Oklahoma!

Rating:
Summary: OOOOOOh You'll love it.
Review: Oklahoma is a wonderful musical full of catchy tunes, rip stomping dancing and a comfortable mix of comedy and tragedy. This movie makes a great first musical for anyone who thinks musical theatre is boring and uninteresting. With a healthy mix of cowboys, farmers, pretty girls, and eye popping color Oklahoma is sure to be a hit with your family. Reel the boys in with the cowboys, fight scene and the hilarious antics of the entire cast of Oklahoma. Nobody can beat Rogers & Hammerstein when it comes to the movie musical. It makes you want to kick up your heels and dance a jig.

Rating:
Summary: Joyous and vibrant R&H masterpiece - TODD-AO video version
Review: The CinemaScope version (visually dark with no pep whatsoever) was used for general release and video release up until three years ago, when it was retired and a new process was able to convert the TODD-AO version to video. This is the one that is now available for purchase - and there's a world of difference. This is far brighter, with far fresher and more exuberant performances (remember, that the Scope version was filmed only after the TODD-AO "take" was in the can - of course performers were tired and the sun had gone in for most of the shots). A world of difference between this definitive version and the tired Scope version. Main Title is totally different for each version, plus there are a few different scene set ups, one of two shots in the TODD-AO version not in the Scope version, and some totally different line deliveries (Ado Annie's "HELLo, Will" in the Scope and her "heLLO, WILL" in the TODD-AO. This is a fine achievement, a classic musical play and a classic film. At the end of its 2-1/2 hours, your face hurts from smiling.

Rating:
Summary: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKLAHOMA!
Review: I was in the show on stage... I love the show on video! Though it lacks some of the personal attributes that are gained through the stage version, one can't help but to admire this motion picture. It's GREAT!

Rating:
Summary: I really hate this movie...(* 1/2)...
Review: I have never seen anything more boring and tedious than this film. I was forced to watch this one summer Sunday night when nothing else was on T.V., and had finished the book I was reading. I wasn't particulary looking forward to seeing it, because I didn't like "The Sound of Music", "South Pacific", or "Carosuel", but I like old movies, and thought I'd give it a chance. Also it had gotten such great reviews and all and I believe it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards back in '56. After what felt like 48 hours of bordem, I came to the conclusion that this was offically the most over-rated film I have EVER seen! The promblem wasn't even that it was a musical. I like musicals, but this was just awful! The (lyrical) music and dancing was just STUPID. The story was over-used, and the charectors ANNOYING! The only reason I give this a star and 1/2 is because it was tecnically well made, even tho the music and dancing was atrocious! I can't really reccomend this movie or not, becuase I think it really depends on a persons taste. If you like "The Sound of Music", and "Carosuel", you'll probably like this...

Rating:
Summary: This movie Rocks!!
Review: "Oklahoma!" is one GREAT movie. I don't think I ever smile so much during a movie as I do when I watch this one, it just makes me so darn happy! Ok, so the plot isn't amazing... but it doesn't matter, because the plot isn't really what drives this film. This movie is all about the characters, and the positive mood it creates, and the wonderful music that you will be humming for days after you watch the film. I actually bought the soundtrack a few weeks ago, (that's how much I liked it) and I haven't been able to stop playing it. I've seen a lot of musicals, both movie and stage, and I believe that "Oklahoma!" ties with "West Side Story" for having the best music of any musical, ever. The famous Rogers and Hammerstein score is just awesome. All of the songs are great, there isn't a bad one in the movie, but "People Will Say We're In Love" is my personal favorite. The scene were Curly and Laurie are singing this to each other in the peach orchard is so amazingly cute. I guess I'm just a silly hopeless romantic, but I can't help it. Shirley Jones as Laurie is wonderful, she has a BEAUTIFUL voice, and does a fine acting job too, especially considering she was only 20 years old and this was her film debut. The sparks just fly between her and Gordon MacRae (Curly), and this chemistry between the two leads is really what makes the movie work as well as it does. I was also stunned by the visual beauty of the film. It's beautiful color and exceptional picture clarity is uncommon for an older movie, so when I first watched "Oklahoma!" I had to double check to make sure it was really made in 1955. The special Todd-AO filming process other reviewers have gone into detail about really made a difference here. Anyways, I seem to have rambled on a bit, but I'll try to make my point here. This is a fun, romantic movie, that's a bit hokey at times ( but endearingly so, I believe) and has a few weak moments. But these few weak elements are far outweighed by the great ones. I judge a movie mainly on these two factors: 1) by the way I feel immediately after I've finished watching it, and 2) if it has a lasting impression on me. After this one, I just feel happy, and giddy, and like I want to dance around my living room and break out into song. And as far as lasting impressions go, I liked it so much I felt compelled to write this review and reccomend it to the world. So if this sounds like the kind of movie you'd enjoy, go for it, and have fun watching this classic.

