Rating: 
Summary: All-New 60th Anniversary Digital DVD transfer is AWESOME!!
Review: Director Vincente Minnelli's 1944 "Meet Me in St. Louis" in TECHNICOLOR starring his future wife, Judy Garland proved to be MGM's biggest box office hit ever and proved to the world the musical with Garland ruled.Now co-operatively Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc., Turner Entertainment Co. and distrubuted by Warner Home Video Inc continues their fantastic Two-Disc Special Edition Series with the 60th Anniversary Digital transfer from restored picture and audio elements of "Meet Me in St. Louis". This is a must have DVD set!!!! This all-star cast; Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Aster, Majorie Main, Tom Drake and Lucille Bremer lead this special intergrated story with a perfect mix of music. The "Trolley Song" (Oscar nominated song - lost), and the infamous xmas song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". And of course the movie title song, "Meet Me in St. Louis". This 2 - Disc set is loaded with everything about the movie, Judy Garland and the Dream makers of HOLLYWOOD. Disc 1 - Has an Introduction by daughter Liza Minnelli The Feature film in gorgeous TECHNICOLOR in Standard Format and Dolby Digital Sound. Audio Commentary by Judy Garland Biographer John Fricke with Margaret O'Brien, Composer Hugh Martin and Screen Writers Irving Brecher & Barbara Freed-Saltzman. And finally a Vincente Minnelli Trailer Gallery including 8 of his movies.
Disc 2 - 45 minute Making of Documentary hosted by Roddy McDowall. 60 minute MGM Studio Profile film "Hollywood: The Dream Factory" hosted by Dick Cavett. A 45 minute 1966 "Meet Me in St. Louis" TV series Pilot starring Shelly Fabares, Celeste Holm & Rita Shaw. 35 minute Becoming Attraction: Judy Garland hosted by Robert Osborne (a brief history through her movie trailers). 1930 Vintage Vitaphone Musical short featuring a very young Judy with her sisters (The 3 Gumm Sisters). Vintage Soundie "Skip to My Lou". Deleted Song (an Oscar / Hammerstein) "Boys & Girls Like You & Me". 60 minute Lux Soap Radio Theatre 12/2/1946 Broadcast of "Meet Me in St. Louis" starring Garland, O'Brien and Drake. and Finally a 80 photo Stills Gallery. This is a must have for the family DVD library. See Judy Garland at her best and see why Hollywood gambled and won with her outstanding talent to act and sing flawlessly. You'll love Judy Garland, this movie, the Smith Family and Margaret O'Brien (received a special minature Oscar award for her performance). Enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: A superlative transfer of a long-awaited DVD release
Review: Once again, Warners proves it's right up there with Criterion for producing the best DVDs in the business. The extraordinary transfer of the color cinematography truly illuminates Minnelli's fascination with "strange stories"(a comment he made to me personally in 1961). In a common director's mind, Meet Me In St. Louis would have been a rather ordinary family musical, but the scene with Judy Garland and Tom Drake turning out the lights and Margaret O'Brien's chilling Halloween Party outburst are psychological explorations of character and context and a hallmark of Minnelli's works. And wait until you hear this extraordinary new soundtrack remastering!
Rating:
Summary: Those Good Ol' Days with Judy
Review: Judy Garland didn't want to be in this movie. Fearful of her being stuck in juvenile roles as a twenty-one year old, Judy at first abhorred the role of lovelorn teenager Esther. Common sense and pressure from friend Arthur Freed led to her acceptance of the role. one that would be a hallmark of career, in the beautiful "Meet Me in St. Louis". The Smith family in this movie is all-American schlocky-ness. Papa Smith works hard, Mama Smith stays at home and tends to her brood, the girls are boy crazy, the son with eyes set out in the world. But somehow, this family becomes real and enduring as they face the crisis of their lives (sarcasm somewhat intended!). Papa must move to New York City to further his career, and thus sends in the Smith's into a personal maelstrom. But no fear, this is MGM in the 1940's after all, and the results are predictable but still enjoyable. Starring brightly is Judy herself. She commented, upon seeing the daily rushes of her performance, that she truly looked beautiful on screen, and this DVD rendition proves exactly why. She is absolutely stunning in color, flawless, perfect. Her performance gives depth to Esther, who's basically just a giggly schoolgirl in love with the gorgeous Tom Drake. Her voice has never been more stunning as she's singing "The Boy Next Door", "The Trolley Song, and the Christmas standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". The film works because while harping on the "good ol' days" it never takes itself too seriously. Case in point, when Esther suspects that love interest John was responsible for an injury to her youngest sister Tootie, Esther goes over and clobbers John. It's actually really funny, and adds to the charm of the film. Credit must also go to Judy's future husband, Vincent Minelli. His vision of this picture makes it lush, gorgeous and a cinematic experience. Several shots in the movie are breathtaking, and you feel as if you are watching a painter paint a deep, engaging canvas. Rarely do film nowadays offers such bold, interesting colors, and it's been a loss for cinema ever since. For DVD collectors, this is a dream package. Not only do you get the movie with an engaging commentary track, but an additional second disk loaded, and I mean loaded, with goodies. A documentary on the film is too short, but a second documentary, on MGM itself, is incredibly engaging and a surprise. You'll pop that second disk in and be prepared to skip around learning more about Judy Garland and other aspects related to the film. So, buy this DVD and we'll all meet in St. Louis at the 1904 World's Fair!
