Customer Reviews:
What is missing?.......2005-09-08
-
This could be a wonderful film - but the reason I've given it three stars is because there is something lacking.
The story itself is a not-entirely-accurate biography of composer Jerome Kern (at the time they were not allowed to tell parts of his life) and it includes much of his music.
Everyone on the MGM rota that could sing or dance was bought in for a number. So you have the delights of stars such as Frank Sinatra, June Allyson, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore . . .
Taking the part of Kern is Robert Walker, who does well, but doesn't quite manage to carry it. Van Heflin, as his friend and mentor, is likeable, but bland.
One of the highlights of the film is Judy Garland in a small role as Broadway sensation Miss Miller. Although she was about five months pregnant at the time, Judy manages three musical numbers (and one is very energetic!) and a couple of scenes. In the traditional Garland way she manages to make each moment she's on camera sparkle.
Another player worth mentioning is Lucille Bremer - who takes the decent-sized, and rather demanding, role of Van Heflin's daughter, Sally. Although Lucille never made it to stardom and is more forgotten today, she is an excellent dancer and very moving in the dramatic scenes.
I think this could have been a good film - if they'd only tried to make the script more engaging and hadn't tried to fit in so many musical numbers. A little too much of a good thing . . .
Highest accodales, lowest resolution.......2003-05-10
This film is extraordinary because of the tremendous talent that it encapsulates. The scenes are a tapestry of colour, music, song and dance on a scale long gone.
Although the acting and story (it was not really a factually correct biography of Kern) appear dated, this is not what the film is about. It's a showboat of some of the greatest show songs and singers America ever produced and on this count it does not disappoint - not by a long shot. This film contains wonderful performances by Judy, Angela, Frank and June that cannot be missed or ignored.
Unfortunately, the picture and sound quality is the poorest I have ever seen on a DVD and I can only imagine what a proper restoration will do for this treasure chest of colour and song.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends.
Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner.
On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews:
Worst DVD ever?.......2004-01-23
...but a movie worth having for any musical lover. Great production numbers (a surprising Van Johnson--great dancing!). But the DVD--I agree with the other reviewers: image is like a downloaded MPG, sound is really, really bad. This movie is in the public domain; MGM should do a proper, 'restored' release. I would buy it immediately, because there's a lot of numbers you would want to watch over and over again. But not in this 'quality'.
A Bit Misleading.......2002-06-30
I have the version from Prism Leisure, on the back it clearly states some the songs in the movie including 'do ya love me' sung by Judy Garland, the fact that it was deleted before the movie was released seems to have escaped them although her other number 'who' is alone worth the price.
The songs are really good but the scenes in between are a bit boring, Lucille Breamer's acting is absoloubtly dire [especially the scene with Marilyn Miller], the opening sequence is fantasic as is the closing sequence with all the stars, and Frank Sinatra is wonderful.
Despite the fact that Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland recieve star billing they are only in it for 10 mins. Angela Lansbury is perfect for her song and so is June Allyson.
BEWARE, MY LOVELY!.......2001-04-17
While this movie would easily fetch 5 stars, it's Eureka, who is responsible for the meager one. The DVD transfer is obviously done using a worn VHS tape as a source matherial, resulting in blurred colours, smeared picture and a soundtrack resembling the outcome of an old patephon. There is another version of this movie, probably produced by Image, with silver gray cover (I am currently commenting the version with the cover as seen above). I haven't seen the other one myself, but it can hardly be any worse. The movie is all right as the biopics go (composer J.Kern is under investigation in this one), but it is the wide array of musical stars that really makes it click - there are Judy Garland, Katherine Grayson, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, Lena Horn, Lucille Bremer, Frank Sinatra, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Peter Lawford and probably others whose name escapes me at the moment. Beautifully done, shamefully presented. BAD, EUREKA!
Amazon.co.uk Review
Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends.
Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner.
On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford
Amazon.co.uk Review
Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends.
Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner.
On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews:
Worst DVD ever?.......2004-01-23
...but a movie worth having for any musical lover. Great production numbers (a surprising Van Johnson--great dancing!). But the DVD--I agree with the other reviewers: image is like a downloaded MPG, sound is really, really bad. This movie is in the public domain; MGM should do a proper, 'restored' release. I would buy it immediately, because there's a lot of numbers you would want to watch over and over again. But not in this 'quality'.
A Bit Misleading.......2002-06-30
I have the version from Prism Leisure, on the back it clearly states some the songs in the movie including 'do ya love me' sung by Judy Garland, the fact that it was deleted before the movie was released seems to have escaped them although her other number 'who' is alone worth the price.
The songs are really good but the scenes in between are a bit boring, Lucille Breamer's acting is absoloubtly dire [especially the scene with Marilyn Miller], the opening sequence is fantasic as is the closing sequence with all the stars, and Frank Sinatra is wonderful.
