As Warners dig deeper into the MGM musical catalogue, the pickings get slimmer....
"Kismet" does provide a few things of interest to watch and listen for, though. The songs "Stranger in Paradise" and "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" stand out; the settings and scenery are sometimes spectacular; and Jamie Farr has a bit part as a fruit peddler early on that reminds us that he's older than a lot of us probably realized. 5/10
Video:
The earliest movies in the set, "Broadway Melody of 1936," "Broadway Melody of 1938," "Born to Dance," and "Lady Be Good," are in standard-screen and black-and-white; the early 50's films, "Nancy Goes to Rio" and "Two Weeks With Love," are in standard-screen and color; and the later films, "Deep in My Heart," "Hit the Deck," and "Kismet" are in widescreen and color. Now, let me tell you about "Kismet." WB's anamorphic widescreen reproduction of the 2.40:1-ratio CinemaScope image is quite clean, free of age marks or transfer noise. However, the hues seem slightly veiled, looking a little tired. One always wishes for a frame-by-frame restoration in these things, with color correction and all, but, of course, that would be far too costly for a film like this one that is only a part of a larger collection. What we get is natural enough, if not always so vivid as it could be, given how colorful the production is. Definition is a bit on the soft side, too, so let's say the picture is inoffensive at best.
Audio:
The first six earliest films have Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural soundtracks, "Deep in My Heart" has a Dolby Digital 5.0 track, and "Hit the Deck" and "Kismet" sport 5.1 tracks. With "Kismet," Warner Bros. offer two soundtracks in English: the original four-track theatrical mix in Dolby Digital 5.0 and a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1. I have to admit that the DD 5.1 rendition sounds pretty good for its age, a little hard and metallic in some areas, though generally smooth. It displays an excellent left-to-right stereo spread, with a pleasant ambient bloom in the surrounds. The sound is not especially realistic, but it is appealing.
Extras:
Each of the movies in collection contains a number of extras, which vary from disc to disc. Among the items you can expect are vintage short subjects, classic cartoons, deleted or alternate musical numbers, outtakes, radio programs, ample scene selections, original theatrical trailers, and spoken languages and subtitles in English, French, and sometimes Portuguese. Each disc comes housed in a Super Slim translucent case, the cases further enclosed in a handsome metalized cardboard box.
Specific to "Kismet," things begin with the thirty-minute short subject "The Battle of Gettysburg" (1955), written and produced by Dory Schary, narrated by Leslie Nielsen, and filmed at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Next, we have the MGM Technicolor cartoon "The First Bad Man" (1955), directed by Tex Avery. Following that are two excerpts from the black-and-white "MGM Parade" television show (1955) previewing "Kismet," with George Murphy and Howard Keel. After that is a two-minute deleted harem scene from "Kismet" in black-and-white and an audio-only outtake, "Rhymes Have I." The bonuses conclude with a trailer for this 1955 "Kismet" as well as another for the 1944 version with Ronald Colman and Marlene Dietrich; thirty-one scene selections but no chapter insert; English and Portuguese spoken languages; and English, French, and Portuguese subtitles.
Parting Shots:
Fans of musical comedies will find a good deal here to entertain them, given the sheer number of films involved in the collection. Yet I'm afraid only a couple of the movies held much interest for me personally, those exceptions being "Born to Dance" and "Lady Be Good," which at least contain some good tunes and plenty of spirit. "Kismet" in particular disappointed me because I hadn't seen it since I was kid, and somehow it seemed a lot more fun back then. Different age, different time.
Video:
The earliest movies in the set, "Broadway Melody of 1936," "Broadway Melody of 1938," "Born to Dance," and "Lady Be Good," are in standard-screen and black-and-white; the early 50's films, "Nancy Goes to Rio" and "Two Weeks With Love," are in standard-screen and color; and the later films, "Deep in My Heart," "Hit the Deck," and "Kismet" are in widescreen and color. Now, let me tell you about "Kismet." WB's anamorphic widescreen reproduction of the 2.40:1-ratio CinemaScope image is quite clean, free of age marks or transfer noise. However, the hues seem slightly veiled, looking a little tired. One always wishes for a frame-by-frame restoration in these things, with color correction and all, but, of course, that would be far too costly for a film like this one that is only a part of a larger collection. What we get is natural enough, if not always so vivid as it could be, given how colorful the production is. Definition is a bit on the soft side, too, so let's say the picture is inoffensive at best.
Audio:
The first six earliest films have Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural soundtracks, "Deep in My Heart" has a Dolby Digital 5.0 track, and "Hit the Deck" and "Kismet" sport 5.1 tracks. With "Kismet," Warner Bros. offer two soundtracks in English: the original four-track theatrical mix in Dolby Digital 5.0 and a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1. I have to admit that the DD 5.1 rendition sounds pretty good for its age, a little hard and metallic in some areas, though generally smooth. It displays an excellent left-to-right stereo spread, with a pleasant ambient bloom in the surrounds. The sound is not especially realistic, but it is appealing.
Extras:
Each of the movies in collection contains a number of extras, which vary from disc to disc. Among the items you can expect are vintage short subjects, classic cartoons, deleted or alternate musical numbers, outtakes, radio programs, ample scene selections, original theatrical trailers, and spoken languages and subtitles in English, French, and sometimes Portuguese. Each disc comes housed in a Super Slim translucent case, the cases further enclosed in a handsome metalized cardboard box.
Specific to "Kismet," things begin with the thirty-minute short subject "The Battle of Gettysburg" (1955), written and produced by Dory Schary, narrated by Leslie Nielsen, and filmed at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Next, we have the MGM Technicolor cartoon "The First Bad Man" (1955), directed by Tex Avery. Following that are two excerpts from the black-and-white "MGM Parade" television show (1955) previewing "Kismet," with George Murphy and Howard Keel. After that is a two-minute deleted harem scene from "Kismet" in black-and-white and an audio-only outtake, "Rhymes Have I." The bonuses conclude with a trailer for this 1955 "Kismet" as well as another for the 1944 version with Ronald Colman and Marlene Dietrich; thirty-one scene selections but no chapter insert; English and Portuguese spoken languages; and English, French, and Portuguese subtitles.
Parting Shots:
Fans of musical comedies will find a good deal here to entertain them, given the sheer number of films involved in the collection. Yet I'm afraid only a couple of the movies held much interest for me personally, those exceptions being "Born to Dance" and "Lady Be Good," which at least contain some good tunes and plenty of spirit. "Kismet" in particular disappointed me because I hadn't seen it since I was kid, and somehow it seemed a lot more fun back then. Different age, different time.
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[release]23453[/release]