first four black and white productions varies from Shall We Dance with several rather dupey sections (obviously unavoidable) to the stellar Swing Time, which although showing its age (myriads of prints were struck from the original negative) also exhibits a beautifully rendered gray scale with clean whites and rich detailed blacks, to a point at which one can see the scuff marks on the dance floor.
The Technicolor Barkleys of Broadway is unfortunately unacceptable, as the three black and white elements making up the color image have been composited out of registration in many shots (usually dissolves), creating an annoying 3-D, rather than 3-strip image, which should not have found its way into final DVD production.
That aside, the collection is inclusive of some of the finest musicals ever produced, and much of the cream of the crop of the Astaire / Rogers legacy.
Four fifths of this collection is:
Extremely Highly recommended.
RAH
If one were to remove the filet of this group, those produced from 1935 to 1937 -- Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time and Shall We Dance, and add to these a single M-G-M, the 1949 Technicolor The Barkleys of Broadway, one would have the films represented by this first boxed set.
While the quality of the first four black and white productions varies from Shall We Dance with several rather dupey sections (obviously unavoidable) to the stellar Swing Time, which although showing its age (myriads of prints were struck from the original negative) also exhibits a beautifully rendered gray scale with clean whites and rich detailed blacks, to a point at which one can see the scuff marks on the dance floor.
The Technicolor Barkleys of Broadway is unfortunately unacceptable, as the three black and white elements making up the color image have been composited out of registration in many shots (usually dissolves), creating an annoying 3-D, rather than 3-strip image, which should not have found its way into final DVD production.
That aside, the collection is inclusive of some of the finest musicals ever produced, and much of the cream of the crop of the Astaire / Rogers legacy.
Four fifths of this collection is:
Extremely Highly recommended.
RAH