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Summary: This is one of my favorite musicals
Review: When I found out that Meet Me In St. Louis was going to be released on DVD, I was quite excited. I'm a die hard Judy Garland fan and I love all of her movies. For the past few years only three titles from her movies were available on DVD and I thought it was a shame. This movie is one of her best and I'm looking foreward to it's release just like I'm looking foreward to the other titles among Miss Garland's movies that are also going to be released on DVD in April and May. I'm sure that many other people agree with me that many of these great titles should all be released on DVD.
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Summary: A Famous But Under-Rated Movie
Review: Seems like most movie historians pick "Singing In The Rain" as the greatest musical ever. Or "West Side Story." While those are certainly great films, I've always thought "Meet Me In St Louis" to be the best. The musical numbers flow naturally out of the very moving story, rather than actors just spontaneously bursting into song, which I've never cared for. This is to the musical what "It's A Wonderful Life" is to drama. In spite of the claim by one reviewer that this film may have caused generations of juvenile delinquency, I still strongly recommend it for purchase. If you let your children watch it, I'm sure a couple of therapy sessions will straighten them out. Or a couple of hours playing video games or watching NICK TOONS will put them back on the right path.
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Summary: The Greatest
Review: One of the greats...I read somewhere (don't remember where)that Vincent Minnelli called "time" the real antagonist in this seemingly benign musical. The things that time has the power to take away from all of us is what makes the movie so poignant. This underlying theme makes the movie timeless and so beautiful. I can't wait to see what the DVD looks and sounds like. DVD was made for movies like this.
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Summary: Vincente Minnelli's first masterpiece is the year's best DVD
Review: Others here have beautifully touted this magnificent motion picture, and the stunning, amazing, glorious DVD that has been brought to us by the wizards at Warner Home Video.Let me add my voice to those others by expressing my utter amazement at the perfection of this DVD. Warner has already set the standard by which all others can be judged when it comes to bringing classic films on DVD. As they did with SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, CASABLANCA, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and so many others, they present the wonderful feature with unbelievably perfect quality, but also a tantalizing array of extras that even make the better Criterion releases look pale in comparison. This is a film for the ages, and for people of all ages. I cannot recommend the motion picture, or this superb DVD presentation highly enough!
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Summary: AN EXCEPTION MUSICAL - AN OUTSTANDING TRANSFER!
Review: "Meet Me In St. Louis" is the quintessential teenager in love, feel good movie of the 1940s and despite the fact that the film is sixty years old, it sparkles like vintage champagne from the canons of MGM's illustrious film heritage. Judy Garland is Esther Smith, a girl pining for the affections of the boy next door (Tom Drake) while lamenting the fact that her father (Leon Ames) is about to move the family to New York. And all this before young Esther and her siblings have a chance to see the World's Fair. What's the critical desperation of youth to do? Well, if you're Judy Garland you warble one effervescent tune after the next. From The Trolley Song to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, truly, this movie is a veritable potpourri of golden memories. Margaret O'Brien and Lucille Bremer costar as Garland's sisters. Mary Astor and Harry Davenport are ideally cast as mother and grandfather respectively. One of the great joys of cinema, Marjorie Maine, surfaces as the Smith's gregarious housekeeper.
THE TRANSFER: It's really no surprise that Warner's high resolution digital mastering has made "Meet Me In St. Louis" look and sound as it never has before. In the mid 1990s MGM home video gave us a very smart looking laserdisc box set. This DVD improves upon the resolution of the old format and provides a smooth, rich and textured visual presentation of one of Vincente Minnelli's greatest achievements. Colors are bold, rich and fully saturated. Contrast and black levels are bang on. Fine detail can be seen in even the darkest scenes. The audio has been remixed to 5.1 (as it was on the laserdisc) and is very well represented. There is nothing to complain about in this presentation.
EXTRAS: The same documentary as was previously available from MGM, narrated by Roddy McDowell and chronicling the saga of bringing this film to life plus several short subjects particularly produced for this 2-disc special edition.
BOTTOM LINE: This classic is an absolute must for anyone who loves movies - period!
