A Few Words About A few words about...™ Finian's Rainbow -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[John Maher_289910]

I saw HALF A SIXPENCE on Broadway, when it was brought over from England, and revamped to be a dance show. Our collective jaws were on the floor at how wonderful it was. The movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Broadway show, with Gillian Lynne's choreography, not quite up to Onna White's (who was busy with OLIVER! at the time). Tommy Steele, on stage, is magnificent. On film, he is just much too much, with just a bit of him going a very long way.

 

[PMF]

[...] but I can think of at least a half dozen Astaire movies from WAC I'd rather have before this one: Swing Time, Royal Wedding, Top Hat, The Barkeley's of Broadway, The Belle of New York, The Gay Divorcee.

"All in good time, my pretties, all in good time" - The Wizard of Oz

P.S. But please, WAC, let it be Swing Time, next.

 

[PMF]

I recently watched HALF-A -SIXPENCE for the first time since it was first released. I found it to be very overlong and tedious.I am a great fan of Tommy Steele and musicals and this was a disaster. There were no 70mm prints of the film in Australia. I understand that the film was a huge flop.I wonder if the recent London stage revival was a hit?

But a BD of Half a Sixpence would provide many other attributes:

a. Hearing the Musical Scoring & Orchestrations of Irwin Kostal on BD at 5.1 would be a dream to the ears.
b. Seeing another piece of cinematography from Geoffrey Unsworth correctly brought to BD would be another major plus.
c. And watching that red-headed circus woman in her red garments dancing to "Money to Burn" wouldn't be such a bad deal, either.

 

[PMF]

I've always had problems with this film. Main problem is Coppola. I don't like any musical with which he has been associated. Astaire revolutionized the filming of dance. Objecting to the flash editing and close ups of feet, Astaire insisted on the dance being filmed with the full body visible with very few edits. Flying Down to Rio was Astaire's second film and the last to have flashy editing. Until Coppola. Either Coppola didn't trust his performers or he had to show off his own technique. Even so, Coppola is restrained compared to today's musicals. Chicago seems to have an edit every four beats in its dances. No trust in the performers. I'm no dancer but even I could have done the numbers if I only had to do four beats at a time. Rob Marshall talks about how wonderful the performances were and how they did the entire routines. It would have been nice to see that.

God almighty, do I second that.
"Chicago" could have won more than 6 Oscars had Marshall brought in Ann Reinking for the Choreography. Without Ms. Reinking's Broadway revival of "Chicago" there may very well have never been the film. Big mistake on Marshall or somebody else's part. Nobody could reinvent Bob Fosse; try as they will. But, damn, what a brilliantly adapted screenplay that was.

 

[JPCinema]

I saw HALF A SIXPENCE on Broadway, when it was brought over from England, and revamped to be a dance show. Our collective jaws were on the floor at how wonderful it was. The movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Broadway show, with Gillian Lynne's choreography, not quite up to Onna White's (who was busy with OLIVER! at the time). Tommy Steele, on stage, is magnificent. On film, he is just much too much, with just a bit of him going a very long way.

Just saw the revival of HALF A SIXPENCE in London last night. The book had been rewritten by Julian Fellowes ( Downton Abbey). It was absolutely wonderful! Kipps is played by newcomer Charlie Stemp in a star making performance!

 

[Rick Thompson]

I saw Finian's Rainbow in original release and bought it both on VHS ("In Linear Stereo!") and DVD. While I like it a lot and will make the blu a day one purchase, it's not perfect. One problem is that Coppola fired choreographer Hermes Pan during the film, tried to fill the choreographic gap himself, and failed at it. To watch, say, "Something Sort of Grandish" is to cringe. The film also drags in the middle (from after "Look to the Rainbow" to almost "The Begat", except for the "Old Devil Moon" sequence), and clocks in at 2 hours, 25 minutes, thus violating George Roy Hill's dictum: "If you can't tell your story in two hours, you better be David Lean."

 

[John Maher_289910]

Except, I hate all of David Lean's films that exceed 2 hours. They're tedious to me.

 

[cinemiracle]

Except, I hate all of David Lean's films that exceed 2 hours. They're tedious to me.

Does that include LAWRENCE OF ARABIA- one of the greatest films ever made?

 

[TJPC]

For some reason, although I have seen Dr.Zhivago over and over, including in the theatre on first run, Lawrence of Arabia bores me to distraction. I have dutyfully tried to like the film and have watched it in all formats including laser disc, where I had to flip the disc every 20 minutes or so. I just don't get it. I don't even like the music!

 

[John Maher_289910]

LAWRENCE and ZHIVAGO are so tedious, to me; including their repetitive scores. I feel the same way about RYAN'S DAUGHTER and to some degree RIVER KWAI. Prior to KWAI, I would say I was a fan of Lean's films. Since, they are all in desperate need of major editing!

 

[Robin9]

LAWRENCE and ZHIVAGO are so tedious, to me; including their repetitive scores. I feel the same way about RYAN'S DAUGHTER and to some degree RIVER KWAI. Prior to KWAI, I would say I was a fan of Lean's films. Since, they are all in desperate need of major editing!

Do you know more about editing than David Lean?

 

[Malcolm Bmoor]

Do you know more about editing than David Lean?

One of those parallel cautionary tales involving a favourite response and put down:

Unlike in most other countries where orchestras are publicly subsidised, many US orchestras rely on donations from people whose musical knowledge is far smaller than the size of their bank balances.

One of the great conductors of a previous generation was being forced to socialise with potential donors after a concert when he was approached by a lady of 'a certain age' and state of colour rinsed hair:

'Oh Maestro, I so enjoyed the concert. Of course I always love Beethoven but tonight I also, for the first time, enjoyed the Schubert.'

