A Few Words About A few words about...™ Bells are Ringing -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Edward Weinman]

Edward, I don't think you've derailed this thread at all with your "rantings". Your comments are very interesting and related to music departments and their personnel and Bells Are Ringing is a musical after all, so with your insight I not only have new things to look for when I receive this disc, but new things for which to listen. Looking forward to this one.

Thanks, JoelA

 

[Edward Weinman]

Thanks JoelA,

....and, while I'm at it(!)...the major studio orchestras of the day all were comprised of a symphony orchestra and a jazz band so that all manor of musical styles could be incorporated in musicals as well as dramas. The orchestras of the day also had the greatest musicians in the world. The Main Title to Bells is a remarkable example of this and the precision of the orchestra's playing is a god sent! (If I appear to be overly over the top on the subject of the MGM Studio music department, it's because..I am!) ...and (as if I haven't said enough)...get the blu-ray of "Deep In My Heart" which was the zenith of the studio's musical output...the arrangements for all the guest stars (more there are in heaven according to Louis B Mayor), their performances and especially the orchestrations and playing by the legendary group of musicians is something to behold. All the guest starts performing in this wonderful film were at the top of their talents. The beginning opens with the actual studio orchestra on screen as well as the ending, and what an ending it is...starting out the star's singing solo at the piano then joined by the orchestra and ending with the chorus joining in. I still can't believe that it is 60 plus years old...especially because of the wonderful blu-ray that was issued by WB.

 

[Edward Weinman]

Many of the orchestras from MGM, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox had the greatest musicians available including many who escaped persecution in Europe. Not only did these immense talents find new employment in Hollywood but welcomed the lucrative financial gains from the studios.

For those of you who love the MGM musicals, there is a remarkable BBC dvd of a 2009 Prom concert given by the John Wilson Orchestra. The album is called That's Entertainment but the program itself is entitled "A Tribute to the Great MGM Musical."

Probably not very much known in the US because the BBC concerts were and are restricted to other side of the pond in terms of broadcasts and possibly DVDs of these concerts, John Wilson is a remarkable talent. When the MGM Tribute was performed Wilson at the age of 36 (I believe) had his own orchestra for many years prior. It took him one year to reconstruct all the musical numbers performed because, in the 60's the MGM studio was no longer run by talents but by corporations and, as a result, decided to get rid of the MGM library at the studio and replace it with a parking lot only to dump recordings, orchestra parts and god knows what else into land fills. He found lost musical parts and/or listened to videos by using his unbelievable talent to write down every note of every piece for every instrument in his orchestra as well as the chorus and the soloists! The 6,000 plus people at the Prince Albert Hall went crazy and, believe it or not, bombarded the BBC with over 100,000 calls demanding that a DVD be produced. It was initially released in Great Britain but, after one year or so, was produced for our region dvd players.

The reviewers went out of their minds! It was as if the MGM Studio Orchestra was resurrected and as if a vale of dust had been removed from old recording sessions and magically transported to modern times.

Give yourself a treat and buy the John Wilson Orchestra DVD. It will blow you away!

 

[Dick]

Judy Holliday, Comden & Green, Vicente Minnelli, Jules Styne--and did I mention Judy Holliday? This is such a welcome treat.

It was her last film. She died five years later of breast cancer.

 

[Joel Arndt]

Totally agree regarding Deep in My Heart. I own the Blu-ray, so Bells Are Ringing should be another treat.

And I own three of John Wilson's cds. His recreations are amazing!

Thanks JoelA,

....and, while I'm at it(!)...the major studio orchestras of the day all were comprised of a symphony orchestra and a jazz band so that all manor of musical styles could be incorporated in musicals as well as dramas. The orchestras of the day also had the greatest musicians in the world. The Main Title to Bells is a remarkable example of this and the precision of the orchestra's playing is a god sent! (If I appear to be overly over the top on the subject of the MGM Studio music department, it's because..I am!) ...and (as if I haven't said enough)...get the blu-ray of "Deep In My Heart" which was the zenith of the studio's musical output...the arrangements for all the guest stars (more there are in heaven according to Louis B Mayor), their performances and especially the orchestrations and playing by the legendary group of musicians is something to behold. All the guest starts performing in this wonderful film were at the top of their talents. The beginning opens with the actual studio orchestra on screen as well as the ending, and what an ending it is...starting out the star's singing solo at the piano then joined by the orchestra and ending with the chorus joining in. I still can't believe that it is 60 plus years old...especially because of the wonderful blu-ray that was issued by WB.

