Rating: 
Summary: Guys & Dolls is a TRUE masterpiece of a musical!
Review: All I can say is... WOW. I think this has to be probably my second favorite movie musical (and one of my FAVORITE musicals) of all times... tying with "Singin' In The Rain", being preceeded only by "Damn Yankees" and followed by "Sweet Charity." So what makes Guys & Dolls so great? Michael Kidd's choreography for one thing... the guy is a genius!!!! He's introduced some of the best dancing stars to the stage (ie, Gwen Verdon in "Can-Can") and this showcases his talents as a choreographer. Another thing are the wonderful tunes. Can you imagine a world without tunes like "Adelaide's Lament" and "I'll Know"? I sure can't. Of course, the actors have a lot to do with it.
Case in point number 1... Marlon Brando. Okay, so Marlon Brando's NOT a singer... big deal. But it's not like he's absolutely so horrendous you want to THROW things at the screen. In fact, I found him marvelous! He's VERY talented. He and Jean Simmons have such charisma together! Case in point 2, Jean Simmons! Who better to play adorable little mission doll Sarah Brown than this lovely lady? And her singing pipes aren't terrible either. Her acting skills are most exquisite! Case in point 3... Frank Sinatra. GORGEOUS MAN. GORGEOUS VOICE. And whatta actor! He is so loveable as Nathan Detroit... and he and Vivian Blaine have SUCH A GREAT CHEMISTRY!!!! Which brings me to case in point 4... VIVIAN BLAINE. I adore her. I don't think there will ever be another Adelaide who comes even CLOSE to her (except for, perhaps, the wonderful Miss Faith Prince...). I mean, Vivian just OWNS this part! That voice... that electricity... to me, she just steals the show! So in short, if you love 50s movie musicals, or you're just a fan of the Broadway show... buy it! (But there are a few songs cut... such as "A Bushel and a Peck" and "Marry The Man Today"... but don't let that discourage you!)
Rating:
Summary: It's unanimous-Guys and Dolls is a five star film!
Review: I've seen the play twice and the movie umpteen times, but nobody does a better Nathan than Frank Sinatra. Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine all add to the movie's magic. Even though Stubby Kaye has a small role, he steals the show in his scenes. If you're feeling down in the dumps, this movie will make you chuckle, tap your feet, and burst out in song. You've read the twenty-four reviews above mine. It's unanimous--Guys and Dolls is a five-star film. Why doesn't amazon.com release it again? Don't they read our reviews? PLEASE RERELEASE THIS MOVIE!
Rating: 
Summary: Great flawed musical.
Review: I rate this product with three stars only. I take off one on account of the film's shortcomings, and another because this particular edition on DVD lacks bonus materials (it has only the theatrical trailer and a three page booklet). Also, the DVD can't be run in other aspect ratio than the panoramic original format (2,35:1). Now, into the film itself. The best of it, in my view, are the memorable lyrics and music by Frank Loesser, another of those half a dozen -or little more- genius popular musical artists of the XXth Century. Particularly, "Woman in love", played and sung in Spanish and in English, in several styles during the Havana trip of Brando-Masterson and Simmons-Sergeant pervades the atmosphere of the film for many minutes. I find that about the best part. Worth watching and rewatching and listening and relistening. The romance advances at the rythm of the music. As to the actors adequacy for the parts, it is a little awkward. Sinatra is perfect, very at ease in the rol (no very far from the "Pal Joey" character at least in his general outlook). He can sing. Simmons is also excellent for the role, she represents the allure of the beatiful prude, the repressed young woman who explodes in passion when she is released by love. Brando... this doesn't seem a part for him, he looks awkward, his singing and voice are rather lackluster. But we can forget that and acknoledge his efforts to cover new ground. It is refreshing that he accepted to move aways from his usual mumbling "rebels". This is no to say that he does not mumble here... Vivian Blaine is perfect, she recreates the part from the stage musical she herself starred on. The dancing numbers are good. Choreographed by Michael Kidd, they are also stylish and pleasant to look on, often spectacular. This is a film one can see many times, so it is worth purchasing. Mankiewicz characterictic excess of dialogue doesn't come in the way. It is clever dialogue, well delivered -of course, a lot must come from the play-. So, with a little effort of enriching this DVD in various ways, it would have been near-great, as the movie is in fact.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Masterpiece, But It's Fun
Review: "Guys and Dolls" is a 1955 musical, based on a Broadway show, which was itself based on the stories of Damon Runyon. Runyon was known for tales of low-level criminals who spoke in improbably formal dialogue. (If you've seen Fat Tony on "The Simpsons", that's it.) Some of the actors here pull this off better than others. The plot is really irrelevant to the fun, but in brief: Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) is in need of money so he can secure a location for his crap game. He makes a bet with legendary gambler Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) that Masterson will not be able to win a date to Havana with the missionary Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons). Meanwhile, Detroit has his own problems with longtime girlfriend Adelaide (Vivian Blaine), who wants to set a wedding date. The idea of Marlon Brando in a musical may be enough of a novelty to draw people in. I am happy to report that his singing voice, while unspectacular, is pleasant enough, and he dances a fair amount as well. He also does the best job of making the dialogue sound convincing (although, when he promised to save the struggling mission, I couldn't resist adding, "He'll make them an offer they can't refuse"). He and Simmons (whose singing voice was dubbed) show real charm and chemistry in their scenes together. My big complaint about the film is the length (2 1/2 hours). A few songs, and probably some of the story concerning Nathan and Adelaide, could have been cut. Some of the musical numbers that are great on stage look awkward on film. But there are also some very good ones, notably Stubby Kaye's "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat." In general the director, Joseph Mankiewicz, seems more comfortable staging dialogue. This isn't a great film, but it's quite entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but a heckuva lot of fun.
