Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ That's Entertainment (redux) -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Mark B]

I checked all the US laserdiscs of That's Entertainment! I have and found "True Love" was not on the 1983 or 1988 issues. It makes the first appearance in the 1991 CAV box and again in the 1996 "Ultimate Treasury" box.

 

[Robert Harris]

I checked all the US laserdiscs of That's Entertainment! I have and found "True Love" was not on the 1983 or 1988 issues. It makes the first appearance in the 1991 CAV box and again in the 1996 "Ultimate Treasury" box.

Okay.

For the record, there is no “True Love” conspiracy.

The reality is that the International theatrical release in 1974 had TRUE LOVE, while it wasn't in the domestic version.

It’s possible that Haley and MGM thought the inclusion of "Princess Grace" important for the Euro markets.

That’s all folks…

 

[dukiejosh54]

My Blu-ray will be here tomorrow but I'm also looking to buy Parts 2 & 3 now. Should I buy them on Blu-ray or DVD? The reviews for the blu-ray set seem mixed. Is the blu-ray set an upgrade or a downgrade from the DVDs?

 

[TonyD]

My Blu-ray will be here tomorrow but I'm also looking to buy Parts 2 & 3 now. Should I buy them on Blu-ray or DVD? The reviews for the blu-ray set seem mixed. Is the blu-ray set an upgrade or a downgrade from the DVDs?

Where have you seen that this is a downgrade over the very old dvd?

Also pt 2 and 3 aren't new those are older as only the first one has been remastered.

 

[dukiejosh54]

Where have you seen that this is a downgrade over the very old dvd?

Also pt 2 and 3 aren't new those are older as only the first one has been remastered.

No, I was not suggesting that the new release was a downgrade.. I was only talking about Part 2 & 3. I was looking to buy them and I was asking if it was worth buying the old blu-ray release or not.

 

[TonyD]

No, I was not suggesting that the new release was a downgrade. I was only talking about Part 2 & 3. I was looking to buy them and I was asking if it was worth buying the old blu-ray release or not.

Okay gotcha. I mispread that thinking you meant the first one.

The only thing I can say about that is the dvd set includes a disc of extras that isn't in any of the bluray sets.

 

[dukiejosh54]

Okay gotcha. I mispread that thinking you meant the first one.

The only thing I can say about that is the dvd set includes a disc of extras that isn't in any of the bluray sets.

No worries, I think my wording might of been a bit confusing.

 

[TonyD]

I take full blame for my terrible reading comprehension.

I'm waiting to buy the last two until I hear something definitive on them being redone too.

 

[Roger Grodsky]

I remember “True Love” not being in the 70mm version, but I think it was in the 35mm version I saw a little after that (I remember being surprised). Is that wrong?

 

[Joel Arndt]

My Blu-ray will be here tomorrow but I'm also looking to buy Parts 2 & 3 now. Should I buy them on Blu-ray or DVD? The reviews for the blu-ray set seem mixed. Is the blu-ray set an upgrade or a downgrade from the DVDs?

Hey Josh, I know Tony has already chimed in about this, but I'd recommend that you buy the DVDs of Parts 2 and 3 at this time, not the Blu-rays. I found the Blu-rays unwatchable and kept my DVDs for viewing.

I hope this reconstructed Blu-ray of That's Entertainment! sells well enough that the remaining chapters in the series can be restored for upgraded Blu-ray releases in the future.

 

[dukiejosh54]

Hey Josh, I know Tony has already chimed in about this, but I'd recommend that you buy the DVDs of Parts 2 and 3 at this time, not the Blu-rays. I found the Blu-rays unwatchable and kept my DVDs for viewing.

I hope this reconstructed Blu-ray of That's Entertainment! sells well enough that the remaining chapters in the series can be restored for upgraded Blu-ray releases in the future.

Thanks Joel! I think I'm going go ahead and look for 2 & 3 on DVD. Plus I'd like to check out the bonus disc that Tony mentioned.

 

[Nick*Z]

P3 on Blu was the biggest disappointment for me. I had the CAV LD of it when it first came out, with a limited edition of a Leo the Lion poster signed by the stars. The LD, I thought then, looked stunning. But the Blu had wan colors and occasionally video artifacts that suggested nothing had been done to remaster the elements from a very old video master. There was even some edge enhancement scattered throughout.

P2 has never worked for me. By the time this sequel came out, the MGM backlots had been demolished, and the new inserts, shot with the aged Astaire and Kelly on tacky soundstages, were a painful reminder that the real glory days - not just for Astaire and Kelly - were a thing of the past.

