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Summary: Wow, Wow, Wow
Review: Bravo, although Barbra was very young when she filmed this musical, her interpretation of Dolly was immaculate. Now, would be the perfect time for her do the remake. Let's hear it for the girl!
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Summary: A Classsic
Review: I have the movie and have owned 5 CDs (wore out 4) of this timeless classic. I believe that there never has been and never will be another Barbra Streisand. This CD is a must for Streisand fans. I talked the local Blockbuster into getting the DVD of the movie and they stay sold out.
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Summary: ***NO KAROKE SUBTITLES TO SING ALONG***
Review: I put the dvd in and said to myself.they did a lousy job here...usually the graphics are high tech etc............the movie started to play and the colors vibrantly bought back the memories of the Christmas day I sat in the movie theater and was mesmorized by Streisand's voice , the costumes intricately designed.but no sing along subtitles.well i know the words anywho!!!BUY this DVD.the widescreen picture is phenomenal
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Summary: Where's Carol? Bring back Carol!
Review: I adore Barbra Streisand, but I must say that she is not Dolly. Someone else reviewed it that she was not middle-aged, and therefore did not play it middle-aged, but the fact of the Matter is that Dolly is middle-aged, and Barbra was not. She is also just not right for the role. The other thing in the cutting and hacking of the score. Jerry Herman himself complained about how and where his songs were placed in this movie. He even wrote a new song ("Just Leave Everything to Me") in for Barbra in replacement of "I Put My Hand In," and says in his autobiography that it was moved from where he originally intended it, to a spot that did not work as well. Get the cd with Carol Channing (original cast or revival, both are just fine), and then get Funny Girl if you like Barbra.
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Summary: Barbara is a Genius!
Review: All that i can say is that Barbara is a genius. She is such a beatiful performer. Her grace on the screen is nothing compared to her voice. SHe is able to deliver the songs of Hello, Dolly with beauty and i can't help from watching the movie over and over agian. The rest of the cast just amplifies Barbara. The dance sequences are amazingly done and the ad libs from the script are great.
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Summary: Hardly Streisand's "worst mistake"
Review: It has been written that Ms. Streisand retrospectively termed the film version of "Hello Dolly!" the "worst mistake I ever made." If she did, she should re-evaluate her work and consider upgrading her opinion a bit. "Hello, Dolly!" isn't bad. Granted, it's not the perfect fit of her Fanny Brice vehicles or "The Way We Were." Barbra is at her best in material tailored to her unique talents, and "Dolly" was a show that could never be a "Streisand vehicle." By the time she tackled the movie, the role had been played by just about every musical actress worth her salt. Each gave the part her own individual stamp, winning praise for shedding new and different light on a beloved character. So why did Hollywood eviscerate Streisand when she tried to do the very same thing? It would be pointless to try to speculate on just what politics were in play back in 1969, when the film premiered. Better to examine the most common criticisms one by one, and see if they hold water. First and foremost: Streisand's age. She was blasted as far too young for the role, making her attempted portrayal of a middle-aged widow ludicrous. What seems to have escaped many people's attention is that Streisand did not attempt to play a middle-aged Dolly. That had already been done quite adequately on the Broadway stage and in countless touring companies. Twenty-six at the time of filming, Barbra was mildly overweight -- which added years -- and wore period costumes. The combination made her look about thirty-five in the finished film. This is a perfectly plausible age for Dolly. At the time of the story (just before the turn of the century), women married young -- usually while still in their teens -- lest they become old maids. It was not unusual for a young girl to be married off to a much older (perhaps previously married) gentleman. (Remember, a lot of marriages were arranged for reasons other than love.) This common practice could result in a 25-year age spread between husband and wife, and left many a thirty-ish widow in that time period. Some re-married, some did not. As portrayed by Streisand, Dolly Gallager Levi likely enjoyed an idyllic ten-year or so marriage to the much older Ephrom Levi, then found herself a widow while still quite young. Considering the conventions of the day, Barbra's portrayal of Dolly Levi as a still-young woman wasn't bad or inappropriate; it was just different from what we were accustomed to seeing. Second: Streisand's interpretation of the role. If one can, for a moment, accept that Streisand was not attempting a middle-aged Dolly, then it makes perfect sense that she obviously could not rely on the dramatic devices that make such a middle-aged character endearing -- warmth, wisdom and