Despite the fact that Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland recieve star billing they are only in it for 10 mins. Angela Lansbury is perfect for her song and so is June Allyson.
BEWARE, MY LOVELY!.......2001-04-17
While this movie would easily fetch 5 stars, it's Eureka, who is responsible for the meager one. The DVD transfer is obviously done using a worn VHS tape as a source matherial, resulting in blurred colours, smeared picture and a soundtrack resembling the outcome of an old patephon. There is another version of this movie, probably produced by Image, with silver gray cover (I am currently commenting the version with the cover as seen above). I haven't seen the other one myself, but it can hardly be any worse. The movie is all right as the biopics go (composer J.Kern is under investigation in this one), but it is the wide array of musical stars that really makes it click - there are Judy Garland, Katherine Grayson, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, Lena Horn, Lucille Bremer, Frank Sinatra, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Peter Lawford and probably others whose name escapes me at the moment. Beautifully done, shamefully presented. BAD, EUREKA!
Amazon.co.uk Review
Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends.
Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner.
On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford
Amazon.co.uk Review
Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends.
Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner.
On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews:
Worst DVD ever?.......2004-01-23
...but a movie worth having for any musical lover. Great production numbers (a surprising Van Johnson--great dancing!). But the DVD--I agree with the other reviewers: image is like a downloaded MPG, sound is really, really bad. This movie is in the public domain; MGM should do a proper, 'restored' release. I would buy it immediately, because there's a lot of numbers you would want to watch over and over again. But not in this 'quality'.
A Bit Misleading.......2002-06-30
I have the version from Prism Leisure, on the back it clearly states some the songs in the movie including 'do ya love me' sung by Judy Garland, the fact that it was deleted before the movie was released seems to have escaped them although her other number 'who' is alone worth the price.
The songs are really good but the scenes in between are a bit boring, Lucille Breamer's acting is absoloubtly dire [especially the scene with Marilyn Miller], the opening sequence is fantasic as is the closing sequence with all the stars, and Frank Sinatra is wonderful.
Despite the fact that Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland recieve star billing they are only in it for 10 mins. Angela Lansbury is perfect for her song and so is June Allyson.
BEWARE, MY LOVELY!.......2001-04-17
While this movie would easily fetch 5 stars, it's Eureka, who is responsible for the meager one. The DVD transfer is obviously done using a worn VHS tape as a source matherial, resulting in blurred colours, smeared picture and a soundtrack resembling the outcome of an old patephon. There is another version of this movie, probably produced by Image, with silver gray cover (I am currently commenting the version with the cover as seen above). I haven't seen the other one myself, but it can hardly be any worse. The movie is all right as the biopics go (composer J.Kern is under investigation in this one), but it is the wide array of musical stars that really makes it click - there are Judy Garland, Katherine Grayson, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, Lena Horn, Lucille Bremer, Frank Sinatra, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Peter Lawford and probably others whose name escapes me at the moment. Beautifully done, shamefully presented. BAD, EUREKA!
Amazon.co.uk Review
Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends.
Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner.
On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews:
Worst DVD ever?.......2004-01-23
...but a movie worth having for any musical lover. Great production numbers (a surprising Van Johnson--great dancing!). But the DVD--I agree with the other reviewers: image is like a downloaded MPG, sound is really, really bad. This movie is in the public domain; MGM should do a proper, 'restored' release. I would buy it immediately, because there's a lot of numbers you would want to watch over and over again. But not in this 'quality'.
A Bit Misleading.......2002-06-30
I have the version from Prism Leisure, on the back it clearly states some the songs in the movie including 'do ya love me' sung by Judy Garland, the fact that it was deleted before the movie was released seems to have escaped them although her other number 'who' is alone worth the price.
The songs are really good but the scenes in between are a bit boring, Lucille Breamer's acting is absoloubtly dire [especially the scene with Marilyn Miller], the opening sequence is fantasic as is the closing sequence with all the stars, and Frank Sinatra is wonderful.
Despite the fact that Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland recieve star billing they are only in it for 10 mins. Angela Lansbury is perfect for her song and so is June Allyson.
BEWARE, MY LOVELY!.......2001-04-17
While this movie would easily fetch 5 stars, it's Eureka, who is responsible for the meager one. The DVD transfer is obviously done using a worn VHS tape as a source matherial, resulting in blurred colours, smeared picture and a soundtrack resembling the outcome of an old patephon. There is another version of this movie, probably produced by Image, with silver gray cover (I am currently commenting the version with the cover as seen above). I haven't seen the other one myself, but it can hardly be any worse. The movie is all right as the biopics go (composer J.Kern is under investigation in this one), but it is the wide array of musical stars that really makes it click - there are Judy Garland, Katherine Grayson, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, Lena Horn, Lucille Bremer, Frank Sinatra, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Peter Lawford and probably others whose name escapes me at the moment. Beautifully done, shamefully presented. BAD, EUREKA!
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