A Few Words About A few words about...™ Sweet Charity - in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[JohnMor]

Sweet Charity had a roadshow run with an overture, intermission (silent), entr'acte, and exit music. Only the Laserdisc release contained all of these elements, and it ran 2:37:05 (as does the Blu-ray I created using the French Blu-ray and Laserdisc, the latter only for the audio for the exit music).

Thanks Chuck. I had forgotten that the Entr’acte is indeed on the dvd. My bad. But it does NOT appear on the French blu-ray. I just checked. The blu-ray features the Intermission card silently for about 30 seconds but does not not feature the musical Entr’acte.

 

[haineshisway]

Good to have all those videos. Perhaps someone should forward them to Kino.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

Thanks Chuck. I had forgotten that the Entr’acte is indeed on the dvd. My bad. But it does NOT appear on the French blu-ray. I just checked. The blu-ray features the Intermission card silently for about 30 seconds but does not not feature the musical Entr’acte.

Ah, then I must've retained the Entr'acte on my hybrid from the DVD. I didn't remember that as clearly as I did adding back the exit music from the Laserdisc.

What gets me is that I messaged Kino about the incomplete French Blu and warned about what was missing. The fact that their release was delayed and commentary tracks added I thought was a good sign. Surely the people recording and preparing commentary knew the film in question well enough to ensure it was the full roadshow release as advertised, but apparently not.

It sounds like the master used for the feature film on Kino's disc matches the French Blu from a year ago. In which case, I can stick with my full roadshow hybrid.

 

[Thomas T]

You so correct on 1776. I recall reading an article by Joe Capps in which he said he created the laser as a roadshow presentation. While I liked it, I knew it was a wish.

For the special laser disc edition of Picnic (1955), Caps also created an "overture" which was never part of the actual film.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

If only I could get an HD Scrooge with its wonderful Overture.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

If only I could get an HD Scrooge with its wonderful Overture.

Another Blu-ray for which I created my own hybrid to have complete when the official release didn't suffice.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

I'm hoping those who say it was on the VHS and the Laserdisc can post the music. I don't remember if there was exit music or not.

Your wish is my command. The musical interludes in question have been uploaded to YouTube from my hybrid Blu-ray and are in a post above.

There isn't intermission music, but there is a substantial entr'acte and exit music that appear to be missing from Kino's forthcoming Blu-ray.

 

[Nick*Z]

I stand to be corrected but I believe the only overture which had a visual theatrically is West Side Story whose overture plays over the film's title while the card changes colors.

I believe Gypsy (1962) also has a 'title' overture, as well as Star! (1969).

 

[Robert Harris]

Here is the overture that has been on every video release of Sweet Charity I've seen, though with various video generated "overture" screens.




Here is the intermission and entr'acte. The entr'acte card was created for video. This intermission and entr'acte was on the VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD. It was not on the French Blu-ray release. (Thanks JohnMor for the correction.)



Black screen / no audio on BD

This scene was inadvertently absent from the DVD release yet was on the VHS, Laserdisc, and French Blu-ray releases.



On BD

Here is the exit music only released on Laserdisc. Again, the exit music card was one prepared for video and not on the film.



Not on BD

 

[Matt Hough]

I believe Gypsy (1962) also has a 'title' overture, as well as Star! (1969).

It does though it's shortened from what was on the WB soundtrack LP (which was the original stage overture).

 

[TJPC]

I haven’t finished watching disc 2 “alternate version”. I wonder if this has your missing music, or a comment about why it’s not there.

 

[RichMurphy]

Lars von Trier's DANCER IN THE DARK starring Bjork has a beautiful quasi-overture sequence (with hypnotic images) which does exactly what an overture is supposed to do: help the audience transition from whatever real world they entered the theatre, into the world of the movie.

 

[PMF]

Can there be such a thing as a "Roadshow" in the absence of an Overture, Intermission, Entr'acte and its Exit Music?
If not, then this 4K of "Sweet Charity" needs to have its "Roadshow" banner yanked from all its advertising and descriptive casings.
Just keeping it honest; as an MSRP of @ $40.00 adds to the misleading aspects of an non-existing "Roadshow".
I don't expect Universal will rectify their omissions of these boffo Ralph Burns arrangements;
and, quite frankly, I don't believe they will even withdraw the "Roadshow" banner from its now established marketing;
but the price of 40 bucks needs to be harnessed in and leveraged back down to 30 bucks or less.

 

[Drew Salzan]

There definitely was an Entr'acte and Exit music in the Roadshow. DVD included it. Might pass on this one, especially with that price point.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

I haven’t finished watching disc 2 “alternate version”. I wonder if this has your missing music, or a comment about why it’s not there.

The alternate version was for general release and would not have the roadshow music.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

There definitely was an Entr'acte and Exit music in the Roadshow. DVD included it. Might pass on this one, especially with that price point.

Check your DVD. The exit music is not on it, neither is over a minute of dialogue from a key scene when Oscar leaves Charity at city hall.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

Well, your description of how the intermission appears but without the entr'acte and with 30 seconds of silence is exactly what is on the French Blu-ray.

This isn't the first time Universal has messed up the release of this title, going back to 1969. I would've hoped the people at Kino would've heeded my warning about the missing entr'acte and exit music, but oh well.

 

[PMF]

My time estimates are showing that Kino's "Sweet Charity" has up to 6 minutes and 49 seconds of missing "Roadshow" footage; that being the Entr'acte and Exit Music, as based on everyone's HTF postings.

I'll bid 30 bucks for their providing us with a 4K restoration;
but deduct that other $10 from the MSRP of $40 in response to those missing "Roadshow" elements.

What's in your wallet?

 

[johnmn]

Thank you! Can't wait! Are both versions equal in quality? Kino, can we have STAR! and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE now -- with commentary by Julie Andrews?

Yes!--Universal and Kino should definitely create a MILLIE Blu-ray--long overdue! However, STAR! is a Fox film, and I have had several message exchanges about it with Twilight Time. TT owns the rights to STAR!, and they intended to release the film on Blu-ray for the film's 50th anniversary...but Fox's HD mastering stalled, and so far this has not come to be, sadly. Now that Fox is owned by Disney, I suspect there will even be less effort put into restoring/preserving/digitizing non-Disney catalog titles. What a shame; STAR! is not a perfect film, by any means, but it contains some of Julie Andrews' best musical performances, and it was shot in gorgeous Todd-AO. And there's a newly restored 70mm print that's made the rounds, so you'd think the mastering job has been largely done. If any of you have clout with Fox, hound them!

 

[ahollis]

It really is a shame that the entr’acte was left off. It’s a great lead into the second half of the film.