Rating: 
Summary: Judy went out with a Bang!
Review: This is probably in my top five favorite Judy movies! She is and always will be the greatest entertainer who ever lived. This film shows that Judy was an amazing actress! In the early MGM days, she made some fabulous films, but they never gave her the chance to play a dramatic role she deserved. I think another reason Judy was so amazing in this film is that she practically lived the life of Jenny Bowman. I also love the plot, Judy is kind of an Auntie Mame charecter, anyone who's seen the film knows what I'm talking about. It's a great movie for anyone who likes Judy, drama, or just a damned good film! What's also interesting is that in the hospitol scene (which I'm sure most of you know) Judy helped write a great deal of the dialogue. I'm glad they finally gave us a dvd of this film. I've been waiting forever! I actually paid $80 for a vhs copy of it a few years ago! But of course I still bought the dvd lol, after all, IT'S JUDY!
Rating: 
Summary: Garland Shines In Simple Story
Review: Where does Jenny Bowman end and Judy Garland begin? That is the question one asks when viewing her last completed film, "I Could Go On Singing." It is a modest little film with a weak story about a singing mega-star who tries to reconnect with her child some fourteen years after giving him up to his English father.
Dirk Bogarde gives a solid and thankless performance as Jenny's lost love and father of her son. He seems to be present only to give Miss Garland something to rail against. Gregory Phillips plays the young son with charm and genuine gentleness. Jack Klugmann is the irascible manager to Jenny during her tour. The ever wise and understanding Aline MacMahon presents the ever wise and understanding Ida, assistant and soggy shoulder to Jenny.
What holds this film together is the incomparable talent and presence of Judy Garland. She gives it her all and shows us something of what the mythmakers might call "a glimpse of the really Judy Garland" in several scenes. In particular the scene in the hospital room with Dirk Bogarde seems to slide from fiction to a revelation by Miss Garland of what it cost her each time she walks out on a stage to sing. There is no doubt that we get to see Miss Garland at the peak of her performing style both as an actress and a singer. For this reason she raises the film to the level of beyond what could be expected of a lesser talent. The concert segments of the film are particular highlight and have a wonderful documentary feel to them. We are given a view of her transformation just before going on stage at which point Miss Garland sings at the top of her form and is both stunningly powerful and touchingly vulnerable. The highlights are "So Long Bluebird" and "By My Self".
The DVD is picture is fine despite a few odd lights that pop up from time to time. The monophonic sound is clear and clean giving a wonderful fullness to the songs. And the DVD can be viewed in either widescreen or full screen.
This film is well worth adding to your library and is a fitting end to Judy Garland's fine film career.
Rating:
Summary: GRAY RAINBOWS ...
Review: YE GODS! SHE IS A FUNNY LADY! Her mix of humor and sadness is so unique - and still works so well! So does the cast - especially the scenes with her 'son' and Dirk Bogarde [just on his way up as a serious man here as Judy's lover] - not a false step.EDITH HEAD should have known better and made better choices for JUDY on the costume side - Miss Head was always known as an ACOTR's designer - not quite right for this vehicle! In some scenes JUDY looks plain frumpy - but besides that - this one's a keeper - just wish that MGM cleaned the negative a bit more - the sound is also rather off shall we say - dialogue seems to disappear - only to be blasted by the Foley effects. A clean Dolby 5.1 version would be great! All in all - Judy saved the best - especially THAT scene between her and Dirk towards the end when she discusses 'performing' - memorable! Also wroth mentioning? Judy's entourage headed by Jack Klugman - nice work!
Rating:
Summary: It's better the 2nd time around
Review: Years ago, I first saw " I could Go On Singing" on VHS and overall was unimpressed with the film (and it was a not a very good copy that I had). Now years later, seeing the DVD and knowing more about Judy, than I did then, I'm very impressed with this final film of her carreer.
The highlite for me, is getting to see Judy at a time in her life when she was happy and (somewhat) healthy. This is before the disapointment of the TV show and the tragic decline of her remaining years. I like the fact that she was still a bit heavy and not the nervous stick figure you see on the TV show. I was too young to expierence the thrill of seeing her in concert, but I really think we get a glimpse of it, especially in the "Hello Bluebird" number. With Mort Lindsey reving up the orchestra and Judy yelling from the wings, I think it's the closest I'll ever get to see of her peak concert years (the early 60's). Look at the adoring way Mort looks at her, just before she starts to sing.
