Rating: 
Summary: OL' MAN RIVER KEEPS ON ROLLIN' ON DVD
Review: "Show Boat" was Jerome Kern's immortal gift to the Broadway stage. An instant hit upon its initial release, the movies just couldn't wait to capitalize on its success. The plot concerns a river boat performer who just happens to be mulato(Ava Gardner in this version) (a big "No, No" in the old south and it gets her broomed). On board is also Magnolia (Kathryn Grayson), a naive child who discovers her own heart break when she marries gambling scallywag, Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel). This version of the stage play tempers the racial undertones with more baritone and schmaltz than was previously showcased or, for that matter, necessary. Nevertheless, the results a la MGM's sterling production values, is astoundingly beautiful. Marge & Gower Champion, Joe E. Brown and Agnes Moorehead also headline.
TRANSFER: VERY NICE! A clean, bright, bold and beautiful print that is long on quality and short on digital anomalies. Blacks are solid and deep. Colors are rich and vibrant. Very few scenes illustrate that the original film elements are sixty years old. Though there is some minor pixelization and edge enhancement neither distract from your viewing enjoyment. The audio is mono but remarkably well balanced.
EXTRAS: Sorry. Not a one!
Bottom Line: Must have!
Rating:
Summary: OL' MAN RIVER KEEPS ON ROLLIN' ON DVD
Review: "Show Boat" was Jerome Kern's immortal gift to the Broadway stage. An instant hit upon its initial release, the movies just couldn't wait to capitalize on its success. The plot concerns a river boat performer who just happens to be mulato(Ava Gardner in this version) (a big "No, No" in the old south and it gets her broomed). On board is also Magnolia (Kathryn Grayson), a naive child who discovers her own heart break when she marries gambling scallywag, Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel). This version of the stage play tempers the racial undertones with more baritone and schmaltz than was previously showcased or, for that matter, necessary. Nevertheless, the results a la MGM's sterling production values, is astoundingly beautiful. Marge & Gower Champion, Joe E. Brown and Agnes Moorehead also headline.
TRANSFER: VERY NICE! A clean, bright, bold and beautiful print that is long on quality and short on digital anomalies. Blacks are solid and deep. Colors are rich and vibrant. Very few scenes illustrate that the original film elements are sixty years old. Though there is some minor pixelization and edge enhancement neither distract from your viewing enjoyment. The audio is mono but remarkably well balanced.
EXTRAS: Sorry. Not a one!
Bottom Line: Must have!
Rating: 
Summary: If you like musicals, you'll love it!
Review: An excellent cast, a great story, and that MGM treatment makes this one of my all-time favorites. Can't view it without crying, no matter how many times I see it! Get the soundtrack, too.
Rating:
Summary: BRAVI!
Review: AS A KID, I REMEMBER STAYING UP LATE AND WATCHING THIS WONDERFUL FILM, I WAS LOST IN THE MAGIC OF MGM! AT 42, I STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY! KATHRYN GRAYSON'S BEAUTY AND BEAUTIFUL LYRIC COLORATURA SOPRANO VOICE AND HOWARD KEEL (A GOD) WITH THAT LARGE BASS-BARITONE VOICE MAKE THE FILM FIRST RATE! AVA AS JULIE (WAS THERE EVER A MORE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON EARTH?) WILL MAKE YOU CRY! BUY THIS FILM NOW!
Rating:
Summary: masterpiece
Review: Don't let the SHOW BOAT leave without you! Come aboard for romance, comedy, heartbreak and tragedy.Starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel and Ava Gardner, SHOW BOAT comes alive with music, color and heart. For lovely Magnolia Hawks (Kathryn Grayson) the Cotton Blossom is home, until dashing gambler Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel) steals her heart. They leave for a whirlwind honeymoon, until many years later they re-discover the simple joys of life aboard the Cotton Blossom. Julie Laverne (Ava Gardner), the half-caste singing darling of the Cotton Blossom, is driven to destruction while trying to pass herself off as a white citizen. With Marge and Gower Champion, Agnes Moorehead, Joe E. Brown, Robert Sterling, William Warfield, and Lief Erikson. Dazzling, heartfelt and very romantic.
Rating:
Summary: Show Boat(1951)
Review: Excellent Service, excellent condition, just as promised.Thank you VERY much!
Rating:
Summary: when movies were movies and MGM ruled the musicals.
Review: Grayson and Keel were a perfect match and make the make-believe real. She of the hour-glass figure and pouty mouth is all sweetness,but it works and he has just the right touch of Rhett. And Ava, well it's the movie that made her a STAR. The final scene is Ava without make-up and looking sensationl as the Show Boat paddles away with the love birds Kate and Howard. A wow ending at the time. Each musical number/song is perfection and the support cast is ideal from Joe E and Agnes to Marge and Gower. Everyone envolved in this project enjoyed it and it shows. Glorious Technicolor made it the Valentine it was meant to be. The Irene Dunne version pales by comparsion, though it has some moments. MGM just remade it bigger and better. Show Boat, as the song says, YOU ARE LOVE!
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie. Major restoration needed.
Review: I enjoyed this movie immensely. The colors are fantastic and the filming and acting are very well done. The reason I give it only 3 stars is that there is some severe film damage that is evident. The entire dusk scene where "Old Man River" is first sung shows a great many artifacts running up both the left and right sides of the picture. The damage doesn't appear anywhere else in the movie. It's my hope that some studio will take the time and restore this picture to it's former glory.
Rating:
Summary: Close, but no cigar
Review: I have seen both this film and its 1936 predecessor of the same name, and a number of film critics and viewers believe the remake to be inferior--I suppose it's because this one seems to lack the freshness, spunk, and level of poignancy. Also, in the earlier version you had greats such as Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson and Helen Morgan who can never be outdone. However, this later film has a power and charm all its own. "Show Boat" is a lavish technicolor extravaganza about the life and times aboard a Mississippi riverboat. Howard Keel with his deep, rich baritone is perfect as the reckless and restless gambler Gaylord Ravenal, as is lovely Kathryn Grayson with her delightful coloratura soprano voice, as Magnolia Hawks, the sheltered good girl who falls for Gaylord like a ton of bricks, only to be brought (unintended) heartbreak and despair by him. However, the one who steals the show by far is gorgeous Ava Gardner as Julie Laverne (cast among much indignant hullaballo as replacement for an ill Judy Garland), the mulatto conflicted between two worlds. In previous films she was for the most part wasted in, one never really got a glimmer as to her abilities (an exception being "The Killers"), but in this film Gardner is amazing as she displays the emotional range and depths she was fully capable of when given the chance. Her performance here is heartbreaking and utterly poignant, especially when she sings (it's dubbed, but that hardly matters) "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine" in a period of content and romantic bliss, and "Bill," by which time her character is in a heartbroken, destructive decline--those are scenes not soon to be forgotten. The story appropriately ends with the haunting image of Gardner/Julie's haggard yet breathtaking face emerging from the shadows as she bids a distant farewell to the showboat. Go and watch this film if you love MGM musicals--it's one of their best with sumptious color, fine performances, and plenty of memorable songs.
Rating:
Summary: Super music and story regarding life on he Missippi ShowBoat
Review: I loved this movie because I fell in love with the music score by Kern & Hammerstein. The duets between Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel will bring a tear to your eyes. Ava Gardner as the Malotto, Julie, passing for White, singing "Along Came Bill," will stay with you. See it!
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