kbeard
Great review, John. I finally got around to seeing this one. I didn't go in with very high expectations and ended up loving the film. Personally, I loved the songs, particularly "Bless Yore Beautiful Hide," "Goin' Co'tin," and "Sobbin' Women." The dance numbers were fantastic and who wouldn't love the barn-raising sequence - much more action than I would have ever expected. Although I may have liked the songs more than you, I had the very same complaints about the film as you did. The soundstage definitely took away from the overall effect of the wilderness. I also noticed that when birds were released for one of the sequences, one flew into the matte painting of the mountains, which I found very comical. Regardless of my complaints, I think that this picture is fantastic and I see it as an essential viewing for fans of musicals and especially young children. Ah, sometimes, I really wish that I had been brought up on 50's musicals instead of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.
Kurtis
Kurtis
