Hello Dolly (1969) (1 Viewer)

The Digital Bits says this has a BD release date of 2nd April 2013 , also this is screening in Todd-AO and DTS at this years Widescreen Weekend in Bradford later that month. You are in the show in Todd-AO.

I know what I'm doing for my birthday… Until then, I'm counting the sparkles on the Harmonia Gardens dress in my mind.

This BD is good news. However, I hope that they worked on the sound, which was really disappointing on the DVD.

Hope STAR! and DOCTOR DOLITTLE in TODD-AO are not too far behind.

Because neither is part of the 1960s promotional titles, I'm hoping that they're lined up for release at some point in the (near) future.

Larry-Bender said:

Hope STAR! and DOCTOR DOLITTLE in TODD-AO are not too far behind.

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STAR! is another title where the sound was not as good on the DVD as on the laserdisc. It's a beautiful film to look at in 70mm; a well done blu-ray would be stunning. The DVD had a beige cast to it, unlike the laserdisc which had great color.

Lossless audio, done well, would serve both of these films well.

Fox did a making of feature for the DVD but forsome reasons it wasn't included, wonder if they can include it now? The Todd-AO prints were stunning, the audience went crazy over it at the Egyptian screening in LA

I think I recall reading that they tried to do lossless audio last time and it had a lot of tape hiss (somebody will have to look into this, because I forgot which thead). But I don't care; I'll take the hiss, because the dvd had very, very weak audio! Would love to hear it in booming, lossless audio like Sweet Charity or other contemporary films that still have excellent soundtracks.

Looking foward to this. The DVD audio was far inferior to the AC-3 Dolby Digital laserdisc soundtrack; massively over-filtered and lifeless. I've watched this film many times; despite it's shortcomings it's remarkably entertaining with great rewatch value.

This is one of those films that may fall flat on television, but is a staggering piece of entertainment when seen in 70mm on a giant screen. Despite the miscasting and the overblown spectacle that overwhelms the gentle story, it's the great, last hurrah for the generation of talents who gave us all the glorious musicals of the golden age. There's no reason why this shouldn't make for a magnificent BluRay release.

Rob_Ray said:

This is one of those films that may fall flat on television, but is a staggering piece of entertainment when seen in 70mm on a giant screen. Despite the miscasting and the overblown spectacle that overwhelms the gentle story, it's the great, last hurrah for the generation of talents who gave us all the glorious musicals of the golden age. There's no reason why this shouldn't make for a magnificent BluRay release.

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I'm sure it works even better on the big screen, but I think it works pretty well at home too—at least if you have a 40" or more tv. The high definition master has been up at Amazon streaming for a while. I watched it several months ago, and I thought it was quite entertaining. I liked the casting and the spectacle. And it looked very good to my eyes—very 70mm!

Great, my favorite Todd-AO musical. Watched it twice in 70mm but will watch it again at some point on Blu-Ray.

Would be nice at my SkyDome Cinema.

I'm glad there is no vote with this one; it's coming, and I'm very happy that it is.

Rob_Ray said:

This is one of those films that may fall flat on television, but is a staggering piece of entertainment when seen in 70mm on a giant screen. Despite the miscasting and the overblown spectacle that overwhelms the gentle story, it's the great, last hurrah for the generation of talents who gave us all the glorious musicals of the golden age. There's no reason why this shouldn't make for a magnificent BluRay release.

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I feel the same way. I know it was a sorta-bomb in its day, but that's because people were complaining about its excess. Well, the film is paid for by now, so have nothing left except a rather good movie musical; it's excessive still, but so is my very large television screen. My current tv can take spectacle! And also, it's not like Babs is no longer a star; she's still around, folks! I just hope that Fox thinks of this blu-ray as a special event, rather than a regular catalog release. I hope it's packed with extras.

I consider this film one of the all-time great Hollywood musicals, and as a whole I'd rank it only a cut below the Big 4 Best Pictures of the decade. Even if, as Rob_Ray pointed out and I can't really argue with, the production overwhelms the story, what a production! It's an idealized 1890s New York in the way only Hollywood could in its Golden Age (it'd make quite a dissonant double feature with the New York-set film that beat it for Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy). In the context of the film, Streisand's age was never an issue inasmuch as the whole film is an anti-realistic, large-scale romantic fantasy and the film never mentions her age (IIRC, the play and The Matchmaker described her as "a woman of a certain age"). It certainly earned its technical Oscars and then some.

Looking forward to the three titles mentioned. Pity Hello Dolly won't have Walter Matthau slapping Streisand's face in real live anger but I guess it was not filmed accidently. Michael Crawford said it was well-deserved. Walter had had enough. I knew a man who Crawford consulted in certain matters, in early 1971, who told me at a silent film screening in little London flat in Kentish Town that night.

moviepas said:

Looking forward to the three titles mentioned. Pity Hello Dolly won't have Walter Matthau slapping Streisand's face in real live anger but I guess it was not filmed accidently. Michael Crawford said it was well-deserved. Walter had had enough. I knew a man who Crawford consulted in certain matters, in early 1971, who told me at a silent film screening in little London flat in Kentish Town that night.  

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Every time I watch the video of Barbra's 1994 Anaheim concert, I love that Walter Matthau is in the audience.

If Matthau ever slapped Streisand's face it would have been big news and charges would have been brought up with the screen actors guild. After all these years, who cares how old Streisand was - it makes no difference to the story as re-written for film and the film works regardless of her young age. Her acting choices in the role is also not based on age but other things. She wants a husband who has money - didn't most women? Hollywood has cast younger actors in older age roles for decades and no one seems to care. Matthau and Streisand got along okay at the beginning, but Matthau pissed off alot of people during the shoot - but they weren't big name stars and they didnt write books about it. Crawford did go on record that he himself maded insulting remarks about Streisand "Barbra, you're just as ugly from the other side", He and Matthau also did not get along well