 

[Edward Weinman]

I have seen all the John Wilson Orchestra's yearly BBC PROMS concerts after purchasing the MGM DVD:

2010 Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
2011 Tribute to Hollywood
2012 Tribute to Broadway
2013 Hollywood Rhapsody (completely dedicated to the orchestra with the exception of 12 Hollywood
songs performed by two wonderful singers...it appears about half way into the concert).
2014 "Kiss Me Kate" (complete restoration of the Broadway show)
2014 Tribute to Sinatra
2015 Tribute to Leonard Bernstein (this one I actually made an effort to attend!)
2016 Tribute to George and Ira Gershwin

Each year that orchestra reinvents itself and is really one of the great orchestras in the world...all thanks to the immense talent of it's creator: John Wilson. All the musicians have been with him almost from the beginning. He hand picks each and every orchestra member and they not only love him but respect what he does...his forte being the reconstruction of old Hollywood scores. They are all from all the major symphony orchestras, at least in the United Kingdom and possibly other areas. They want to be with him. The audiences have come to take him to their hearts. The concerts sell out in a flash after the box office opens...all 6,000 seats the Prince Albert Hall...I had to pay, through a resale ticket agency, two or three times the original ticket price but I didn't care. I went especially to see and hear. It's a virtual love fest!

You can see and hear bits and pieces of his televised concerts if you go to youtube.com.

 

[Edward Weinman]

to JoelA and all who love the great motion picture music of the past PLEASE DO go to youtube.com and type in John Wilson Orchestra to see and hear what all the raving is about. Watch the musician's faces as well as his rapor with them as he conducts. It's a total universe unto it's self. You may want to start out with the "MGM Jubilee Overture" which Johnny Green arranged for his great orchestra in 1954 (I believe) and recreated here to perfection. There are tons of excerpts from the many John Wilson Orchestra PROM concerts on youtube.com to savor.
Enjoy!

 

[Gary16]

to JoelA and all who love the great motion picture music of the past PLEASE DO go to youtube.com and type in John Wilson Orchestra to see and hear what all the raving is about. Watch the musician's faces as well as his rapor with them as he conducts. It's a total universe unto it's self. You may want to start out with the "MGM Jubilee Overture" which Johnny Green arranged for his great orchestra in 1954 (I believe) and recreated here to perfection. There are tons of excerpts from the many John Wilson Orchestra PROM concerts on youtube.com to savor.
Enjoy!

Agree 100% and don't miss his Tom and Jerry cartoon medley. It's amazing.

 

[KPmusmag]

I saw Carousel yesterday (Fathom events). The sound was nice and robust and you could really hear the depth of those orchestrations. 20th Fox orchestra really played that music with sensitivity. Some of the underscoring is just achingly beautiful. Those orchestras really were something.

Nora Ephron makes an interesting comment on the commentary track for Sleepless in Seattle. They were using the theme from An Affair to Remember and they were going to do their own orchestration, but when they listened to the original track from 1957 they decided they couldn't do better because the 20th Fox orchestra played it so beautifully, and that is what you hear in Sleepless in Seattle.

Back to Bells Are Ringing - I love the film, but the one song from the Broadway score I really miss is "Long Before I Knew You". It is a lovely ballad and it is a nice moment for the romantic leads.

 

[Will Krupp]

I love the film, but the one song from the Broadway score I really miss is "Long Before I Knew You". It is a lovely ballad and it is a nice moment for the romantic leads.

agreed:

 

[Will Krupp]

Just got the notice that this has been delivered and is waiting for me at home!

Woo Hoo!

