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Young at Heart

Young at Heart

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Doris Day & Frank Sinatra's Chemistry - WOW!
Review: If you are expecting a DVD that is a big improvement on the video, this will disappoint. But if you absolutely love the film, the DVD is still worth getting. Now, the film itself shows what a terrific chemistry Doris Day and Frank Sinatra had together, and makes one wish they had done more films together, and certainly sang more duets. Doris is superb and Frank deserved an Oscar for his portayal of Barney Sloane, as hip and deep a job of acting as anything James Dean ever did and Dean had made his first film this same year (1954). Sinatra was (and is) so underrated as an actor in the 1950's. Someone put it well, there is no Frank Sinatra in this film, only Barney Sloane.
This movie leaves you wanting more MORE of Day and Sinatra together - that is my only criticism of it! A wonderful film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Wonderful love story
Review: If you love Frankie you'll love this movie

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best in every sense
Review: Needless to say, all Frank Sinatra or Doris Day fans can't afford to miss this heartwarming classic. I'm glad that it's now released on DVD -- okay, a not so great DVD due to lack of extra features, yet quite acceptable to me. The Dolby Surround 2.0 Stereo somehow brings back the magic of so many unforgettable songs like "Young At Heart", "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Make It One For My Baby", "Just One of Those Things", "There's A Rising Moon for Every Falling Star", "Hold Me in Your Arms"..., let alone the fabulous duet "You, My Love". Now I'll have to admit another personal reason to make this movie one of my favorites. I love the scenes of Barney Sloane, while at the piano and on the hospital bed, asking Laurie Tuttle for a cigarette (and she would fumble in her pocket for one). Every time I watch this movie I can't help but asking myself a silly question, since when has smoking become so politically incorrect that Hollywood actors are coerced to avoid smoking on screen? But then again, I am getting personal here. Maybe because I feel so sad about those producers who dare not let a cigarette appear in front of a camera even when they make films depicting life in the sixties or seventies, that is, when smoking was not banned in California or elsewhere.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice Kitsch!
Review: Sinatra plays a down and out composer/singer. Doris a perky gal with pizzazz. Gig Young plays what Gig Young plays! Robert Keith,Alan Hale jr. courts Dorothy Malone(y) and Ms. Barrymore steals every scene.

Terrific songs and this film takes us to a place that we might know about but have forgotten about. A Folksy place where people still sat on front porches and were generally content.

Lanny Rees fixes the plumbing.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TOTALLY ROMANTIC AND GREAT MUSIC
Review: Sinatra's portrayal of Barney Sloane (who is one of my all-time favorite characters in movies) is what really MAKES this film great. It's gritty, his acting is seamless - this film has some of his best acting ever. In fact, there IS no Frank Sinatra in this film, only Barney Sloane - I was totally engrossed in the character and he made me forget he was Frank Sinatra - now THAT's acting! Also, Doris Day is at her absolute best in this film. The chemistry between her and Frank is so much more exciting to watch than her work with Rock Hudson, who is like cardboard compared to Doris and Frank together. Great songs from Doris, and an absolutely PERFECT selection of songs by Frank. This film is sad, joyful, but most of all, ROMANTIC. Highly recommended if you want to feel your Heart!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of My Favorite
Review: The beggining of this this movie appears shallow and superficial, but its really quite layered with complex human interaction and a deep story. Everytime you watch it you discover some new turn in the story. Frank was the slated lead for Carousel (which he later declined due to the necessity of filming twice, in 35 and 70 mm) and after seeing this movie you know Carousel would have been a great movie, which turned out to be lacking in many ways. One interesting thing about this movie is that no one ever points out what an incredible singer Barney Sloan is.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Heart-warming Love Story
Review: The movie was excellent! The acting and music was funny,sweet,and witty. Frank was so charming. I cried at sad moments as well as happy moments. Doesn't everyone want a love story so touching like that to occur in their lives? It will always remain a favorite film in my lifetime.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great film / Poor DVD
Review: This excellent musical drama features some very good music (a few fine original songs for Doris Day and some classics from the Sinatra repertoire for Frank Sinatra to sing) and uniformly wonderful performances by the entire cast, which includes Gig Young, Ethel Barrymore, Dorothy Malone, Elisabeth Fraser & Alan Hale, Jr. Most of the previous reviews have focused on the film in general, so I will focus on the DVD.

While having this film on DVD is welcome, this edition is very poorly done. It is mastered from a print full of scratches, glitches, jumps and those annoying circles in the upper right hand corner that signal a reel change. The color is somewhat washed out, but not too bad. The sound is listed as Dolby Surround 2.0 Stereo and sounds pretty good, but too bassy and muffled in some parts, other parts sounding fine.

Considering that Republic Pictures also put out the 40th Anniversary VHS edition of this film in 1994, which was digitally mastered from the original negative, and looked great, I see no reason why the DVD shouldn't look at least as good. This was the biggest DVD disappointment I've had in terms of mastering quality in quite sometime. This film deserves better.

Film - 4 Stars / DVD - 2 Stars

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A warm glowing movie with the old style romance.
Review: This is an earlier version of Doris Day movies. The story is heartwrenching and touching. If you like movie classics this would be a good one to view.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EXCELLENT Film / DVD Good (Better than Video)
Review: This is an outstanding movie for many reasons. For cinema fans only familiar with the "rat pack", this Frankie may be an eye opener. YOUNG AT HEART (1954) is a showcase for Frank Sinatra's excellent acting. He is intense, focused & nuanced, becoming one with "Barney Sloan," a gifted musician suffering through multiple "bad breaks" since birth & sorely lacking confidence.

Doris Day also brings much to this classic with a very moving performance. She is warm, lovely & upbeat as the woman of Sinatra's dreams, & so expressive in her eyes! The chemistry between these two actors grows with their characters' relationship; they share a number of memorable scenes together. They are surrounded by a very good supporting cast, especially Gig Young & Ethel Barrymore.

This is a romantic drama with superb singing. Doris & Frank's duet together is "You, My Love", which is a personal favorite. Ms. Day delivers several 50's pop songs beautifully. Frank makes his impact here as the saloon singer, with brilliant, moving renditions of "Someone to Watch Over Me," "One for My Baby," & "Just One of Those Things."

Initially, this film is light-hearted & glossy - until Barney Sloan arrives. There are multiple issues that his character brings to the surface such as: "destiny" & the strength of the human will, the pain of loneliness, the power of hope, life-changing experiences, & recognizing "love".

It's worth noting that the forty-eight year old YOUNG AT HEART was actually a re-make of a 1938 mega-hit "Four Daughters", & carries over some of its plot contrivances. . Don't let this bog you down. This little gem rises above it.

In my opinion, the DVD is a visual improvement over the fuzzy video. Having both the Video / 40th anniversary edition & now the DVD, I've watched each, sometimes scene by scene, to compare, both on the same television. This video has the same small scratches, circles / spots that can be viewed on the DVD; note the gingerbread scene in the kitchen. The DVD's Major Plus: visual details, such as skin & facial features, are improved: Doris' cute freckles are back; thankfully, the character "Amy" no longer has a blackened tooth when she is tying Gig Young' s tie (as seen in Video); and Frank's face shows some scars in close ups, a realistic touch for his character. Actually, the DVD's visuals, preceeding the film, are quite beautiful! The DVD is reasonably priced, although I would have been willing to pay a little more for some extras, such as behind the scenes photos... Now if the film preservationists could help restore the original negative of this classic movie, that would be wonderful. YOUNG AT HEART deserves it -- How about it , AMC? .


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