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Summary: An American Classic In A Memorable DVD Package
Review: Many critics consider MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS the single finest Hollywood musical of the 20th Century. Produced by Arthur Freed, directed by Vincent Minnelli, and sporting a flawless ensemble cast led by Judy Garland, the film was immediately hailed when it debuted in 1944--and time has only added luster to its name. Now, after several home market incarnations, it at last receives the edition it deserves on DVD. Given its stature, it is ironic that both MGM and Judy Garland originally fought the project. Based on a collection of autobiographical stories by Sally Benson, the script is little more than a series of domestic adventures in the lives of the Smith family of 1903 St. Louis. But it became a thing of wonder: a careful balance of sly but gentle humor, a collection of memorable performances, an understated score shorn of the usual movie-musical affectations, and at the center of it all Judy Garland, one of Hollywood's most memorable talents. The transfer is excellent, capturing every nuance of the film's meticulously and beautifully designed sets in full Technicolor; the sound elements, remastered in Dolby 5.1, are equally fine and Garland's unique vocal skills are undimmed by time. All in all, it seems safe to say that not even the original 1944 theatrical release could surpass the quality of picture and sound offered here. Although the bonus package would have better without the awful pilot for a failed television series based on the film, by and large it offers a superior collection. Previously available on VHS, the Roddy McDowell-narrated "making of" documentary is worth revisiting, as is the TCM-produced "Becoming Attractions." While a number of later documentaries surpass it, "Hollywood: The Dream Factory" has never before been widely available and offers an inside glimpse of the famous 1972 MGM auction. The Martins' performance of "Skip to My Lou" a reconstruction of "Boys and Girls Like You and Me," and a collection of Vincent Minnelli movie trailers round out the offerings, all of them entertaining. The notable audio commentary is led by film historian and Garland scholar John Fricke. I regret to say that I have several issues with Fricke, who seems to rely excessively on Vincent Minnelli's autobiography I REMEMBER IT WELL and who has a tendency to perpetuate certain myths about the film--chief among them the idea that Garland did "The Trolley Song" in a single take. (Garland prerecorded the song, the overall sequence involves at least seven unique camera set-ups, and although Garland performs most of the solo in a single take there is a change in camera set-up toward the end of her vocal.) Even so, Fricke offers considerable insight into the cast, crew, and production of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, and the commentary is laced with remarks (some of them archival) by the likes of Margaret O'Brien, Hugh Martin, and Irving Brecher; in spite of my occasional misgivings, it really is everything one could wish an audio commentary to be. These aside, the bonus package contains one significant and unique prize: the short film "Bubbles" and a notable audio commentary led by Hollywood and Garland historian John Fricke. Long thought lost, "Bubbles" is one of several shorts made in the early 1930s that include The Gumm Sisters, the youngest of whom would become better known as Judy Garland--a true rarity indeed. Given the beauty of the transfer and the generally exceptional bonus package, it is difficult to imagine a better edition of this uniquely American classic. I strongly recommend it. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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Summary: Zing, Zing ... a Great Musical!
Review: This is a magnificent movie, but the presentation of this special edition is amazing... loads of extras and so forth... but the best part is the near pristine print and clear sound. Special mention to the great Margaret O'Brien (who won an Oscar for this performance) and Judy, who never looked more beautiful or sang with more pizzazz. The songs are fantastic, some written for the film, and others from the period of the St. Louis Fair. Special mention is the song "You and I" sung by Mary Astor and Leon Ames... a lovely melody and nearly forgotten by many, but haunting and beautiful and worth a second listen. This DVD is a clear winner on every account.
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Summary: a timeless classic
Review: I couldnt wait for this movie to hit the dvd shelves. Being a Judy fan from way back I just knew that Warner Brothers would do a bang up job and they did with this musical. I has been completly restored with all the vibrante colors back in the dvd. I had the vhs version and it was pretty washed out. The special features on disc 2 are outstanding. Although they could have had more trailers on the disc but thats ok. This movie will always be a timeless classic!!!
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Summary: What a treat !
Review: Just finished viewing this delightful movie with my husband, 15 year old son and 13 year old daughter. Of course, it gets a little "sappy" at times but there are definitely worse ways to spend a few hours of family time. The film copy was gorgeous. We especially enjoyed the interior design of the older home. A favorite was the opening scene with the family gathered in the kitchen critiqueing the homemade batch of catsup. The music was neither too much, nor too little and kept the story moving at a comfortable pace. We highly recommend this gem of a film.
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Summary: Amazing color palette
Review: I couldn't disagree more with Dan Navarette's evaluation of the Technicolor restoration presented in this edition. It's absolutely stunning, and a revelation to boot. I believe part of the problem with the perception of colors in this film is that, for years, the only measuringstick to which viewers could turn for reference were inferior Eastmancolor prints (both 16mm and 35mm) used in university and theatrical revivals, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, and less-than-stellar video transfers in early and some later VHS editions. These prints completely lacked the refinement of the transfer in this new DVD, and the subtle palette of colors that Vincente Minelli, Cedric Gibbons, Lemuel Ayers, Irene Sharaff, et al. employed was rendered garish and indistinct at best, and washed-out and lifeless at worst (and oftentimes all within the same print, varying from scene to scene). The case in point that Mr. Navarette mentions is interesting: the striped tennis dress that Judy Garland wears early in the film, most notably while singing "The Boy Next Door." What the viewer sees here for the first time is the subtle slate-blue color of the stripes that was intended, not the sickly baby blue that was rendered in the subpar prints and transfers of years past. Gone, too, are the pasty and unstable flesh tones, and when colors are intended to "pop," they do so -- and how -- such as with the red velvet gown that Ms. Garland wears to the Christmas ball. And the detail that has been captured in this transfer is nothing short of miraculous, especially in the several scenes shot in half-light (which was not easy to do with the early Technicolor process). In short, what the film enthusiast finally has in this DVD is a true "golden yardstick" by which to measure future prints of this painstakingly designed and beautifully photographed film.
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