baracine

It's only coming out in Canada tomorrow. I read the descriptions. I own the laserdisc boxset and I'm wondering if all the wonderful extras (video and audio) of this set have been preserved on DVD, especially the rechannelled stereo version of the "One Alone" song and dance number from Deep in My Heart with Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell, arguably the most erotic piece of dancing ever committed to celluloid. If not, I'm keeping my laserdisc version... which doesn't mean I wouldn't buy the DVD set... Does anybody know?

Rodney

If you have the That's Entertainment Ultimate Musical Treasury and/or the That's Entertainment III deluxe edition, keep them. None of the audio extras are included. More That's Entertainment isn't included (it was mainly a promo for other MGM videos).

Buy the DVD for the 4th disc and the inclusion of full versions of songs inserted (where excerpts were in the original) in That's Entertainment III.

The DVD's "Standard" version has the correct aspect ratios for the clips - the widescreen clips are lettereboxed within the standard frame.

The "Widescreen" 16x9 version is the first example of "pan & scan" widescreen I've seen - some (not all) of the Academy Ratio clips are cropped for "full frame" widescreen. For example there are places where they cut off Eleanor Powell's feet during Fascinatin' Rhythm in the 16x9 version.

Let's hope this isn't the beginning of cropping old movies for widescreen.

PatrickMcCart

The reframed Academy Ratio clips were in the compilation film from the start.

baracine

Got the set last night. I see now I have to keep the laserdiscs because of all their wonderful, different, extras, including stereo versions of "One Alone" and of scenes from "The Wizard of Oz" and two hours of audio recordings.

The new DVD set is interesting for the original documentaries and the vintage ones and the deleted scenes from musicals (some of which were available before on DVD and laserdisc, mind you). Also for the extra Judy Garland deleted number "Doin' What Comes Nat'rully" ("Annie Get Your Gun") in "That's Entertainment III" (also available on the AGYG DVD). (This and the "I'm an Indian too" footage exhibit what seems to be openly hostile behaviour from Garland directed towards the director, George Sidney, or was it Busby Berkeley at that point?)

I actually liked the occasional 1:33 into 1:77 cropping in the original widescreen films. Anyway, it's corrected in the Full Screen version (available on the flip side). It's not as bad as the occasional vertical pan-and-scan of the widescreen DVDs of "Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees" (1:33 OAR shown in 1:77 DVD), which nobody seems to be complaining about.

baracine

I just bought Seven Brides for Seven Brother, a magnificent 2-disc set with both the Cinemascope 2.55:1 and the cropped 1:77 versions (filmed on different takes). One of the extras on Disc 2 is the "MGM Jubilee Overture", conducted by Johnnie Green (in anamorphic 2.55 widescreen and 5.1 Dolby), which was on the laserdisc set "That's Entertainment Ultimate Musical Treasury".

Truly moving!

This tells me that all the wonderful extras contained in that laserdisc boxset (except maybe the audio portion) will be parcelled out through different forthcoming DVD editions of MGM musicals, one of which, hopefully, will be the stereo version of the "One Alone" number from Deep in My Heart, possibly on that film's DVD, if it ever comes out.