Advanced look at Thoroughly Modern Millie Blu-Ray (1 Viewer)

[cinemiracle]

I saw the 70mm blow up in 1969 for the 30th anniversary.

I saw GWTW in 70mm twice -the second time it was projected onto a full size cinerama screen-not the best way to see the classic film.

 

[Will Krupp]

Yes. As good as Champion's original was, this latest tour surpassed. it. However, that would not have been possible without Champion's original, which was often duplicated by the tour. It was just so perfect. I actually cried, during Sunday Clothes and It Only Takes a Moment; and, the Hello, Dolly! number was the best I've ever seen. Pretty much the greatest show I've ever seen, and that's a lot of shows.

One of the great theater regrets of my life is that I never took the opportunity to see Channing during the 1995 Broadway revival (we got tickets to see Julie Andrews, ironically, enough, in VICTOR VICTORIA instead) and never got the chance to see her on stage. I really could kick myself.

While I didn't see the subsequent national tour with Betty Buckley, I did see Bette Midler on Broadway during the summer of 2018 (when she came back to do the final weeks of the show after Bernadette Peters) and it was one of the best , if not THE best, times I've ever had in any theater. Midler was fantastic (though I suspect she was more "Bette" than "Dolly," I didn't care) but what really amazed me was that, after growing up on the movie, I was floored by how much better the material was with the wonderful casting of the "juvenile" leads. Gavin Creel was back in the role of Cornelius and Kate Baldwin was still playing Irene, but Molly Griggs and the wonderful Charlie Stemp had taken over as Minnie and Barnaby. They made the movie foursome look stodgy, uninspired and wan (sorry to Michael Crawford and the late Danny Lockin, not sorry to Marianne McAndrew and EJ Peaker) and it was a revelation to actually ENJOY "Ribbons Down My Back" for the first time. I bring it up because I ALSO burst into tears during "Sunday Clothes" because it was overwhelmingly beautiful when the entire company took the stage.

I apologize for the thread derail but Creel (who had his first big break in Broadway's MILLIE so MAYBE I can get away with it?) and Stemp appeared at Broadway Barks in Shubert Alley earlier that summer and, while no one was in costume, you got a glimpse of how they played it.

 

[usrunnr]

I saw Florence Henderson in the Broadway revival in 1967 of SOUTH PACIFIC at the Lincoln Centre.Great memories.

I think that was recorded. I'm pretty sure I have a CD of that production. Have to check. She was a wonderful stage performer. I saw her in "The King and I" Los Angeles Civic Light Opera.

 

[usrunnr]

Does anyone have an opinion (!) of the recorded CD of Bette Midler's "Hello Dolly"?

 

[RolandL]

I saw GWTW in 70mm twice -the second time it was projected onto a full size cinerama screen-not the best way to see the classic film.

Some Cinerama theatres that played Gone With The Wind:

 

[warnerbro]

The best thing about the wide screen release of GON WITH THE WIND is the great poster they created.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Going back to the original post on this thread, yesterday my friend brought over his blu ray of Thoroughly Modern Millie. As I suspected, it's simply a very nice, pleasing enhancement of the DVD, with truer, more vibrant colors, a brighter sharper image and terrific stereo sound, with no surrounds, which is proper for this movie. The aspect ratio is identical to the DVD, with only one very minor change: At the intermission and conclusion, instead of the more severe window boxing found on the DVD, only slight black bars creep in on the sides to give something closer to a 1.66:1 aspect ratio to the intermission announcement and the end credits. What was interesting to me was the fact that the 1.66:1 aspect ratio was not needed as all the scrollwork and animation surrounding both of these would have fit within a 1.85:1 image if properly framed. Yes, when Carol Channing throws her arms up in the exhilarating Jazz Baby number, her fingers go off screen for a fleeting moment, but it didn't look out of place and you can see the exact same thing on the DVD. it's a non-issue for me. Millie looks fine at 1.85:1.

By the way, a mutual friend who also came over to view the blu ray has a 16mm Academy ratio Technicolor print which, he says, occasionally exposes the tops of the sets, for what that's worth.

I am looking forward to getting my own copy of the blu ray next month. I promise to succumb wholeheartedly to the merriment.

 

[MBrousseau]

As I suspected, it's simply a very nice, pleasing enhancement of the DVD, with truer, more vibrant colors, a brighter sharper image and terrific stereo sound, with no surrounds, which is proper for this movie.

Thank you Rob for this precision. At least I know what to expect now. I am a little disappointed though that The blu-ray has a simple stereo soundtrack. I was expecting a true 3.1 audio mix to concentrate dialogs in the center without bleading at right or left speakers. Oh well... Maybe my next chance to get that is next year with the French release at Elephant Films.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Thank you Rob for this precision. At least I know what to expect now. I am a little disappointed though that The blu-ray has a simple stereo soundtrack. I was expecting a true 3.1 audio mix to concentrate dialogs in the center without bleading at right or left speakers. Oh well... Maybe my next chance to get that is next year with the French release at Elephant Films.

