Rating: Summary: JUDY`S BEST WHILE HER STAY AT MGM Review: Vincente Minnelli shot some truly beautiful images of his wife-to-be in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. Although the it`s plotless, it is full of up and down incidents in an American home in the turn of the century. When released it proved to be second only to GONE WITH THE WIND at the box-office. The reasaon was that the War came to an end and Americans longed to be united with their families again... In this, JUDY GARLAND proved once and for all AND AGAIN - that she was a universal talent;singer, actress of peerless rank. The film established director Vincente Minnelli as a musical craftsman - unique in creating images rich in color, costumes, sets and direction of cast...
Rating: Summary: Beautiful! Judy Garland and O'Brien shine!Charming and sweet Review: The story is really super. And the picture is beautiful, while the music is breathtaking.
Rating: Summary: One of the Best movies you will find! Review: I love movies that make you want to dance & sing! Watch "Meet Me In St. Louis" & you'll be singing all day long! This is great movie & if you ever see it, get it!
Rating: Summary: One of Judy's best! Review: Although little Margaret O'Brien steals every scene she's in, this is truly Judy's movie. I'd recommend it to anyone!
Rating: Summary: One of the great American musicals ever filmed! Review: This exquisitely laid out 2 DVD issue of Meet Me in Saint Louis is an absolute must have for any Garland fan, Vincent Minnelli fan as well as fans of the major American musicals of all time. The movie itself is introduced with a short talk by Liza Minnelli to whet the viewer's appetite for the film; then the film is beautifully reproduced on the DVD for the viewer. One small disappointment: the film is shown in full screen; there is no letterbox version of the film on this 2 DVD set. The set is chock full of great extras which offer the viewer a rather comprehensive introduction (or review for seasoned fans) of Judy's work in such shorts as Bubbles as well as trailers for both Judy's films and Vincent Minnelli's films. The sound quality is excellent and the video quality is equally superlative. The movie itself is the story of the life of an American family in 1903 in Saint Louis and their ups and downs throughout one year's time. Does the father take that new job and move the family from Saint Louis to New York? Do Esther (played by Judy) and Rose find the loves of their lives? Watch and find out! A special treat is the strikingly convincing acting of Margaret O'Brien as the youngest sibling in this large family from the last turn of the century. Margaret won an award at the Oscars and she very much deserved it-she acts her little heart out! In short, this movie is a BUY! Go get it! Order it here, or shop for it anywhere-but just get it and enjoy a great American musical and the numerous bonus extras that are very hard to find elsewhere!
Rating: Summary: One of America's Greatest Musicals Review: Meet Me in St Louis is one of the greatest musicals ever made! Combining the talent of Judy Garland and scene stealer Margaret O'Brian and wonderful songs Meet Me In St Louis is a treat for all!
Rating: Summary: Beautiful !! Review: The film itself is wonderful, need not for me to address more.
The special features are marvelous !!
First, there's Liza's introduction. Although she doesn't realy tell us anything, and she seens to be a little distressed, but it is always nice to have her. And there are trailers of Vincet's other great films.
Interview of the actress who plays "Tootie" (now in her 70's) is very interesting, too. And the TV pilot episode let us easily tell that -- the movie version is much better !!
Love it ! Sing alone with it !
Rating: Summary: Spectacular Review: Alright -- listen up. Every one of these reviews gives Meet Me in St. Louis five stars out of five. It's one of the finest classic movies EVER... and so underappreciated! Buy it now... this is Judy Garland's greatest role at the peak of her talents. It's breathtaking.
Rating: Summary: Delightful on Christmas Day and Every Other Day Review: When MGM's real lion Louis B. Mayer was approached with the idea of bringing Sally Benson's serialized New Yorker magazine stories of the sweet life in turn-of-the-century St. Louis, he balked: "Nothing happens!" And he was right. Luckily, he was convinced otherwise by his favorite studio reader. "It's FAMILY," she said, all that was needed to change his mind. Purchased as a vehicle for the studio's premier musical performer Judy Garland, it also contained a plum role for uber-moppet Margaret O'Brien. Leon Ames, June Lockhart, Mary Astor, Tom Drake and Marjorie Main round out the perfectly cast ensemble. Lucille Bremer, a personal favorite and protegee of producer Arthur Freed, was cast as Judy's sister. Lucille Who you ask? It reminds us that you can have looks, talent and even connections, but only the
public can make a star.
Vincente Minnelli, arguably the greatest director of film musicals during the Golden Age, or any age, deserves 100% of the credit for turning St. Louis into a living, breathing, breathtaking postcard. A famous contemporary review of the film called it "a musical even the deaf will enjoy." Minnelli painstakingly chose and matched the rich colors of the sets and costumes, designed the innovative lighting and somehow turned Garland- no raving beauty - into a raving beauty.
He gets flawless performances out of Garland and Bremer as St. Louis lovelies on the cusp of their first romances, and a delightful portrayal from little Miss O'Brien, a performer so canny that, like Shirley Temple, she was sometimes accused of secretly being an adult midget. The DVD is worth the price of purchase if only for O'Brien's Halloween sequence, which is pure Minnelli- as visually rich as you can get without going over the top.
Garland is at her World War Two peak and at the height of her broad appeal. As her career progressed and well-publicized problems added layers to her personality, she cast a narrower net for her audiences. In "St. Louis," however, we can enjoy a more innocent Judy portraying an innocent girl at a most innocent time, in the most innocent and pure of locales- the MGM soundstage. So lushly mounted is the film that the music (after all, it is a musical) seems an afterthought. It is a joyous collection of tunes that fit the story and move the plot along.
"The Boy Next Door" and "The Trolley Song" showcase both the bitter and the sweet sides of Garland. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a holiday delight, seldom sung anymore because after Judy sings a song, it becomes... well, a "Judy song." On every level, "Meet Me in St. Louis" is as perfect a film musical as one could hope to see year after year.
Rating: Summary: This is the way it was meant to be seen! Review: The all-new 2004 60th Anniversary Special Edition DVD set of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS was very highly anticipated prior to its release this past spring, and its not hard to see why. This is the DVD medium used to the fullest. The new ultra high resolution transfer is simply glorious in every sense of the word. The picture is so crisp and clear with beautiful bold colors, you'd swear the picture was made yesterday. Even with the modern filming technology we have today, you still can't beat the old 3-strip Technicolor process in the quality and depth of the color. The monaural soundtrack has been very beautifully cleaned up for this release -- no distortion whatsoever (a problem that the most recent VHS release--at least my copy of it--was plagued with). There are many extras in this set, something for everyone. Let's hope the EASTER PARADE DVD set, due out sometime in 2005, is just as glorious.
It is a SIN to not have this in your collection. RUN to buy a copy now.
|