Scott G

22 May 2012

"Oklahoma!"....A CLASSIC MUSICAL FOR ALL TIME

Rodgers and Hammerstein's first musical was turned into a glorious motion picture musical classic. Starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones (her film debut), "Oklahoma!" has magnificent songs (with soaring voices to sing them) and terrific dances. MacRae and Jones were so successful as a movie musical pair that one year later, they were teamed again for another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, the moving "Carousel". Once again, the naysayers of this film are "children" who know nothing about classic films. Enjoy this movie.....sing along to those famous songs....and have a grand time. "Oklahoma, you're O.K.!"

21 May 2012

I made a mistake

Yes the mistake was not checking the reviews before I purchased my copy of Oklahoma! the 50th anniversary edition.I am so dissapointed that I will probably confine the Todd AO version to the rubbish.If this is how 20th century fox treats its customers count me out. I will certainly be more carefull next time.Bob Jessopp New Zealand.PS I saw a reel of the 70mm version a while ago, and whilst it was faded and pink the quality was staggering.

silverscreen888

18 May 2012

Powerful, Underrated Classic; Bright, Tuneful and Solid

"Oklahoma" appears to me, after living with its presence on stage andscreen for nearly sixty years, to be a film viewers hold strongopinions concerning. But there are so many strange reviews andmisunderstandings of the feature film that I suggest a reviewer needsto go back to the source in order to avoid projecting onto its realityhis or her preconceptions. Toi begin, the story "Green Grow the lilacs'began as a good play by Lynn Riggs; so the characters in the film, evenin a musical version, should be expected to be above the average forfilm characters in a musical. And they unarguably are better developedthan many in other musicals, even good ones. The dialogue is very crispfor any film, often clever and amusing. And the brilliant centralallegorical ballet is not an interpolation; it is a brightdramatization of Laurie, the heroine's, fears for Curly, the youngcowboy she loves if he is pitted against the dark strength of JuddFrye. The storyline is surprisingly simple, I suggest In turn-of-thecentury Oklahoma territory, cowboys and farmers are trying to find away to get along. Curly McClain is in love with Laurie Williams, wholives with her Aunt Eller. The rival for her hand is unlikely, JuddFrye, the hired man on Aunt Eller's place who is a brute of a man.There are other characters, such as Ado Annie Carnes, a girl who"cain't say no" to a man, whose boyfriend Will Parker has been away inKansas City, giving a peddler Aki Hakim time to worm his way into heraffections. The various plot threads come together when someone needsto take Laurie to the big event, and Judd does so because she hasquarreled with Curly and because she is afraid Judd will kill Curly ifshe says no--she has dreamed this might happen, in a ballet sequencenumber. Curly has bearded Judd in his den and shown he is not afraid ofhim; but at the climax, Judd tries to kill the couple using fire as heapparently has done elsewhere and ends up dead. The events of the daycause farmers and ranchers to become better friends, and the peddler ishappy to leave under the threat of marriage to Annie. Will gets Annieand Curly and Laurie get one another. Upon this slender scaffolding,Fred Zinneman has erected a very powerful filmed version of the strongstage play. Music and lyrics were by Richard Rodgers and OscarHammerstein II; the screenplay was provided by veteran screenwriterSony Levien and William Ludwig. The very glowing cinematography is thework of Robert Surtees, with Oliver Smith's production design, artdirection by Joseph C. Wright, and interesting period set decoration byF. Keogh Gleason enlivened by colorful costume designs from Motley andOrry-Kelly. The acting in the piece is a bit uneven I suggest butalways acceptable or better. This is perhaps Gordon MacRae's bestacting ever, especially in the "Poor Judd is Dead" scene and number;Rod Steiger is mannered, beautiful focused and vocally powerful in thisscene as well; I consider it a classic one, never to be missed. ShirleyJones is all-but-ideal as Laurie, and Gene Nelson, an incomparabledancer, makes a fine westerner as Will. James Whitmore as Annie'sfather, Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Eller and Eddie Albert as thepeddler only needed more to do to be award contenders in their parts.The weakest of the cast is hard-working Gloria Grahame, only becauseshe lacks some of the charisma she would have needed to make a showypart truly outstanding; nevertheless she certainly gets across much ofAnnie's ambiguity about how not to respond to male attention. She is noCeleste Holm in this suggestive part, but she is used well by directorZinneman to get across the underlying sexual tension that permeates thefilm. There are famous and very good musical numbers in this film, "OhWhat A Beautiful Morning", "The Surrey With the Fringe On the Top","Many a New Day", "Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City", "PeopleWill Say We're in Love" and "Oklahoma". Others such as "TerritoryFolks" and the central ballet advance the story-line but are notintended to be lyrically memorable per se. There is abundant energy inthis production, some of the intimate moments notable in the stageplay, and the historic choreography by Katharine DeMille that helpedsteer U.S. musical producers away from chorus lines and toward morecharacter-rich dramatic and satirical territory for several decades.This is a classic of its sort; it is strong stuff compared to mostmusicals, for many reasons. Mention should also be made of Bambi Lynnand James Mitchell as the ballet Laurie and Curly; the curious goingback and forth from sound-stages to outdoors usually works; but thechanges are also perhaps the source of comments about surrealism in thefilm. This is heightened realism here, never anything surreal; and itis often a very-moving entertainment.