Rating:
Summary: Oklahoma
Review: Well I'm surprised to find that I seem to be in the minority but I think Oklahoma is the Greatest Screen Musical of All Time.
I'll go in to why I think that but first I want you to know that I'm a great fan of musicals and have seen most of the great ones many, many times on the tube and on the big screen. Films like Top Hat, Gay Divorcee, Gold Diggers of 33 and 35, 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Swingtime, Follow the Fleet, Holiday Inn, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Pennies from Heaven('81) and of course My Fair Lady are as good as it gets and hold a cherished place in my heart.
They all have teriffic stars, good humor and above all wonderful music and wonderful songs. Oklahoma has more of that than any other movie. Every song
is a winner, a gem, a pearl. They eliminated the few "clinker" songs from the stage production (it ran for 26 years) leaving only the absolute winners for the movie. Shirley Jones was eighteen and wonderfully radiant. Her singing was even better than the original stage recording. Her singing was marvelous.
Howard Keel was originally slated to play Curly but opted out because he refused to shoot two movies, as they duplicated every scene for two different film processes. (The A-O Todd version is the one seen on the DVD and has much higher resolution than the
Cinemascope one seen for years on TV) What a stroke of luck, Howard Keel (much too old and stiff to play opposite Miss Jones) is out and Gordon MacRae (the perfect fit) is in. His voice, while not as dynamic as Alfred Drake's, is perfect for the screen
but best of all he brings a sensiblity and earthy quality to the role missing from all the others I've seen. Some bizarre casting
in the minor roles like Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie and Eddie Albert as Ali Hakim and Rod Stieger as the "bully colored" Judd Frey add a strange flavor to the mix. But it's not the only strange thing going on. The story itself is not particularly a pleasant one and one might find the treatment of Judd or Judd himself unpleasant. It themes aren't necessarily family fare. There's even a dream sequence featuring some dark moments in a bordello. These elements add to the complexity and depth of this best-of-all musicals. And now the real muscle, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Surrey with the Fringe on Top, I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No, Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City,
Never Will Come a Day, People Will Say We're in Love, Poor Judd is Dead, The Farmer and the Cowhand Should Be Friends, With Me It's All or Nothin' and Of course Oklahoma. No musical, not The King and I, not Singin' in the Rain, not Carousel, not any other save My Fair Lady can boost so many landmark songs. Throw in three or four marvelous dance sequences and big dash of Americana and you have the best screen musical ever. Thanks for your tolerance and thank you Amazon for letting me get that off my chest. There is one other musical I gotta mention, because it puts so many others to shame but I'm afraid I'll lose any crediblity, if any, I've got. Well, here it goes, South Park, Bigger, Longer, Uncut is better than all of Andrew Llyod Webber's musicals wound-up into one. In fact I don't think he's got a single song that can outdo ANY song in S P, B, L, U.
There I've said it and now I'm done. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: NOT ANAMOROPHIC!
Review: Good movie, GREAT disc. Sure, there's some flickering on reel 3 (water damage that wasn"t fixed in this DVD release) during the "Kansas City" number, but the real travesty is that while presented both in it's original Todd-AO format, it's NOT presented anamorphically. What a shame.