Rating:
Summary: A great movie and even better DVD
Review: There's no question in my mind this is one of the greatest movie musicals of all time. I loved it as a kid, I love it as an adult, my children love it. Steven Speilberg obviously loved the it (at least the Halloween segment) and, as the DVD shows, others loved it enough to attempt a TV sitcom based on it. It's one of the few movies that still brings me to tears and I think mainly because of the main theme that your family is more important than your job, your house or even your own dreams. The dvd is filled with extras, many of which I haven't even had a chance to check out yet. Buy it!!
Rating:
Summary: A must-have Family Movie
Review: Meet Me in St Louis has to be my favourite Judy Garland film. I'm so glad that it is on DVD after all this time! The film really is a pure joy to watch for all ages. The special features on this DVD still amaze me - especially the short film "Bubbles" which is a rare opportunity to see Judy Garland at age 7. The only thing that disappointed me a little is the quality of the film - I can't tell the difference between this DVD version and my VHS version. Definitely a must have DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings.......
Review: from the moment I saw "it" I fell! I received the DVD last night, and took my first peek, this morning. The transfer to DVD is outstanding, in my opinion. Having been born and raised in St. Louis, this movie is very dear to my heart, but I think if I lived in the Outback, it would still have been a favorite. Judy Garland is at her best in glorious Technicolor. This is not your typical musical, so don't expect any big production numbers, ala Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. The songs fit every scene, which move the plot along. If you've never seen Meet Me In St. Louis, I think you're in for a treat, but I'm sure other reviews relayed the story, so I won't bore you with details. On the DVD, Liza says a few words, and it is a delightful touch to this release. I listened briefly to the audio commentary track (no time to watch right now) and I simply cannot wait to hear it in its entirety. The narrations I did hear were wonderful, including songwriter Hugh Martin relating a story about writing "The Boy Next Door". This DVD is a long time coming, for me, but I am not disappointed. I must have a MMISTL night at my house!! "...right here where we live. Right here, in St. Louis!"
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!!
Review: One of the saddest stories I ever heard about Judy Garland took place when she was in England shortly before her death in 1969. It seems that to impress her latest husband, she trekked down to the MGM office in London to borrow to copy of "Meet Me in St. Louis," which her then-husband had never seen. To add insult to the injury of her husband's never having seen the movie, MGM's London staff had never even heard of the movie -- incredible but true! Well, it's too bad Judy's not around to revel in this excellent DVD edition of one of her finest movies. "Meet Me in St. Louis" is a first class Hollywood musical, made in the hey day of the musical genre, produced by a top notch Hollywood studio, and starring perhaps the greatest cinematic musical star of the twentieth century. Wow! What more could one ask for? Well, if there's anything left, it's probably included among the fascinating extras including on this 2-disc DVD. In addition to great songs like "The Trolley Song," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "The Boy Next Door," the DVD includes an alternate track of the gorgeous background score, without any dialog or singing. There's also an alternate commentary track with fascinating details about the film, the stars, the source material for the film, etc., etc. etc. An exceptional transfer, the movie looks like the technicolor dyes are still wet. One of Judy Garland's top movies. This one was a long-time coming on DVD, but it is worth every minute of the wait. Can't recommend this one highly enough!
Rating:
Summary: A Spectacular DVD set for a Classic Musical
Review: This two DVD set is so terrific, I hardly know where to start. The film itself, which has received another remastering, from the LaserDisc release ten years ago, never looked or sounded as good. I doubt if the original release had a DD 5.1 real stereo soundtrack. And this not only applies to the songs, but the entire score. This gives the Halloween sequence a realistic quality that makes it truly terrifying. A great visit as to what Halloween used to be before candy. Super closed captioning as well, along with terrific audio commentaries by those who knew best, including Margaret O'Brien. The soundtrack is also available for playback, minus vocals, so you can sing along, or just listen to the terrific stereo sound. The second DVD contains not one, but two different documentaries on the making of this classic film. Plus the short "Bubbles", which the Gumm Sisters appeared in in 1929, long before Garland was a star. Also there is a 1966 TV pilot, in color, with Celeste Holm, Shelley Fabares, and Reta Shaw. One very interesting note, is that the actor that appeared in this TV pilot that played the "boy next door", is named Blodgett! All Judy fans will recognize that name from the famed A Star is Born. A bit of coincidence? There is also a re-creation of the deleted song from the film, "Boys and Girls Like You and Me", plus a very rare "soundie" featuring the songwriters, and the very excellent "Becoming Judy" with Robert Osborne, which includes many of Garland's film trailers. It goes on to explain why trailers are called that, and gives tremendous insight into the publicity or exploitation department of MGM. There is more..........the original Lux Radio Theatre production of "Meet Me in St. Louis", with the original cast. I couldn't recommend this release more, and there are lots more extras that I did not mention. A super job from all involved -- fully expected from a musical of this caliber. Highly recommended!!
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-rated
Review: Such an adorable little girl, it's just so cute how she goes round assaulting and abusing defenceless old men, and almost derailing trolleys, nearly murdering hundreds of innocent pedestrians - ahhhhh... the good old days.
Quite possibly sowed the early seeds for today's abundance of youth crime and lack of discipline in society.
Charming and quaint it is not.
Tedious, oversentimental nostalgia with frankly appalling clothes (who would really wear that bow?) and bangs from the devil.
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