Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (1 Viewer)

[Steve...O]

My set finally arrived yesterday. Absolutely beautiful and a definite front runner in the "DVD of the Year" category. A big "Thank You" to George Feltenstein and staff for putting this together. One can not overstate how "First Class" this package is.

Only sour note is that one of the glossies was ruined due to the image "smearing" during the printing process. I'll have to send WHV an e-mail to see about a replacement.

The poster offer, which I mailed off today, is an exceptional deal considering the retail value of these 27x40 reprints often runs at least $15 apiece.

Those wanting a good price on the complete set might check their local Costco. I've seen it there for $62.xx.

Steve

 

[Mike*HTF]

Ok, I'm really not feeling the love on this set - I preordered it from Amazon right when it was listed and yet my set still hasn't even shipped yet (estimated ship time Nov 1 -8!).

 

[Bob_S.]

I haven't really gone through the entire set, but can someone tell me where the cd is? At first glance I didn't see it anywhere.

 

[DeeF]

The CD is a second disk inside the thinkpak with the documentary.

 

[Bob_S.]

ok, thanks. I didn't open that yet.

 

[ThomasDE]

what is the expiration date on the poster offer?

 

[JohnMor]

The offer expires 4/3/07, and all entries must be received no later than 4/17/07.

 

[Corey]

i threw away my proof of purchase paper so i guess i can't get those lovely posters

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I know Rogers' attorney, and he says she told him that she was still madly in love with George, decades after he was gone.

 

[ScottR]

Okay, I've narrowed down what I want for Christmas a bit. I was considering this set. I love classic films, but have never really seen many of these titles. Would this be a nice present to ask for? Are all of the films entertaining?

 

[MarkHarrison]

Sorry I don't have an answer, but I have a related question. My wife just started working for Netflix recently, so I've been doing a lot more renting than I used to. I'm trying to decide if this would be a good set to buy or not. Which are the mediocre films from the set? I know that sounds wierd, but if I see the best first, then I'll have nothing to look forward to if I like what I see. And if I see the worst from the set, then I might hate what I see. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Rob_Ray]

There are absolutely no "mediocre" films in this set. They range from merely good movies to some of the best ever made.

Given your concerns, I would watch them chronologically. You would start off with a precode gem, "Flying Down to Rio" in which Astaire and Rogers are merely supporting characters. I would say FDTR rates *** out of ****. Next you would watch Roberta, which also rates *** out of ****.

Then you would hit the cream of crop with The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet and Swing Time. Top Hat and Swing Time are usually cited as the best of the best, but all four films merit four stars. The formula starts getting a little tired with Shall We Dance, but it's still a great musical with an excellent Gershwin score. Carefree is more a screwball comedy and gives Ginger more to do at Fred's expense. The numbers aren't up to the earlier film either. But as a comedy, it's a lot of fun.

The last RKO is "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" which isn't really a musical at all, but a biopic about the famed dancing couple from the WWI era. As a bio it's excellently done but so different from all the other films that came before it, that no comparisons can be made.

You would close everything out with the 1949 Technicolor "Barkleys of Broadway" which has the usual MGM Freed Unit gloss and again bears no resemblance to anything done at RKO. It's a musical in the slick MGM tradition but can't compare with the likes of "Top Hat."

 

[BernieV]

If you love Astaire & Rogers sublime dance numbers, none of their films are bad. On the other hand, if you expect gripping plots and sparkling dialogue, none of them may be to your liking. Many of the stories have roots in European theatrical farce, a style not much in vogue nowadays.

I'm pretty familiar with the series. I used to be able to name every song in every movie. Ratings are a matter of preference, but here are my picks.

• Flying Down to Rio **
• The Gay Divorcee ***
• Roberta ***
• Top Hat **** (many people's favorite)
• Follow the Fleet ***
• Swing Time **** (my favorite)
• Shall We Dance ***
• Carefree ***
• The Store of Vernon and Irene Castle **
• The Barkleys of Broadway ***

 

[Brandon Conway]

How I'd rate the 10 films and the new documentary:

Flying Down to Rio - 7/10
The Gay Divorcee - 9/10
Roberta - 8/10
Top Hat - 10/10
Follow the Fleet - 7/10
Swing Time - 10/10
Shall We Dance - 10/10
Carefree - 5/10
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle - 8/10
The Barkleys of Broadway - 6/10
Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm - 8/10

 

[Jefty]

to re-iterate--all of these movies are good!

my ratings:

Flying Down to Rio -- 8/10
Obviously, quite different from the subsequent films--in that Astaire and Rogers really aren't intended to be the main focus--but, when they're on-screen, they're awesome... and there's nothing wrong with the rest of the film either! Dolores del Rio is a pretty fascinating personality in her own right, and the Berkleyesque sequences in the air and the nightclub are close to being worthy of Busdby himself.

Gay Divorcee -- 9/10
The birth of a formula--and of an amazing stock company of "whumsical" players! Most of the songs aren't quite up to the standards that would be set by later entries in the series--only "Night and Day" was composed by a master--but the plus side of that is that their less rarefied status enables people like Edward Everett Horton to join in the fun! The secret password sequence--especially Erik Rhodes' confrontation with Alice Brady--is a comedic highlight.

Roberta -- 10/10
Magnificent score by Jerome Kern! Again, Rogers and Astaire play "second leads"--but this time it's a device for keeping them free of the usual comic-misunderstanding plot... Which means that they can just relax and enjoy themselves--during musical and non-musical scenes alike! The nominal leads--Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott--do very well, I think. And Helen Westley contributes a beautiful characterization that would never have made it into a Sandrich-directed entry.

Top Hat -- obviously, 10/10.
This is what most people mean, when they say "Astaire/Rogers".

Follow the Fleet -- 8/10
Great music, somewhat less engaging storyline, this time around... again, it's the "second lead" strategy--but this time it doesn't make sense, because Fred and Ginger's relationship is forced to parallel the vagaries of the Harriet Hilliard and Randolph Scott pairing (and what a dull pairing THAT is! Retaining Irene Dunne would probably have made a big difference!)

Swing Time -- 10/10
My favourite entry--and I'm not alone! George Stevens in the director's chair means a welcome shift of the spotlight onto Ginger, who was developing into one of the best screwball comedians are the period. Jerome Kern's score surpasses even Roberta. Wonderful depression atmosphere.

Shall We Dance -- 9/10
Great score by the Gershwins. Fun Atlantic-crossing plot. The return of Edward Everett Horton. And Fred gets to perform--periodically--as a strange combination of cossack and ballet dancer.Eric Blore has a grand old time at the Susquehanna street jail.

Carefree -- 9/10
I love Carefree! The film doesn't really belong in this series--it's less of a musical than a screwball comedy--but it's a really GOOD screwball comedy! Ginger's banquet of lobsters + cucumbers in buttermilk is one of many highlights. The Berlin music--what there is of it--is also excellent!

The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle -- 9/10
Another "atypical" (i.e. not like Top Hat) entry, but also very good, if appraised on its own terms. This is a "musical biopic"--a genre that would become pervasive in the 40's--but it doesn't suffer from that type of film's usual perfunctory dismissal of the off-stage lives of the performers. I'm certainly not the first to note the elegiac tone of the last RKO entry. Both Fred and Ginger are really giving it their all here--no uniquely memorable dances here (after all--they're recreating specific historical moments), but no callow broadway characterizations either!

The Barkleys of Broadway -- 6/10
So hard to judge objectively. It just seems like a mistake to do a Freed Unit (MGM) Astaire-Rogers picture (and, as we probably all know, this was not how it was originally cast). I think I would have preferred to see what Dore Schary's socially-conscious late-40's RKO would've done with the formula! Still, it's not a BAD movie. Oscar Levant and Billie Burke are always amusing, and there's a nice reprise of Gershwin's "They Can't Take That Away From Me"

if you can possibly afford it--you ought to get it!

 

[Roger Rollins]

Also, buying the complete collection boxed set is an incredible value, and a beautiful package. One of the best releases of the year, which sadly hasn't gotten the attention and praise it deserves. I highly recommend that if one buys the box, the start with the feature-length documentary created for the set. It's terrific.

 

[DeeF]

Funny that most of you don't care for Barkleys of Broadway. It's the most resonant of all these movies, with Fred Astaire's supreme acting performance. It wasn't innovative as the others, coming in a later period when both Fred and Ginger were established stars. But it's absolutely one of my favorites, and I can watch it again and again. Flying Down to Rio, I have to fast-forward through everything that isn't Fred and Ginger, which is a lot.

 

[MarkHarrison]

Thanks for the answers. I'll Netflix one or two and see what I think. I imagine I'll enjoy them and planned to blind buy the complete set at some point. But now that we get Netflix for free (and 8 out at a time ), I believe I'll sample it first since there's so many other items on my wishlist at this time.

I already sampled a Busby Berkley disc and the movie sucked. But the dance numbers more than made up for it. So I'll probably grab that one at some point as well. Probably when the price drops on it.

Anyway, thanks again for the replies. It will help selecting a movie to check out.