Blu-ray Review Song of Norway Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[lionel59]

Good, so I don't have to read it at all. I'm tired of what feels like systematic bashing of almost every musical over the last 55 years by well-connected Monday morning quarterbacks. After the 1960s and the wave of mega-musicals passed, Hollywood movies got progressively more dreary and depressing, and we are constantly being bombarded with lie after lie that this was a good thing. But it is still a lie. This is why:



That makes me sad for a number of reasons. Would your peers have insulted or bullied you if they had found you there? That's absolutely horrible if that's the case. About 25 years later, there were small signs of things turning around. I'm no Madonna fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I went to see the movie Evita on opening night because I genuinely wanted to see a movie musical, even a film of an Andrew Lloyd Webber show, even if she was in it, succeed. It was packed, although IMO Jonathan Pryce was the best singer in the film. I had just seen Something Wicked This Way Comes which he was excellent in despite the movie being a costly box-office flop in its day*, and I had no idea he could sing.

Let's face it, some of the movies that replaced movie musicals on studios' production lists were nothing to write home about. They weren't necessarily better, just cheaper. But now they're getting Blu-rays, too. Under those circumstances, Song of Norway deserves at least as much reconsideration as any of those. It seems like the deviations from the source material took inspiration from what its more commercially successful predecessors did.

*Disney was also roundly vilified above and beyond what was wrong without Walt around, and we're still paying for that.

Hi Matthew. Actually, the book is pretty fair and generally positive about these musicals. Lots of trivia. I found some of the negative quotes for films I like hilarious, such as DR DOLITTLE receiving The Best Argument For Vivisection award from the Harvard Lampoon.
Here is a link to my review of the book :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roadshow-Fall-Film-Musicals-
1960s/dp/0199925674/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=roadshow+musical&qid=1586782217&sr=8-1
BTW, until today, most of the options, such as Edit, were not appearing under the posts, so I could not edit typos. Now it is sadly too late!

 

[AnthonyClarke]

And on another subject .. how are you coping in Melbourne, Lionel? At least Woodend is quiet and it's relatively easy to 'isolate' in a rural setting. But I keep thinking about my daughter Indigo, with husband and two little ones holed up in Brooklyn NY !

 

[roxy1927]

I didn't realize SON played 21 weeks at the Cinerama. It was as if I had blinked and it was gone. I think the roadshow Tora Tora Tora closed right after Christmas because I went to see the re-release of My Fair Lady at the Criterion in I believe mid-January of '71. I remember the huge lines in that very freezing January(remember that winter weather?) outside of Loew's State for Love Story.

 

[MatthewA]

The theatrical release window used to be much longer than it is now for both flops and hits alike.

 

[lionel59]

And on another subject .. how are you coping in Melbourne, Lionel? At least Woodend is quiet and it's relatively easy to 'isolate' in a rural setting. But I keep thinking about my daughter Indigo, with husband and two little ones holed up in Brooklyn NY !

Hi Anthony. I am going ok. My replacement teaching work is gone for the time being, but I am out delivering meals for Ubereats, helping others to stay indoors. I also do this in Ballarat to have a "working holiday" of sorts.
I have my copy of NORWAY coming from Deepdiscount. Curious to see what I think of it now. If nothing else, the scenery will look terrific on blu ray and the music will sound nice in stereo. If I nod off, oh well....

 

[Paul Rossen]

I didn't realize SON played 21 weeks at the Cinerama. It was as if I had blinked and it was gone. I think the roadshow Tora Tora Tora closed right after Christmas because I went to see the re-release of My Fair Lady at the Criterion in I believe mid-January of '71. I remember the huge lines in that very freezing January(remember that winter weather?) outside of Loew's State for Love Story.

This brings back memories. I saw Song of Norway at the Warner Cinerama back in the day of its relatively short Roadshow run The music was nice but that's all I remember of it. Did see Tora Tora Tora at the Criterion during its short Roadshow run. I've seen Tora a few times since and it certainly doesn't get better with multiple viewings. Saw My Fair Lady at the Criterion during its original run back in 1965 I believe...