18 May 2012

Magnificent musical!

This movie is a pure joy to behold. Nikki really makes the character of Tedd his own. The performances by all actors are second to none. In this day of Hollywood blockbusters bent on entertaining audiences with violence and nudity and vulgarity, it is so refreshing to see a movie with such a timeless and universal story. Oki makes life look so simple and wonderful. I give my highest recommendations to all people of all faiths to watch this movie.

14 May 2012

Nice condtion

This review is from: Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition) (DVD) I got the DVD on time and it looks as good as described.

13 May 2012

THE MIRACLE OF ... WHAT?

This is my first time in this forumI've seen the film of the 2nd disc and I found the copy...NOT ONLY BAD BUT UNNOTICEABLEAS A MIRACLE the last three fellows have seen the copy in good conditions. It is possible that FOX HOME VIDEO have changed and made new copies of the 2nd disc. If this is not true it is possible that they have discovered a fantastic ophtalmologist. I choose the first option. Are you so kind -via Fox- to inform us how to change the bad copies in order to have all the collection in good conditions ?YoursRR

13 May 2012

TODD-AO Is The Way To Go!

Having for years only knowing this classic through a pan-and-scanned version from the Cinemascope negative, I couldn't believe how beautiful it looked with the grain and murk cleared away. With its livelier performances and better lighting, its like seeing the film for the first time. Watch them end up making a scanned version of this for television! Its always interesting when AMC broadcasts both versions on the same day.

ccthemovieman-1

12 May 2012

Nice, Old-Fashioned Fillm But Too Long

I really liked the first part of this movie, with all the famous songsand great color that looks even better on DVD....and just a great feelof old-fashioned wholesomeness.The rest of the film doesn't live up to that first part as the songsaren't as good and the thin storyline is stretched out too long. Theydidn't need to make this 145 minutes. Two hours would have been plenty.The story is just about two romances: the main "contest:" Gordon McCraeand Rod Steiger both vying for Shirley Jones, and the minor one withGloria Grahame and two suitors. Grahame, with her humor as "Ado AnnieCarnes" is the best character in the film, at least to me. Eddie Albertalso chips in with some humor as the "peddler" and Charlotte Greenwoodwas good as "Aunt Eller."Jones and McCrae are about as "All-American" as you can get and Steigeris the lone "villain" of the film. The most colorful segment of themovie was the dream scene that featured a great set. The dancing didn'tdo much for me, but the bright colors sure did.Overall, a refreshing nice old-fashioned musical and a visual treat aswell. If it's a little long, well, so be it.

B.Rice

10 May 2012

A must see movie

This movie was well done. The songs and dance are enjoyable to hear and towatch. The plot was easy to follow and enjoyable. The ending left youfeeling good. This a must see movie even after all these years this moviehas staying power.

borg1005

10 May 2012

Kudos, comments, and a Grail-like search

I've just hopped, skipped and jumped through seven pages ofback-to-back kudos and other favorable comments on this great movie,and can do little but add mine to the chorus. Therefore, I'd like tofocus on some minutiae.The outstanding actress, among the many, is Gloria Grahame. In myhumble opinion, she LIVED the part of Ada Annie. Watch her facialexpressions during "I caint say no" and "All or Nuthin' ". The womanradiates sensuality with every line. In the version shown recently on TV (04/03/06), it appears some lineswere cut from "I caint". Unless I'm hallucinating, I remember hersinging the following lyrics: "Cain't seem to say it at all - I hate to disserpoint a beau When he ispayin' a call! - Fer a while I ack refined and cool, - A settin on thevelveteen setee - Nen I think of thet ol' golden rule, - And do fer himwhat he would do fer me!" and at that point she starts idling her hips and flashes a grin oftriumph that just REEKS sensuality. Anybody else remember this?Another subplot(?) rarely mentioned is those two young girls who have acrush on Will and show up in every dance routine. I was enchanted bythat little blonde pixie and have been going nuts trying to find outwho she was. I suspect she is "Jennie Workman", the first crediteddancer (she had one line in "Kansas City"). If so, sadly, she has onlythis one movie to her credit. If anyone has info on this littlecharmer, please email me.I saw this movie soon after it's release in 1955, and was floored bythe brilliance of the lyrics, actors in out-of-part roles doing afantastic job, and the innovative dance routines, including the surrealbarroom scene - it IS a dream after all. Fifty years later I still getthe same WOW! reaction despite viewing this movie on an almost weeklybasis this past month (that darned pixie has got me hooked!).I wish some local theaters, facing declining audiences and the "hometheater" threat, would feature a weekly "Classics Night" and show filmslike this again. Even a 52" HDTV pales in comparison to the Big Screenimpact of some of these old movies, and this one would knock the socksoff not only the current generation, but old geezers like myself whoremembers when GOOD movies were the norm.