Review: Damon Runyon's work is an odd choice for musical comedy, but here it works just fine with a score by Frank Loesser, and a terrific cast. Sinatra as Nathan Detroit is a great anchor. He can sing, he can act and he's got charm for days. Scene-stealer Stubby Kaye offers considerable support as Nicely Nicely Johnson as does Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide. The casting of Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons in the central roles, strikes me as odd, but they both do good jobs, showing, particularly in Brando's case, a nice comedic sensibility. The tunes are mostly catchy ("Can Do," "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" and "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" will have you humming for days,)the dialogue is witty and the actors give it their all. The result is a clever, funny, engaging film that you'll enjoy over and over. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Another Score for Marlon Brando !
Review: Angry, Aggressive, Bitter, Stanley Kowalski from "A StreetCar Named Desire" is singing and dancing in this Broadway classic. Versatility
on Marlon Brando's behalf proven at its finest .
Rating:
Summary: A new favorite of mine...
Review: I loved this movie. I've seen it four times, and that's saying something (since I first saw it only a week ago). The underworld as portrayed by "Guys & Dolls" may just be a fantasy, but then, it is the movie world after all.
Frank Sinatra was great in his role, and so was Vivian Blaine. Marlon Brando did a better-than-middling performance, considering the fact that he had never taken such a role before.
I enjoyed the performances of Stubby Kaye, especially "Sit Down, You'll Rock Your Boat."
The "stagey-ness" of "Guys & Dolls" didn't really affect how much I enjoyed this movie. It's a movie to watch when you feel like comedy that isn't too cheesy. It makes you laugh, and you find yourself humming some of the tunes after you've finished with it.
Rating:
Summary: Another Score for Marlon Brando !
Review: Angry, Aggressive, Bitter, Stanley Kowalski from "A StreetCar Named Desire" is singing and dancing in this Broadway classic. Versatility
on Marlon Brando's behalf proven at its finest .
Rating:
Summary: Brando in a musical? You bet!
Review: A film by Joseph Mankiewicz The image I have in my head of Marlon Brando is that of Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" and Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront". The opportunity to see Brando in a musical was just too good to pass up. "Guys and Dolls" is a musical about gamblers and women, but the story is much better than that. Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) runs a high stakes craps game. Normally he does not have any trouble finding a location for the game, but the police is putting on the heat and nobody is willing to take the chance...nobody but one person who wants $1000 up front to host the game. All of the big mobsters are in town and they are looking for Nathan's craps game. Nathan makes a bet with Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando), a high roller who will bet on absolutely anything. The bet is that Sky cannot convince Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) to go with him to Havana for the night. This may not seem like that big of a bet, but Sarah Brown works downtown at the mission and is a very straight-laced, Christian woman. Sky Masterson is not the sort of man she would associate with. Sky takes the bet and starts trying to win over Sarah. While Sky is doing this, Nathan is setting up the craps game with the promise of the thousand dollars he believes he'll win from Sky. The only thing raining on Nathan's parade is his fiancee of 14 years, Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine). Miss Adelaide is a show girl, and she is getting tired of waiting for Nathan to marry her and she is also completely against the crap game. The above description sets the stage for a wonderful musical where we get to see Brando singing "Luck Be a Lady". The other song that completely surprised me was "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat", a song I only knew from the much slower Don Henley version. With Sinatra's crooning and Brando singing like I never knew he could, this is one good musical. I would definitely recommend this movie.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD Movie Musical Brando Really Makes It Worthwhile
Review: I'm so in love with young Marlon Brando; I just I can't stand it! Every time I watch him, I'm simply overwhelmed by his unbelievable greatness. All I can do is touch the TV screen - he's gone forever! It's like a needy void that can't be filled! Why why why was'nt I born 50 years ago when this incredible, great-looking simply amazing "human being" was walking the Earth? (I put -human being- in quotaton marks because I truly believe he's really some kind of god) Sigh... Just my luck, I guess. Anyways
This is a really good film. Not great, but almost. I personally believe ofcourse Brando steals the entire show and then some, but the rest of the cast is really entertaining. !!YES HE CAN SING YOU IDIOT NAYSAYERS!! The only thing that really annoyed me was the music; I'm very open-minded to musicals when the songs are catchy and slickly performed. Here they sing too many bland ballads at awkward moments for my taste: at the least expected moments they just start cooing and you wonder where that music is coming from! But only here does it get dangerously close to being another corny musical,otherwise this movie always bounces back with its fun story, settings, cool dialogue and characters and ofcourse, Brando. Ofcourse.
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