I also thought the inserted scenes from MGM's dramas and comedies really brought the picture to a halt. And finally, the sort of haphazard assemblage of the musical portions seemed neither to follow an arc narratively or from a chronological perspective.

Why, as example, should Esther Williams' brilliant water-skiing sequence from Easy to Love be the penultimate number to close out the classic clips?

All in all, That's Entertainment II seemed more abysmally to showcase numbers, arguably, not good enough to be in That's Entertainment!, but somehow, better than expected as a second summary of the good ole MGM days.

 

[cadavra]

If you think of it as a feature-length trailer for MGM's musical library, it may go down easier that way.

 

[Wayne_j]

I got this release for Christmas and just watched it. Definitely a big upgrade from the original Blu-Ray. This is definitely a case where if you were to watch this release in a properly calibrated digital theater you would have a better presentation than anyone who watched it during the original release especially since if you saw it during the original release all the clips would have been several generations down the line.

I'm still confused as to why the host segments shot specifically for this film were shown in academy ratio.

 

[Jimbo.B]

I got this release for Christmas and just watched it. Definitely a big upgrade from the original Blu-Ray. This is definitely a case where if you were to watch this release in a properly calibrated digital theater you would have a better presentation than anyone who watched it during the original release especially since if you saw it during the original release all the clips would have been several generations down the line.

I'm still confused as to why the host segments shot specifically for this film were shown in academy ratio.

My guess is that it was done for dramatic effect. When this was first released the curtains opened to widescreen whenever there was a widescreen clip shown. The result in the theater was quite effective showmanship.

 

[Indy Guy]

Beginning with the "Hit The Deck" clip the next 3 segments automatically widen to a Cinemascope aspect ratio on my projection set up. It's a dramatic effect that duplicated the impact the film had when it was shown theatrically.
Sadly the "saved best for last" ballet clip from American in Paris reverts to a slightly cropped 16×9 image which follows the immersive scope sequence from Gigi. The reduction in screen size reduces the impact of the "Paris" finale, which is not my favorite to begin with.

 

[Matt Hough]

Beginning with the "Hit The Deck" clip the next 3 segments automatically widen to a Cinemascope aspect ratio on my projection set up. It's a dramatic effect that duplicated the impact the film had when it was shown theatrically.
Sadly the "saved best for last" ballet clip from American in Paris reverts to a slightly cropped 16×9 image which follows the immersive scope sequence from Gigi. The reduction in screen size reduces the impact of the "Paris" finale, which is not my favorite to begin with.

I remember sitting in the packed Ziegfeld Theater in New York watching the film during its initial run with none of us knowing what delight would come next. When Sinatra intoned, "We've saved the best for last - An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron," the woman sitting right in front of me shook her head vigorously from side to side indicating her displeasure that a clip from the ballet had been deemed MGM's best.

 

[Nick*Z]

I got this release for Christmas and just watched it. Definitely a big upgrade from the original Blu-Ray. This is definitely a case where if you were to watch this release in a properly calibrated digital theater you would have a better presentation than anyone who watched it during the original release especially since if you saw it during the original release all the clips would have been several generations down the line.

I'm still confused as to why the host segments shot specifically for this film were shown in academy ratio.

Yes, that's always been a puzzlement for me too. The initial opening pan down to the MGM backlot after the main titles is 1.85:1 but then, when they cut to Sinatra in front of the Thalberg Building it goes to 1.33:1. Odd choice, carried over into every new intro thereafter.

It also breaks my heart to see those once vibrant streets and lakes looking like the abandoned city of Centralia. Especially poignant, Mickey Rooney's return to Carvel where he astutely points out "The mailbox is gone. The picket fence too. But it's still the Hardy home." Always will be.

 

[davidmatychuk]

The new Blu-Ray is pure pleasure and a modern home video miracle, but there is still plentiful bonus material on the "That's Entertainment!" Ultimate Treasury and the "That’s Entertainment! Part 3" box sets that's available nowhere else. I keep 3 laserdisc players in working order for reasons like those.

 

[Jimbo.B]

I remember sitting in the packed Ziegfeld Theater in New York watching the film during its initial run with none of us knowing what delight would come next. When Sinatra intoned, "We've saved the best for last - An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron," the woman sitting right in front of me shook her head vigorously from side to side indicating her displeasure that a clip from the ballet had been deemed MGM's best.

I have to admit I hate that ballet too. It’s my lease favorite part of the movie. I can’t listen to Gershwin’s piece anymore without visualizing those awful dated cheesy dance moves. Worst yet, they cut the music arbitrarily.