09 May 2012

dvd mastering of these classic movies is a disgrace

I received in one Amazon bundle four of the greatest American musicals written -- Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific and Gigi.Gigi is just sensational -- the anamorphic widescreen format presents a glowing, richly detailed picture. And it's great to switch to the French language option and hear the French singer Sacha Distel sing for Louis Jordan (though he's not credited).The Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, courtesy of 20th Century Fox, are a disgrace, and not up to the quality of their VHS releases! Without anamorphic mastering, these widescreen releases lack clarity and visual punch; you end up noticing the lines on the television and groaning about the lost opportunity to present these great musicals in their highest possible quality. I suppose we'll have to wait for Fox to re-issue them anamorphically as 'special editions', and buy them all over again!

09 May 2012

What's going on here?

In response to the missive from 20th Century Fox posted on down that the Todd-AO version was in such a bad state that even running the film through a wet gate could not bring it back to life, I say, give me a break! Think about it, the TODD-AO version sat in a vault for 40 years until a stunning version was made for the Laser disc market in the mid-1990's. And then in the last 10 years, with the studios more aware than ever of the (financial) importance of film preservation, the TODD-AO version was allowed to lapse into a state of disintegration. Who's kidding who? Hey Fox, how about pulling the other leg, why don'tcha!

08 May 2012

The Real Miracle Of TODD-AO

Lets be honest here! What Fox wants you to believe is utter rubbish! Having been involved in film to video restoration as a telecine colorist I think I know a little bit about the process.The one thing that Fox is right about is that many negs, ip's and print negs were stored impropperly. Eastman stock developed vinigar syndrome, faded and shrunk. Becoming unusable. The studio's woke up to the fact and started to store their precious titles in more climate friendly vaults and salt mines. Yup...salt mines. I have seen several prints, (not negs) in theatres and in private collections. Some have faded and lost color, (turning pink) while others are basicly as beautiful as they day they were struck. If Fox wnted to do an "HONEST" transfer of a TODD-AO print or neg, it could have used numerous sources to obtain, borrow or copy elements from existing materials other than a badly damaged IP. IP's (inter Posatives) that some studios will xfer from are well known to have limited range and depth for video xfers than a neg or a print-neg. Fox was being lazy and decided for some unknown reason to use most likely the only complete, or close at hand elements they had rather than do some research and find propper materials to xfer from!The story abotu Oklahoma! being soft is that....a story. All the prints and footage and frames from TODD-AO prints are anything but soft. The efinition is the Oklahoma! prints is truely breath taking. Fox would have been better to have left some of the film damage in and retain the sharpness of the TODD-AO versions. Fox woudl have been bette to have used the available technology and use the pre-existing 4x3 letterbox TODD-AO version and line doubled it to make it full screen. You would be amazed aas to the amount of color that can be pulled out of a faded print using sate of the art equipment like a daVinci color corrector. Would the color be perfect? No, but it would be sharp and enjoyable. Then they could have gone into digital color restoration and boosted it up even more. If Fox have have had the backbone to have said "hey we made a mistake" I woudl respect that and say well atlet they know they messed up. But to blaitantly lie and try to defent themselves is not only an insult to this film, it's producers, cast and crew, it's fans and to those of us who do work in the area of film xfer!Fox, I challenge you to prove this is the only possible xfer that you can do! And you will be proved wrong!

08 May 2012

Rodgers and Hammerstein at their best

Terrific film with unforgettable songs. Nice romantic plot that keeps things moving along. The only caveat is the long ballet scenes but they do have some great choreography. This is really a classic musical. Even kids understand it.