Rating:
Summary: Sound is excellent
Review: I don't have anything more than a 17in. monitor to watch dvds on, and I find that my software computer dvd player gives a lot better viewing of dvds than most component dvd players. Therefore, I rarely find fault with dvd vision.

But I am often disappointed with sound quality of restored/remastered films.

So I am very pleased to report that the dvd of one of my favourite musicals has a clean, crisp, properly balanced sound file with not a single bad section.
Shirley Jones comes over loud and clear, as do all the choruses.
Highly recommended for sound quality.

Rating:
Summary: Simply one of the great scores in the history of musicals
Review: OK, so OKLAHOMA doesn't have the book (i.e., story) that many other great musicals have, and perhaps it lacks the drama of WEST SIDE STORY or MY FAIR LADY or even SOUTH PACIFIC or THE SOUND OF MUSIC, but few if any musicals ever have had as many brilliant songs. While most musicals, even very great musicals, have at most two or three truly great songs that are sandwiched among a host of lesser numbers. This musical, however, has seven or eight songs, and the lesser songs are far above the average for filler in such productions. In fact, I'm not sure that any single musical has had a larger number of excellent songs. THE SOUND OF MUSIC has perhaps more novelty songs, but it doesn't quite match the diversity of OKLAHOMA.

The film has a superb cast, including one of the great film debuts in Hollywood history: Shirley Jones as Laurey Williams. Although she made a number of excellent films, I have often thought that few performers were penalized by bad timing as Shirley Jones. Her debut was in 1955, when the musical was in decline. If she had been born twenty years earlier, she would surely have been one of the great figures in Hollywood history. Instead of two or three great musical roles, she would have been in a dozen or more. She was prettier than Jeannette MacDonald with a less operatic voice, and would unquestionably have made a string of films that was impossible in fifties and sixties. Instead of only OKLAHOMA, CAROUSEL, and THE MUSIC MAN, she would certainly have added a host of great musical roles to her resume. The rest of the cast is also quite good. Tragically, while this was the beginning of Shirley Jones's career, it was close to the end of Gordon MacRae's star career, as his drinking was beginning to affect his reliability, and only a year later during the filming of CAROUSEL his alcoholism grew to be such an intrusion that he was unable to continue with his career. Rod Steiger is wonderfully menacing as Jud, and even turns in a surprisingly decent job of dancing in the ballet sequence. Gloria Grahame is absolutely perfect as Anytime Annie, the girl who can't say no. It is hard to imagine the film without Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Eller. The one odd note in the cast is Eddie Albert as the Persian Ali Hakim. While he has several good scenes, the fact is that he neither looks nor sounds Iranian. In fact, the first time I saw the film as a kid, I thought he was "Parisian," not "Persian." His accent definitely sounds more French than Persian.

My only complaint with the film is that the story is a bit on the slim side. It is more or less an attempt to build an epic on a girl's agreeing to accompany the wrong guy to a box social, with a wedding tacked onto the end. Mainly what happens in the film is a succession of great songs. Actually, I have a second complaint, and it is one that all the people I have seen this film with also complain about: the long ballet number that results from Laurey's drug use. It interrupts the flow of the film as a whole, isn't terribly interesting to watch, and is slightly disconcerting through having dancers who are clearly not Gordon MacRae or Shirley Jones perform the number (though Rod Steiger does portray Jud in the number). The rest of the film maintains its appeal through our concerning ourselves with the fate of the characters, but the dance removes the characters from the screen entirely.

All in all, however, this remains one of the most entertaining musicals ever made. It captures Rodgers and Hammerstein at their creative peak as well as one of the most exciting screen debuts of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Excellence
Review: A group of us get together and watch DVDs. Sort of like a tailgate party, we have food and drink, and see the movie. I did NOT want to get this one. I mean, 1955? I was wrong; it was excellent. It is pure movie and music fun. It is timeless. You will, at least, try to sing the songs. It is worth it; it is just for fun.