The
Fantasticks (1995 -
2000/United Artists/MGM/Twilight Time Limited Edition
Blu-ray)/Goldwyn Follies
(1938/Samuel Goldwyn Company/Warner Archive DVD)/The
Last Five Years
(2014/Radius-TWC/Anchor Bay Blu-ray)
Picture:
B/C+/B- Sound: B-/C/B Extras: B/D/C Films: C*/C+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Fantasticks
Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Twilight Time, is
limited to only 3,000 copies and can be ordered while supplies last,
while Goldwyn
Follies
is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive
series. Both can be ordered from the links below.
Here
are three ambitious musical projects with their moments, but all of
which did not work out as spectacularly as expected.
Michael
Ritchie has high hopes for his film version of the Tom Jones/Harvey
Schmidt stage musical The
Fantasticks
(1995 - 2000), which was funded and made by United Artists in 1995,
but took five year to get to the screen. That is why this new
Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-ray has two versions of the film on
it. Ritchie's long, slightly better director's cut is here in
standard definition, while the shorter version (cut in the middle of
its non release by Francis Coppola, who was working for UA at the
time, recutting this as he had Walter Hill's Supernova,
an even bigger money loser), which was never released. The studio
tired to issue it straight to video after several owner and regime
changes, but the original creators' contract prohibited that, so it
got a brief theatrical release before being shipped off to home video
after that false start.
It
is one of those stage musicals that some parts of it (like the recent
Into
The Woods,
reviewed elsewhere on this site) simply could and would not translate
onto the big screen and not work. The cast has talent, including
Joel Grey in a supporting role, but this is lacking in chemistry,
energy and has one too many visual references to the films of
Oklahoma!
and a bit of the 1939 Wizard
Of Oz.
Joe McIntyre (Joey from New Kids On The Block) and Jean Louisa Kelly
are the possible young couple to be, but I never believed they really
loved each other, so when a traveling carnival leader (Johnathon
Morris) tries to seduce her, tension is lacking.
Barnard
Hughes and Teller (the silent half of Penn & Teller, talking
here) show up in the supporting cast and the locales and
cinematography are not bad, but it just never works in either cut and
despite a few good moments and music numbers that work, this is for
fans only and possibly nearly a cult film of a very popular stage
musical. You can tell Ritchie was really trying here, but he needed
a different approach. At least he saw its release before his
passing.
Extras
are many and include a nicely illustrated booklet on the film
including informative text and an essay by the great Julie Kirgo,
while the Blu-ray offers the longer version of the film in standard
definition as noted, an Isolated Music Score Track, Original
Theatrical Trailer and no less than three
feature length audio commentary tracks. One is a vintage track by
Ritchie and we get two new ones: one with Kelly and Broadway &
Film scholar Bruce Kimmel, the other with journalist Chris Willman
(who covered the six years of ups and downs on the film) hosted by
film scholar Nick Redmond.
George
Marshall's Goldwyn
Follies
(1938) was one of the first and earliest full-length films in
3-strip, full-ranging Technicolor from start to finish. Adolph
Menjou is a filmmaker who is producing dud after dud, trying to find
a way to get a hit. He hires a young woman (Andrea Leeds) who sees
real life in simple terms and cuts through the flash and gaudiness of
the Hollywood machine as a path towards a hit.
This
backstage musical from the Samuel Goldwyn Company uses that set-up
and the inevitability that she might fall for him or a younger singer
(Kenny Baker) trying to break into the movies. The problem is it
needed more comedy (The Ritz Brothers are really funny here, stealing
their scenes) and less melodrama, so if it were in black and white,
it would be more boring than if it were not in this expensive,
beautiful, wide-ranging use of Technicolor at its best. Add Edgar
Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, Phil Baker, Helen Jepson, Ella Logan,
Zorina, solid dancing, fancy sets and songs by George & Ira
Gershwin and you have a film worth a look when you have the time and
some patience. Samuel Goldwyn knew what he was doing and it shows
here more than enough of the time.
There
are sadly no extras.
Last
but not least is Richard LaGravenese's film of Jason Robert Brown's
The
Last Five Years
(2014), a writer (Jeremy Jordan) and woman (Anna Kendrick of Into
The Woods)
trying to get her acting career on track trying to have a
relationship together and the 94 minutes of screen time for this
semi-backstage musical covers five years. Sometimes, this film
version comes across as a musical, sometimes it overly deconstructs
and sometimes, it plays more like an operetta. But I liked the
leads, who had more chemistry than expected, but this still misses
the mark a bit despite the on-screen talent and use of NYC outdoors.
None
of the songs stuck with me (maybe they needed different or variant
arrangements) and might be too laid back (Stephen Sondheim's sense of
practicalness haunts the piece in a good way), but I was just a
little disappointed. Still, it is worth a look, especially if you
like musicals or the leads. LaGravenese (Freedom
Writers)
again tries something different. I wish more directors would.
Extras
include a Sing-Along section and on-camera talk with creator Brown.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers on both
Blu-rays are not bad, with Fantasticks
show in real 35mm anamorphic Panavision with few flaws in its print,
while Last
is an HD shoot with slightly muted colors and is softer despite the
older film being about 20 years older. That is fine in both cases
and represents how good the films can look.
The
1.33 X 1 image on Follies
maybe soft, but it is the best shoot of the three even if the disc is
the poorest performer. The print in in decent shape and a really
good representation
of a dye-transfer, three-strip, 35mm Technicolor version of the film
that really deserves its own Blu-ray. I was surprised how consistent
it was and helped sell the format along with its stars and studio.
As
for sound, both Blu-rays have DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless
mixes with Fantasticks
intended as a demo for original DTS theatrical sound, but it is a
laid-back sound mix, so only expect so much from it. This can also
be a quiet film and a 2.0 DTS-MA Stereo track that is slightly weak
is also included. Last
sounds better overall, though sometimes, vocals can sound a bit
forward and maybe slightly edgy.
The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono in Follies
is lower in volume and more compressed than it ought to be, though it
is consistent, be careful of volume switching and high volumes.
To
order The
Fantasticks
limited edition Blu-ray, buy it (among other great exclusives) while
supplies last at this link:
www.screenarchives.com
… and
to order the Goldwyn
Follies
Warner Archive DVD, go to this link for it and many more great
web-exclusive releases at:
https://www.warnerarchive.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo