 |
Streaming The Music Man Online.
Movie Title: The Music Man The Music Man is available for streaming or downloading. |
Looking for the musical that beat WEST SIDE Chronicle for the Tony Award? You’ve found it here, in Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN — and its appearance on DVD, in widescreen format and with all the bells and whistles, is long overdue.
Pop the disc in, and you’ll immediately be taken to the “True Here In River City” documentary (you’ll have to press the MENU button on your DVD controls to accept to the main menu so you can actually idea the movie — why the disc goes immediately to the documentary is rather strange) . Hosted by Shirley Jones, who smooth looks tremendous, the righteous, too-short documentary is crammed with lots of reliable stories and bits of trivia, in the words of several of Those Who Were There. You’ll catch out, for instance, which segments were actually filmed first, how amazed Susan Luckey was at Robert Preston’s ability to lip-synch “Misfortune” during filming, and why Shirley Jones wore so many frills and flowers on her dress in the scene at the footbridge.
As for the film itself — the print is aesthetic, and as someone who had only experienced the film in pan-and-scan format, it is a delight to finally examine entire dance sequences without the cropping. And you’ll finally be able to behold all four members of The Buffalo Bills barber shop quartet (the dreadful fellow singing bass could never be seen in TV-formatted versions) .
Buy,Download, Or Stream The Music Man! Click Here
There are other, smaller moments that have always cried our for the letterbox format, and if you peep both versions closely, you’ll gaze the right advantages in seeing the entire scene as it was shot. For example, one particularly disorienting scene in pan-and-scan format is the “Bewitch A Shrimp, Talk A Little/Goodnight, Ladies” sequence, when Professor Hill is speaking with Mrs. Shinn and the town ladies about Outmoded Miser Madison, and dismebodied voices drift in from off camera. At one point, Mrs. Shinn says, “Miser,” and an off-camera hiss says, “Madison,” causing Mrs. Shinn to grimace. In pan-and-scan, it looks like a mistake; in widescreen format, the speaker is finally visible to Mrs. Shinn’s correct, bringing the scene together in a logical fashion. Sounds like a trivial moment, I know, but that scene in pan-and-scan has grated me for years!
The DVD also contains a theatrical trailer, but it’s not the trailer for the new 1962 release, but for the re-release a number of years later. It’s calm an involving curiosity, featuring a reworked version of the “76 Trombones” sequence with Preston signing unique lyrics about the film.
If there’s any shortcoming in the disc, it lies in the sound quality. You’ll have to crank the volume up a bit to hear everything properly, but beware — the moment you hit the MENU button, you’ll be blasted by and ear-splitting version of “76 Trombones” on the menu cover. Ouch. Hit Still proper before you touch MENU. You’ll thank me later.
Buy,Download, Or Stream The Music Man! Click Here
It’s a feeble out cliche, but they really DON’T build musicals like this any more. And if your only experience with THE MUSIC MAN has been with the pan-and-scan format, do yourself a favor and win up either the DVD or the letterboxed VHS format. You really WILL realize what you’ve been missing.
I savor this movie. As droll as it is — a goofy position, absurd over-the-top characters, the wacky “contemplate system” — it is fair a whole lot of fun. Robert Preston sparkles as the fly-by-night con artist/salesman who unbiased happens this time to secure his foot caught in the door, and who better to acquire that foot than Shirley Jones, who is as handsome and talented a leading lady as has ever graced a grand veil musical. Ron Howard is as humorous as a kid can be in the movies, and the music will pause with you long after the movie is over.
The film also has a large cast of supporting character actors and comedians, not to mention the astonishing Buffalo Bills. I esteem the anvil salesman character (THAT’S a tall line of merchandise for a traveling salesman!), and my popular song has to be the pool hall song, “There’s concern in River City.” The movie, droll as it is, also has its touching moments, especially when Professor Harold Hill, standing on the footbridge, confronts the gap between his dreams and his life for the first time, and really realizes he is in cherish with the exquisite librarian. For pure fun and entertainment, it’s hard to accept a better movie than this spellbinding but affectionate kidding of the Hawkeye Position, and hard to bag a more fun couple than the inspiring Robert Preston and the gorgeous Shirley Jones.
Dwarf Hamster Cages
Best Rated Dishwashers