eccentricity. A more youthful Dolly would have to be a bit more cunning in her approach, not above using the power of seduction and her still vibrantly sexy presence to manipulate people and situations to her advantage. Barbra at times seemed to be impersonating Mae West, waiving her merry widow hips and adding an insinuating double entendre to many of her lines. While she might have lacked some originality, she was dead on target for believability. Let's face it: women and men alike have been using sex to get what they want since the beginning of time. Streisand's Dolly Levi was simply doing what worked. At other points in the film, Barbra's performance borders on slapstick. This is also entirely appropriate, given the sometimes farcical nature of the storyline (grown men hiding in closets, mistaken identity, and the hilariously destructive chase through a posh restaurant). This was no time for Streisand to start flexing her dramatic chops. Almost no one has tried to find fault with Streisand's singing. Nearly at her vocal prime, Barbra gave splendid readings of the Jerry Herman score. Her voice showed the richness and velvet shudder that became the stuff of legend. Barbra's vocal work in "Dolly" was only bested by her singing in "Funny Lady" six years later. The DVD presentation of "Hello Dolly" restores the subtle though vibrant color palate, and allows the film to shed the dated image it had acquired in the eyes of many -- who had probably only experienced horrendously faded television prints. The widescreen transfer is absolutely necessary to allow the viewer to fully appreciate the largely horizontal composition of the action, the dance sequences, and the sets (in this regard, a very stage-like presentation). Much of the comedy is lost in the pan-and-scan editing done for television prints -- Streisand and Walter Matthau bantering from separate sides of the Harmonia Gardens dinner table is a notable example. While some may carp about the lack of extras offered on this DVD, it's not too much of a detriment. Behind-the-scenes documentaries have a way of spoiling the aura that surrounds a period piece such as "Dolly." Like a whimsical greeting card that suddenly loses its charm when one starts to analyze the paper stock, "Hello Dolly!" is best enjoyed as a somewhat insubstantial but deliciously spun cotton candy concoction that serves as a lovely tribute to a time -- and an art form -- long gone.
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Summary: Todd-AO version of "Dolly" on DVD Contains Some Surprises
Review: "Hello, Dolly!" may not be a classic, but for those who enjoy splashy, colorful and tuneful old-fashioned musicals, it's hard to beat. The DVD marks the first-ever video release of the Todd-AO version of the film; the previous VHS and laserdisc releases used the 35MM version. In most cases, the content of films released using the Todd-AO process were identical to the 35MM versions ("Oklahoma!" being a major exception---the Todd-AO and 35MM Cinemascope versions were shot separately). But in "Dolly"'s case, the Todd-AO version clearly includes some alternate shots. For example, the long tracking shot of Streisand singing solo in the "Before the Parade Passes By" number (immediately before the first shot of the parade) in the Todd-AO version is different from the 35MM version---if you have a VHS or laser copy, run a compare/contrast and you'll immediately see what I mean. Some of the shots of Streisand performing the title number and "Just Leave Everything to Me" are also different.
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Summary: The Last Great Hollywood Musical
Review: The debates over this film have been raging for years, and now that HELLO, DOLLY! has been released on DVD, they're likely to continue for years to come. Opinions are certain to vary, but let's clear up a few misconceptions right from the start - After 20th Century-Fox purchased the screen rights to HELLO, DOLLY!, producer/screenwriter Ernest Lehman was fairly certain he'd be asking Carol Channing to recreate her stage performance for the film - that is, until he saw her in the 1967 movie THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE; to put it as delicately as possible, her features didn't translate well to the big screen. Fox executives were equally doubtful about Channing, so the search began for a new Dolly. After flirting with (and subsequently dropping) the idea of Elizabeth Taylor, the leading candidate became Barbra Streisand. The powers-that-be suspected (correctly) she was headed for major film stardom, and they hoped a fresh, younger Dolly would give the multi-million dollar project greater appeal. Lehman immediately revised his script, eliminating all references to Dolly losing her husband fourteen years earlier, and - after concluding that audiences wouldn't accept Streisand as an Irishwoman - changing the character's name from Dolly Gallagher Levi to simply Dolly Levi. The studio made the offer, Streisand signed on the dotted line, and Lehman surrounded her with the creme de la creme of the MGM/Arthur Freed movie musical unit - Gene Kelly (director), Roger Edens (associate producer), Michael Kidd (choreographer), Lennie Hayton (musical scoring), and Irene Sharaff (costumes). Skeptics, however, dug in their heels, and a period of bad press followed; there was outrage a