I'm no audio expert but my blu-ray player said it was simply Dolby Stereo. It made no mention of 2.0 or 3.0 or anything.

 

[Vern Dias]

Thank you Rob for this precision. At least I know what to expect now. I am a little disappointed though that The blu-ray has a simple stereo soundtrack. I was expecting a true 3.1 audio mix to concentrate dialogs in the center without bleading at right or left speakers. Oh well... Maybe my next chance to get that is next year with the French release at Elephant Films.

Most modern receivers will assume (as Rob_Rays did) that it is matrixed two channel (Dolby Surround) and properly decode it to 3.1 with proper LCR output as in a theatre. The bleed of the center would be minimal and I suspect not of any consequence.

 

[roxy1927]

Shouldn't this film be 5.1?
Can a foreign release be better?
I certainly found it to be the case with the Eureka The Gang's All Here over the Twilight Time.
I do find it peculiar that a foreign company can come up with a better bluray of an American film.
Maybe I'll wait for the French. Millie should look crisp and eye popping. I was expecting more excitement. The way Bosley Crowthers felt when the movie opened at the Criterion. And remember this man had spent decades looking at the best of Technicolor prints at previews and world premieres.

 

[David Weicker]

Shouldn't this film be 5.1?
Can a foreign release be better?
I certainly found it to be the case with the Eureka The Gang's All Here over the Twilight Time.
I do find it peculiar that a foreign company can come up with a better bluray of an American film.
Maybe I'll wait for the French. Millie should look crisp and eye popping. I was expecting more excitement. The way Bosley Crowthers felt when the movie opened at the Criterion. And remember this man had spent decades looking at the best of Technicolor prints at previews and world premieres.

Did Bosley Crowthers have a lot of excitement a month before he saw the film?

To be fair, most people here won’t see the disc until late August, when it is actually released.

So most of us are not making any judgements until we’ve seen this for ourselves (instead of relying on dubious internet comments)

 

[Rob_Ray]

Shouldn't this film be 5.1?
Can a foreign release be better?
I certainly found it to be the case with the Eureka The Gang's All Here over the Twilight Time.
I do find it peculiar that a foreign company can come up with a better bluray of an American film.
Maybe I'll wait for the French. Millie should look crisp and eye popping. I was expecting more excitement. The way Bosley Crowthers felt when the movie opened at the Criterion. And remember this man had spent decades looking at the best of Technicolor prints at previews and world premieres.

I didn't mean to imply that Millie doesn't look crisp and eye popping. It looks fine and I can't imagine it looking appreciably better than it does. It was not shot in a large format. It's everything it should be, to my eyes. And I don't know why it should be in 5.1. If those roadshow prints were not 70mm blow-ups, then there's no six-track stereo masters to work from. I am excited and can't wait for my blu ray to arrive.

 

[roxy1927]

The DVD says Dolby surround. Does that mean anything or is it a kind of fake surround stereo? I only have a two channel system.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

The DVD says Dolby surround. Does that mean anything or is it a kind of fake surround stereo? I only have a two channel system.

That means it’s two channel stereo and will decode properly to Dolby Surround via a processor. It doesn’t necessarily mean there is surround on it, however. It’s immaterial to you since you only have a two channel system.

 

[MBrousseau]

Shouldn't this film be 5.1?

I was hoping and dreaming about it.
Prior to the Digital 5.1 audio for Sweet Charity in blu-ray, the movie released in DVD was 2.0. Correct me if I'm wrong.
So, was it so utopian to expect Millie in 5.1 too? It's a musical, for goodness' sake!

 

[roxy1927]

But Charity was released roadshow in 70mm blow up with six track stereo so it could be released in 5.1. That's what I've learned from the responses.
Though there seems to be some confusion as to if Millie were in certain roadshow markets released in 70mm and 6 track stereo. It is not in the NY ads. But it wasn't in the Funny Girl ads either and I believe that was 70mm blowup and 6 track stereo.

 

[Joe Caps]

I saw Millie in New York City, Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo new york
always stereo with no surrounds.

 

[TJPC]

Forgive me if I have written this before. I have always loved this movie, since I first saw it in the theatre, but this is the memory I have each time it is mentioned.

I went to the theatre as a 14 year old with my mother and we both loved the film and found it hilarious. As we walked out we passed two old biddies, (probably the age I am now), and heard them talking. "That was the stupidest movie I have ever seen!" one remarked, and the other agreed.

I have always found TMM a guilty pleasure because of this trivial incident, and have felt I had to keep mum about my opinion on musical films in general. I grew up in a lunch bucket town where it was not popular to like the arts. It is nice to read here about people who also share my opinion about musicals.

 

[warnerbro]

I wish they had included the interview Julie did on TCM where she went into detail about the production.