Product Details

• Actors: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan
• Directors: Vincente Minnelli
• Format: NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: March 15, 2005
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007YXPKQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,425 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi

Product Description

Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse. When a has-been Hollywood star agrees to become part of a Broadway show, it starts attracting audiences and acclaim. Great Astaire dance numbers! 2 DVDs. 1953/color/112 min/NR/fullscreen.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 89 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great film musicals July 6, 2002

By Robert Moore HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

This movie begins with a phenomenal if misleading shot. It shows a top hat and cane belonging to former dancing legend Tony Hunter being auctioned, with no takers. Of course, if you see a top hat and cane, you think "Fred Astaire." But despite the implication and reference, Fred Astaire was, at the time this film was being made, still very much the greatest dancer in the movies (with apologies to Gene Kelly). Unlike Tony Hunter, he had never ceased to make "A" pictures. But no one could have played this role with more authority than Astaire.

The plot is simple: washed-out and used-up former dance legend Tony Hunter is returning to Broadway in an attempt to revive his sagging career. That provides the pretext that is needed for a nearly perfect musical. THE BAND WAGON is a magnificent blend of great songs, great music, great dancer numbers, great actors, and great comedy. The cast is perfect. You get not only the greatest song and dance man in movie history but also a magnificent partner in the elegant and leggy Cyd Charise. You get great comic relief with Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray. And you get one of the few musical comedy performers who could rival Fred Astaire for elegance and charm in Jack Buchanan.

The musical numbers are both marvelous and apparently never ending. The film begins with Fred performing "By Myself" and then soon shifts to a thoroughly rousing version of "Shine on My Shoes." Later in the film, two enormously debonair song and dance men (Fred and Jack) perform "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan's." And that doesn't even come close to exhausting the list.

Perhaps the highpoint of the film, however, comes when Tony and Gabrielle, the ballet performer the producers want to partner him with, uncertain that they will be able to dance with each other at all, take a carriage ride through Central Park to try to get to know each other. As they drive, they come upon an outdoor dance floor, with an orchestra playing the haunting Dietz and Schwartz classic "Dancing in the Dark" (which lyricist Dietz intended to be a meditation about the nature of human existence; Schwartz's music matched the mood of the lyrics perfectly). Tony and Gabrielle get out and begin to walk together in rhythm, gradually and tentatively attempting a few dance steps. Eventually, they discover each other's rhythm, and they begin to dance together marvelously and magnificently, matching the mood of the music precisely. It is one of the greatest moments in either Astaire or Charisse's career.

This is a must see film for any fan of the movie musical. I have to confess that I am not, by and large, a big fan of the MGM musical. I prefer the kookiness of the older RKO musicals, or even the stylized musicals of Warners or even Fox. MGM musicals were, to me, too often overproduced and dominated by the art directors. This film, however, is a magnificent exception.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the BAND WAGON sparkles like never before! April 7, 2005

By Byron Kolln HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This stunning new 2-disc edition of THE BAND WAGON - in my opinion the greatest musical ever made at MGM - is a must for all classic movie fans. The story is simple and effective. Washed-up Hollywood hoofer Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) goes to try his luck on the Broadway stage, in a musical written by husband-and-wife team Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray). Bombastic `renaissance man' Jeffrey Kordova (Jack Buchanan) is assigned to direct and the simple sunny musical written by the Martons' is transformed into a moralistic Faustian tale. Tony is frustrated-still by his leading lady, elegant ballerina Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse). Will the show come together? Will Tony and Gaby ever get along? Find and join the joyous BAND WAGON!

The film looks glorious in an all-new `Ultra Resolution' restorative transfer. The colours fairly pop off the screen. The sound is presented in a newly-mastered 5.1 mix (though the original mono track is also available for purists). Extras include a delightful audio commentary where old pals Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein have a grand time (Minnelli talks about her father's experiences directing the picture and she shares her memories of visiting the set as a wide-eyed 6-year-old). There's also a new Making-Of featurette, with new interviews of Nanette Fabray, Cyd Charisse, James Mitchell and Ava Astaire McKenzie, Fred's daughter. The cut number "Two-Faced Woman" is presented both in it's full length and in dailies (I still have no idea why this fabulous number was cut, it's a perfect example of Minnelli's style coupled with the smouldering sensuality that Cyd Charisse was perfect at conveying). There is also silent footage of some other cut scenes (including where "Two-Faced Woman" would have sat in the picture). There's also the vintage TV episode of "The Men Who Made the Movies" that focused on Vincente Minnelli (copious amounts of great footage from his musicals) and a rare Vitaphone short featuring a very young Jack Buchanan.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For Many of Us, the Best Musical May 3, 2000

By Allen Smalling TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:VHS Tape

I'm not prepared to be objective about "The Band Wagon." To me it has the artistry of "An American in Paris" and the rollicking fun of "Singing in the Rain." Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse have never danced better before or since and this backstage musical with plenty of tunes by Dietz and Schwartz gives them plenty of opportunity to strut their stuff. To me the "Dancing in the Dark" sequence is the most sublime dance number ever recorded on film.

"The Band Wagon" is not just a musical, but a musical about musicals. Fred Astaire plays a slightly down-and-out version of himself, "Tony Hunter," who was "in all those singing and dancing pictures ten or twelve years ago, but the critics say he's washed up." Against his better judgment Tony gets teamed up with Cyd in an arty version of "Faust" that has disaster written all over it. But you know show people . . . and musicals . . .

This movie really gets a split response. Nobody hates it but for some it's "just okay" and then there are the ones like me who LOOVE it. It's my favorite musical and one of my favorite movies, period. I'm very glad Amazon is stocking it again. If you're a fan of Astaire, director Vincente Minnelli, or the MGM films of the early fifties, I doubt you'll be disappointed if you take a chance on "The Band Wagon."