Lee Eisenberg

07 May 2012

Having seen "Grandma's Boy" before I saw "Oklahoma!", I view Laurey as the woman who gave Charlie Chaplin a you-know-what.

"Oklahoma!" is the ultimate example of over-idealized American history:a bunch of hard-working frontier people merrily singing about love andhow joyous life is. Watching it, I threw out the sort of comments thatMike, Servo and Crow throw at the crummy movies sent them by Dr.Forrester on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". A movie comparable to thisone is the Soviet movie "Cossacks of the Kuban", which portrayspeasants happily singing about how their crops and efforts will feedtheir glorious nation (total BS, given that Stalin had killed most ofthe people who knew about farming).So anyway, I'm just not the type who watches this sort of movie andgets transfixed. In fact, I thought that the whole dream sequencelooked like an acid trip! And I thought that Jud (Rod Steiger) was sortof misunderstood, not really the big brute that the movie made him outto be. Moreover, there was the screwy pronunciation of Ali Hakim's(Eddie Albert) name: I guess that any self-respecting Oklahoman wouldsay "alley hack 'em".So, watch this movie if you like. But I can't imagine that most peopleare going to just find it all lovely like they probably did when themovie first got released. Also starring Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame,Shirley Jones (yes, the "Partridge Family" mom) and James Mitchell.I wonder what Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein would have thoughthad they known that the woman who would play Laurey in the movieversion of their play would later star in a movie in which hercharacter would recount having given Charlie Chaplin something that I'mprobably not allowed to write here.Yeah, I know. You don't find my review useful. No need to rub it in.

06 May 2012

Persian Accent?

I just had to comment regarding the person who slammed Eddie Albert because he doesn't have a convincing Persian accent in the movie.Talk about missing the point! The character of the traveling salesman is supposed to be a PHONY Persian! He's supposed to be as Persian as Bill Clinton! An actor successfully playing the role uses a bad accent ON PURPOSE. The guy who played it in the original Broadway cast used something close to a Yiddish accent. If Eddie Albert's accent kept changing throughout the movie, this does not mean he did a BAD job of portraying the character. It means he did a GOOD job.The traveling salesman in Oklahoma! is similar to Harold Hill in The Music Man -- he travels around trying to gyp people in small towns by selling them phony products -- one of them, in this case, being an Egyptian elixir. Eddie Albert played his role so well in this movie that 4 years later he was selected to replace Robert Preston in the original Broadway run of The Music Man.While I'm worked up, someone else said he prefers the CinemaScope version to the Todd-AO. He says he realizes this puts him in the minority. I'll say! The Todd-AO version is better in every way, shape and form, and that's the only one that ever should have been shown to the public, anyway. The CinemaScope version is an anomaly of movie history. The C-version looks brown and muddy. The Todd-AO version is bright and colorful. I know "brown and muddy" is in style these days, and "bright and colorful" is out, but "bright and colorful" is much more indicative of the musicals of the 1950s, and evidently was the original intent of the filmmakers, and really SHOULD be the only version available. I have no nostalgic feelings for the C-version, which is the only one I ever saw for 40 years. Going from the C-version to the Todd-AO is similar to going from Kansas to Oz -- everything turns to color!

05 May 2012

The tunes are beautiful

The musical is blessed with so many easy-to-hum tunes and simple lyrics, which make it such a delight to watch. The outdoor scenes are well captured and the people are young and energetic.There is also one very appealing factor - Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones make a perfect couple. When they sing the duet and swing with the melody, one can feel the happiness radiating from their faces. And Gordon MacRae sings his part with the most expression while Roy Steiger is the villain whose life begs sympathy. Shirley Jones is so special that fighting for her hand is inevitable. The modern version of Oklahoma (Hugh Jackman) is another successful adaptation with strong voice, stage arrangement and acting. Nevertheless, this 1955 version is still one that gives great delight to those who loves music and countryside.

05 May 2012

oklahoma 50th anniversary

I have read the scathing reviews and am now perturbed. This dvd I was going to buy. The previous release was not all that good but I was expecting better things this time. It seems that Fox have upset many customers this time and definitely need to come up with some solution. It does make you wonder what the thinking is when a Todd A O presentation is seemingly so bad.Right.....Fox . You have been badly damned in these reviews. It seems your credibility now demands some action to put right this bad disc presentation. It can be done and it seems your customers on this occasion are demanding it. I wonder if you are going to listen? I hope so.

04 May 2012

The Best of Musicals

This is a heart warming musical, filled with great song and dance. You'll be humming the tunes for awhile after you see this.

03 May 2012

Great, speedy service - will buy from again!

Great, speedy service! I will definitely buy from them again! Also, the product was in fantastic shape!