film novice like Streisand had taken a role they considered her ill-suited for. A wave of sympathy engulfed Channing, who received a consolation Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (even though Beatrice Lillie received the film's best reviews when it was released). The bad press began to wane when Streisand's first film, FUNNY GIRL, was released to critical acclaim, box office success, and a Best Actress Oscar; suddenly there was great anticipation for HELLO, DOLLY! And when the film finally opened in December of 1969, it played to packed (and enthusiastic) houses from New York City to Hollywood. Even critics who questioned Streisand's appropriateness for the role agreed she put on a hell of a show. After a solid start, however, the film's success was mixed; HELLO, DOLLY! received seven Oscar nominations (including one for Best Picture), but Streisand was overlooked. And though it ranked as one of the top ten box office attractions of the year, it hadn't recouped its production costs by the end of 1970; it was neither the runaway success the studio was hoping for, nor the disastrous flop its critics made it out to be. But to the dismay of naysayers who wanted the film to die an ignoble death, DOLLY kept attracting new fans - first on television, then on video, and later on laser disc. Obviously, somebody had done something right. Watching the movie now on DVD, it's hard to believe such a good-natured, visually spectacular film could have provoked the feelings of animosity it did (and apparently still does). As for Streisand, I think Lehman was absolutely right to cast her; there may be times when she seems too hip for this wholesome slice of Americana, but her funky irreverence is what makes HELLO, DOLLY! so much fun. Not only is she in excellent voice throughout - if anything, she sounds better here than she did in FUNNY GIRL - but it's hard to imagine anyone else bringing the poignance she does to Dolly's monologue in the park ("Ephraim, let me go"), or being as raucously funny in the dinner sequence at Harmonia Gardens ("You salt your beets, and I'll salt mine"). In fact, her energy and charisma are so dynamic that the film's pace falters whenever she's not around - no disrespect to either Michael Crawford or Marianne McAndrew, but the subplots involving Cornelius Hackl and Irene Molloy, while pleasant enough, are hardly enthralling. Walter Matthau, however, makes a surprisingly effective Horace Vandergelder, and his scenes with Streisand have some genuine comic vitality. If there were offscreen tensions between the two, they weren't apparent when the cameras were rolling. But more than anything else, DOLLY on DVD offers great opportunities for those of us who just want to concentrate on musical numbers (we know who we are). There are moments worth savoring again and again in "Just Leave Everything To Me," "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing" (Danny Lockin and E.J. Peaker are particularly impressive here), "Before The Parade Passes By," "The Waiter's Gallop," and, of course, the title number with Louis Armstrong, but Streisand's best number is probably her simplest - "So Long, Dearie." It isn't hard to understand why her character gets a marriage proposal after that one. As for the age issue - yeah, it's a little strange to see a woman in her late twenties being referred to as an "old girl." So why didn't Ernest Lehman ask Jerry Herman to alter the lyrics? Hard to say - maybe he didn't think anyone interested in realism would be watching HELLO, DOLLY! in the first place. And ultimately, that's what this movie is all about - pure escapism on a grand scale. The quality is apparent in every frame, so just kick back and enjoy the show.
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Summary: Wow wow wow, fellas... look at the old girl now, fellas
Review: It took long enough for 20th Century-Fox to give us a DVD release of HELLO DOLLY, but boy it was worth the wait. At last, DOLLY the way it was meant to be seen, in Widescreen and Stereo. This movie is one of the best DVD transfers of an older film that I have ever seen. The beautifully restored picture is heads above the previous VHS releases. The crystal clear stereo soundtrack is equally as impressive. Additionally, the Intermission/Entr'acte music and the Exit Music, which I believe were not on the VHS versions, are here as well. The only thing that this DVD comes up short on is the extra features. As usual, we have a theatrical trailer. There is also a short 1969 featurette, which is nice, but we would like to have perhaps seen a "making of" documentary with surviving cast members (Streisand and Crawford, as well as Tommy Tune and others), or something to that effect. Oh well... This DVD is still top-notch. The restoration efforts alone make this DVD a necessary addition to your musicals collection. Now we just need a restored and expanded relese of the original soundtrack album.
Rating: 
Summary: Streisand COMPLETELY MISCAST
Review: "Hello Dolly" on stage is a terrific musical. I've seen Channing, Mary Martin, Dorothy Lamour, Betsy Palmer and other non-names and the show was GREAT. BUT Streisand was completely wrong for this part, she even admits that she should never have done it. It is no wonder it was a financial and critical failure.
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