 

[sidburyjr]

Amazon now selling this Blu-ray title for $17.99

16.99 today. 1/31

 

[Virgoan]

My copy is HERE. I'm over the moon!!!

 

[ahollis]

Just got the notice that this has been delivered and is waiting for me at home!

Woo Hoo!

Mine is also here too. Know what I'm doing tonight.

 

[Matt Hough]

I watched mine tonight. Glorious picture and magnificent stereo surround sound. I couldn't be happier. I watched the 11-minute bonus featurette with Hal Linden and Frank Gorshin, too.

 

[Will Krupp]

Mine is also here too. Know what I'm doing tonight.

I'm sure you'll be doing what the "cream of New York's elite" and the "smartest Eastsiders" will all be doing!

In all seriousness, it's a great disc for the most part.

Great colors and great picture with real depth although there IS some image missing from the top of the frame at least at some points. It's "tighter" than the DVD with the tops of people's head slightly shaved off. It seemed odd when i was watching it so i pulled out the DVD to check and sure enough the DVD has more headroom. I specifically checked the scene where Ella comes across the sleeping Jeffrey and peeps under the newspaper covering his face. She stands up in glee and the DVD is framed so her bouffant JUST clears the top of the frame while the blu-ray cuts her off mid-bouff. In the same scene It seems like there might be a mild vertical stretch (horizontal squish?) as well because everyone looks "thinner" than they should all during "Better Than a Dream" and the New York street scene that follows with circles turned into ovals (I suspect it affects the whole reel, maybe?)...could that be element related? The stretch/squish doesn't seem noticeable at all in other parts and I didn't check the entire movie for framing differences just what stuck out.

It sounds wonderful. Did everybody catch Elizabeth Montgomery's long but wordless cameo?

 

[Virgoan]

I'm sure you'll be doing what the "cream of New York's elite" and the "smartest Eastsiders" will all be doing!

In all seriousness, it's a great disc for the most part.

Great colors and great picture with real depth although there IS some image missing from the top of the frame at least at some points. It's "tighter" than the DVD with the tops of people's head slightly shaved off. It seemed odd when i was watching it so i pulled out the DVD to check and sure enough the DVD has more headroom. I specifically checked the scene where Ella comes across the sleeping Jeffrey and peeps under the newspaper covering his face. She stands up in glee and the DVD is framed so her bouffant JUST clears the top of the frame while the blu-ray cuts her off mid-bouff. In the same scene It seems like there might be a mild vertical stretch (horizontal squish?) as well because everyone looks "thinner" than they should all during "Better Than a Dream" and the New York street scene that follows with circles turned into ovals (I suspect it affects the whole reel, maybe?)...could that be element related? The stretch/squish doesn't seem noticeable at all in other parts and I didn't check the entire movie for framing differences just what stuck out.

It sounds wonderful. Did everybody catch Elizabeth Montgomery's long but wordless cameo?

I noticed the same headroom issue most predominantly in the song "I'm Going Back". It just seems odd that part of the time she's in full frame at other times the top of her hairdo is cut off.

 

[Will Krupp]

I noticed the same headroom issue most predominantly in the song "I'm Going Back". It just seems odd that part of the time she's in full frame at other times the top of her hairdo is cut off.

That was another telltale moment.

Since watching it last night I've tried to look online to see if any reviews mentioned it and I came across specs on DVDTalk which list the disc as having a 2.4:1 ratio. I don't know how accurate those specs are but something is not right with the picture.

 

[Virgoan]

That was another telltale moment.

Since watching it last night I've tried to look online to see if any reviews mentioned it and I came across specs on DVDTalk which list the disc as having a 2.4:1 ratio. I don't know how accurate those specs are but something is not right with the picture.

I'd like to clarify that for me, as you said was true for you, this did not in any way ruin the appreciation for the movie and the overall excellence of image and sound.

 

[JPCinema]

Enjoyed the Blu ray immensely ...except for the odd cropping. My DVD of Bells Are Ringing has much more headroom in the "I'm Going Back". It is frustrating to see this great number with top of her haircut off. This is not what Minnelli intended.
Was someone asleep when authoring this new transfer?