Now, I'm really glad that I've bought the DVD and revisited this film. I'm still bit unsure what the hair and wardrobe departmants were occasionally thinking, but who cares...it's Judy!
Rating:
Summary: Judy Garland's last, and perhaps best, film
Review: Yes, you read that title right. I think "I Could Go On Singing" is greatly underrated. I actually consider it better than the excellent "A Star Is Born," which frankly -- George Cukor, forgive me -- needed some of the cuts it got. In the semi-autobiographical role of Jenny Bowman, Garland gives an amazingly vulnerable and vital performance. She's in great vocal and physical form for the musical numbers, and although she doesn't look her best (you'd swear she was 10 years older than her actual age), she's fully engaged dramatically as well. Her hospital scene with Dirk Bogarde, where she talks about the life of a performer, has so much subtle shifting between emotions that it takes one's breath away. That alone should have earned her an Academy Award for this performance. But the film offers even more than that. It's extremely well directed by Ronald Neame. The musical numbers boast very creative camerawork that considerably heightens the excitement -- "It Never Was You" is a case in point. They are the closest we have to seeing Judy Garland "in concert" in a movie (it can be argued that her TV series did the same on the smaller screen). And the supporting performances are very fine. Bogarde, always an excellent actor, holds his own against the force of nature that is Garland by playing ying to her yang. The other actors are equally good. The script, too, is solid, and it refuses to take the easy "happy ending" route at the end, to its credit. Unfortunately, MGM has released this movie with minimal care. The image transfer should have been much better (the reds, in particular, are highly unstable). As another reviewer mentioned, the DVD should have been anamorphic (enhanced for widescreen television). This film also deserved a commentary track and other extras, and there are none here. But, that said, this bare-bones DVD is inexpensive, so don't hesitate to buy it. Perhaps if MGM sees a high demand for this title, it will release a Special Edition in the future -- not likely, I know, but we can always hope.
Rating:
Summary: Judy Garland's last, and perhaps best, film
Review: Yes, you read that title right. I think "I Could Go On Singing" is greatly underrated. I actually consider it better than the excellent "A Star Is Born," which frankly -- George Cukor, forgive me -- needed some of the cuts it got. In the semi-autobiographical role of Jenny Bowman, Garland gives an amazingly vulnerable and vital performance. She's in great vocal and physical form for the musical numbers, and although she doesn't look her best (you'd swear she was 10 years older than her actual age), she's fully engaged dramatically as well. Her hospital scene with Dirk Bogarde, where she talks about the life of a performer, has so much subtle shifting between emotions that it takes one's breath away. That alone should have earned her an Academy Award for this performance. But the film offers even more than that. It's extremely well directed by Ronald Neame. The musical numbers boast very creative camerawork that considerably heightens the excitement -- "It Never Was You" is a case in point. They are the closest we have to seeing Judy Garland "in concert" in a movie (it can be argued that her TV series did the same on the smaller screen). And the supporting performances are very fine. Bogarde, always an excellent actor, holds his own against the force of nature that is Garland by playing ying to her yang. The other actors are equally good. The script, too, is solid, and it refuses to take the easy "happy ending" route at the end, to its credit. Unfortunately, MGM has released this movie with minimal care. The image transfer should have been much better (the reds, in particular, are highly unstable). As another reviewer mentioned, the DVD should have been anamorphic (enhanced for widescreen television). This film also deserved a commentary track and other extras, and there are none here. But, that said, this bare-bones DVD is inexpensive, so don't hesitate to buy it. Perhaps if MGM sees a high demand for this title, it will release a Special Edition in the future -- not likely, I know, but we can always hope.
Rating: 
Summary: A SAD LAST HURRAH
Review: You'll like this movie if and only if you are an ardent Judy fan. Thank goodness it's available on DVD because the soap-operatic story line is just plain boring withstanding the last scene Judy plays in an English hospital "Casualty" room to Jack Klugman. The high points are her concert numbers specifically "Hello Bluebird", "By Myself" and the title finale just before the closing credits. Dirk Bogarde is there only for decoration and screen veteran Aileen MacMahon fares well as her long-suffering maid, Ida. In Great Britian this film was released as "The Lonely Stage" which is a far more appropriate title.
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