Esther Williams – Volume Two (Easy To Love/Fiesta/Million Dollar Mermaid/Pagan Love Song/This Time For Keeps/Thrill
Of A Romance/Warner Home Video DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C Extras: C+ Films: C+
Warner
Bros. has decided to issue more hits from the career of Esther Williams and
with Esther Williams – Volume Two,
we get more glossy MGM films and six this time.
They include Easy To Love
(1953 with Van Johnson), Fiesta
(1947 with Ricardo Montalban, Akim Tamiroff, Mary Astor & Cyd Charisse), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952 with
Victor Mature and Walter Pidgeon), Pagan
Love Song (1950 with Howard Keel and Rita Moreno), This Time For Keeps (1947 with Jimmy Durante and Xavier Cugat) and Thrill Of A Romance (1945 with Frances
Gifford and Van Johnson).
Though
not as strong as the first set (they were trying to expand Williams’ work
outside of swimming on screen), the money and effort is still on the screen in
all six outings as MGM was determined to keep Williams and company in the high
class spotlight. Pagan may be particularly politically incorrect, but it is never
condescending or lacking in trying to present something different, while Fiesta and Million Dollar Mermaid hold up the best of the six.
The 1.33
X 1 image on each film varies slightly throughout, with most of the films
originally issued in three-strip dye-transfer Technicolor, though some look
more accurately colorful than others. Some
of her films may get the same treatment eventually Warner just lavished on Wizard Of Oz, but despite some color
and detail issues, none of the transfers look faded. The Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono on each film is not
as consistent as on the last set, so expect varied sound.
Extras on
all six discs again include trailers (usually including the film on the disc)
and two kinds of short: live action special interest and animated
classics. The animated shorts are either
MGM or Warner classics. Romance
and Pagan offer Musical outtakes,
while Mermaid adds a Lux Radio Theater installment with
Williams and Walter Pidgeon, but the audio is unusually distorted, so beware.
For more
on Williams, try this link to the first DVD set:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5686/Esther+Williams+%E2%80%93+Volum
- Nicholas Sheffo