 

[usrunnr]

I saw "My Fair Lady" at the Egyptian Theater Hollywood in its original release. Outstanding on the big screen there (at the time).

 

[John Skoda]

I'm watching this now for the first time. It really reminds me of one of the Cinerama travelogs, like CINERAMA HOLIDAY--beautiful scenery and music, with an occasional bit of story attached.

 

[RolandL]

This brings back memories. I saw Song of Norway at the Warner Cinerama back in the day of its relatively short Roadshow run The music was nice but that's all I remember of it. Did see Tora Tora Tora at the Criterion during its short Roadshow run. I've seen Tora a few times since and it certainly doesn't get better with multiple viewings. Saw My Fair Lady at the Criterion during its original run back in 1965 I believe...

In 1968 the Warner Cinerama theatre was tripled.

Cinerama theatre

 

[roxy1927]

If there is anything I'm a sucker for it's a Cinerama travelogue. I'll skip Florence singing and the trolls.

 

[Erik_H]

I haven't seen "Song of Norway" since a roadshow screening at Boston's Saxon theater in late 1970 and nearly 50 years later my opinion hasn't changed: scenic and stupefying. Very nice transfer though, with many shots of Norwegian scenery that look splendid on Blu Ray. There is an anomaly at the end of the disc. About two minutes of music follows the Cinerama Releasing logo and the MPAA G rating card that ends in an abrupt fade (the same music plays with the disc menu). Truncated exit music?

 

[JPCinema]

I really tried to watched SONG OF NORWAY last night. I had seen it when it first was a roadshow.
I was struggling trying to think positive....then when Florence and those bizarre children starting singing what now looks like a SNL but horrible imitation of Do Re Mi................I just can't! Just awful

 

[Mark B]

About two minutes of music follows the Cinerama Releasing logo and the MPAA G rating card that ends in an abrupt fade (the same music plays with the disc menu). Truncated exit music?

The VHS does the same thing and there is a reel change marker at the end of the fade, so I assume that is the way it was released.

 

[RolandL]

The 16mm scope print I had was the same.

 

[RolandL]

2001 was sadly pulled from the NY Cinerama theater for Ice Station Zebra. Maybe too MGM just wanted to get it into general distribution and make some real money on it while it was still controversial and a must see movie.

Long run at the Toronto Glendale Cinerama.

 

[Paul Rossen]

Song Of Norway was shown at the Warner Cinema before it was changed into a multiplex. Saw Finian's Rainbow after they made it into 3 theaters. Terrible. Both the movie and the ruination of one of the finer theaters in Times Sq.

 

[OliverK]

I really tried to watched SONG OF NORWAY last night. I had seen it when it first was a roadshow.
I was struggling trying to think positive....then when Florence and those bizarre children starting singing what now looks like a SNL but horrible imitation of Do Re Mi................I just can't! Just awful

Sounds like my only viewing of Song of Norway ca. 12 1/2 years ago but at least you tried. I am really happy that the majority of posters seem to like it as Kino certainly went out on a limb with this one so I'd be happy for them if it sells well.

 

[JPCinema]

Sounds like my only viewing of Song of Norway ca. 12 1/2 years ago but at least you tried. I am really happy that the majority of posters seem to like it as Kino ceretainly went out on a limb with this one so I'd be happy for them if it sells well..

Norway is beautifully depicted in the film. That I can say.

 

[OliverK]

Norway is beautifully depicted in the film. That I can say.

That was the best part of the movie for me.

 

[RichMurphy]

Yes, the movie is a mess, but having watched it tonight for the first time all the way through since its original 70mm engagements, I found it as entertaining as I remembered -- the music, the beautiful scenery, the goofball choreography, the melodramatic script, the inept direction and editing, and the "made for Cinerama" scenes such as the carriage race at the beginning and the runaway hayride (both staged on curvy, narrow mountain roads of course).

What I didn't remember was how pleasant Florence Henderson's performance and vocals were. I guess I took Mrs. Brady for granted in the 70s. Also, this time Robert Morley reminded me of Mr. Creosote in MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE. He looked like he was about to explode.