The suffering Maestro: 'It makes no difference'

 

[John Maher_289910]

Do you know more about editing than David Lean?

I know what I like and what I don't like.

 

[Joe Caps]

Loved the film.
the master stereo soundtrack for this is three channels only - NO surrounds.
Paramound also had some usical stuff cut from the film before its release - a verse of Money to Burn, the song Long Ago, and a verse of Flash Bang Wallop .
Btw, as of the early 1990s, Warners still had the dailys for necessity from Finians Rainbow.

 

[Garysb]

Interesting blog about an animated version of 'Finian's Rainbow" that was never completed . It was started in the mid 1950's and featured the voice of Frank Sinatra as Woody and Ella Logan ( from the original Broadway cast) as Sharon. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald were also in the cast. The soundtrack was apparently recorded but not all of it survives.

http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=2158

From the blog:

The dialogue and song tracks were recorded in five sessions in November and December 1954 on the Samuel Goldwyn lot in Hollywood, according to Ed O’Brien, coauthor with Scott P. Sayers, Jr., of Sinatra: The Man and His Music. The Recording Artistry of Francis Albert Sinatra 1939-1992 (TSI) Press, Austin, TX, 1992). “Sinatra was at the apex of his career,” says O’Brien. “He was filming Guys and Dolls [1955], he was in The Tender Trap [1955]. It was right at the beginning of the great Sinatra period at Capitol Records. In February of 1955, he recorded ‘The Wee Small Hours,’ which many consider the greatest ballad album ever recorded.” (Ironically, that is the same date Finian’s shut down.)

Listening to the surviving sections of the nearly 40-year-old track brings the project to exuberant life. Sinatra is indeed in top form, his voice confident and vital as it combines with Nelson Riddle’s distinctive brass and string arrangements and Lyn Murray’s conducting. Sinatra’s full-out, driving version of “That Great Come and Get It Day” is particularly exhilarating. The improvised “Ad Lib Blues” duet with Louis Armstrong offers one of the few times Sinatra sang “scat.” “I was there at the recording when Louis Armstrong did The Begat,’ recalls Burton Lane. “The shape of the number was slightly altered to make it work for what Hubley had in mind for how the number would be shot.”

“On December 2, 1954,” says O’Brien, “Sinatra recorded ‘Old Devil Moon’ with Ella Logan [star of the Broadway Finian's], full orchestra, and the Jazz All-Stars: Red Norvo, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Oscar Peterson, and Frank Flynn. The vocal runs eight minutes, 20 seconds. There’s a jazz riff in the middle in which Peterson challenged Norvo. It’s extemporaneous and absolutely marvelous!” By contrast, a Sinatra duet with Ella Fitzgerald on “Necessity” swings lightly with only guitar, bass, and drums for accompaniment. The change from big-band arrangements into jazz throughout the film score got full approval from John Hubley, a longtime jazz enthusiast. “I used to go out with him some evenings to listen to live jazz,” recalls Earl Klein. “We went one night to hear Prez Prado. I was very impressed with his knowledge of music.”

Faith Hubley recalls: “Sinatra wrote out the words of Tenderly’ [a song not from Finian's] for Ella, who didn’t know all of them, for a lunch-time improv with Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, and Herb Ellis.” The extemporaneous song was recorded and used in John and Faith Hubley’s 1958 short, Tender Game, making it the only trace of the Finian’s recording sessions currently available to the general public.

 

[PMF]

For some reason, although I have seen Dr.Zhivago over and over, including in the theatre on first run, Lawrence of Arabia bores me to distraction. I have dutyfully tried to like the film and have watched it in all formats including laser disc, where I had to flip the disc every 20 minutes or so. I just don't get it. I don't even like the music!

Well, don't forget that the magnificent RAH restoration of "Lawrence of Arabia" reinstated some 20 to 22 minutes of footage.
So, maybe, just maybe, by flipping discs you may have skipped a side; and accidently lost yourself a different set of 20 minutes.
One day, I am certain you'll come around; or, as Lawrence had said, "Nothing is written".

 

[Jim*Tod]

Interesting article. Somewhere I remember reading about an animated version of FINIAN'S RAINBOW or some similar property, which involved puppet animation. It would have been in the same 50's period and I think Judy Garland actually recorded tracks for this. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

 

[ajabrams]

Interesting article. Somewhere I remember reading about an animated version of FINIAN'S RAINBOW or some similar property, which involved puppet animation. It would have been in the same 50's period and I think Judy Garland actually recorded tracks for this. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Yes - but not with Garland -- Sinatra, Ella Logan, Ella Fitzgerlad, etc--Here's a link about it:
http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=2158

 

[Jim*Tod]

Yes - but not with Garland -- Sinatra, Ella Logan, Ella Fitzgerlad, etc--Here's a link about it:
http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=2158

Thanks and I saw that post. But I swear somewhere along the line I remember reading about some similar aborted project in the same period with Garland and some kind of puppets or animation. Maybe I just dreamed it.

 

[Matt Hough]

My copy of Finian's Rainbow arrived this afternoon, and I spent a wonderful afternoon with it. Looks smashing; just as I remembered it looking from the roadshow I attended all those years ago: some soft focus shots on occasion and others blissfully sharp and detailed.

This is one of the great Broadway scores, and it gets a great rendition in this film, and I'm so glad the decision was made to work Fred Astaire into several song numbers (Finian is a non-singing role in the stage version). Don Francks and Petula Clark are as mesmerizing in "Old Devil Moon" as I remembered.