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Reviewed by UK Guest, 10th Dec 2003. |
| Review Summary: A fine collection by Laureate |
Overall Score: 5/5
 
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Review: I would recommend the Astaire & Rogers DVD collection which was released on Nov. 10, including _Top Hat_, _Follow the Fleet_, _Shall we Dance_, and _Carefree_.
I don't suppose anything about the collection is finer than
Ava McKenzie's introductions to the films. Running about 5-7
minutes each, Astaire's daughter gives background/behind the scenes type information on the films. She details the misconceptions about how Astaire and Rogers got along, as she has a time or two before. Mrs. McKenzie also shows the ring Astaire wore in Top Hat. In the intro to _Follow the Fleet_ you see a slowed image of the infamous shot to the head during the "...Face the Music and Dance" number. There is a story I never heard about Hermes Pan's embarrassing meeting with George Gershwin. During a rehearsal with a pianist who was actually George Gershwin (unbeknownest to Pan), Hermes didn't like the music's arrangement and said, "Gershwin or no Gershwin, this isn't for me!". Ava McKenzie's introductions are more elaborately shot than most intros you see on television. She often picks up letters and shows them to the camera as she reads. Using a shot from _Top Hat_ during the opening credits where Fred and Ginger were seen by their feet only, the intro begins showing Ava in the same fashion.
Having seen the pictures themselves so many times before, the introductions were clearly the highlight to me of the collection, and I popped in one disc after another to hear the introduction before finally settling into watching _Top Hat_ itself. Yet, the films are timeless classics. It is beyond about time that Fred and Ginger were preserved in the DVD format. And Mr. Barnes Laureate company very much leads the way in Astaire DVD entertainment. They produced a top-notch Holiday Inn DVD, and while this collection does not include the same amount of documentary and commentary, it is in itself better due to the quality of films it contains. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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5 |
| Review Score: |
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5 |
| Recommended? | |
Yes |
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DVD Films