Customer Reviews

Guys and Dolls (Decades Collection with CD)

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Yes, indeed! The booklet included is nice and glossy. Thanks! And the two documentaries added this time around are nice too. Thanks again! But what about the film itself? Has that been given the deluxe treatment as well?
Sad answer: Definitely NOT! As a matter of fact, this new "re-master" looks much worse than the previous DVD. That one was a very fuzzy non-anamorphic mess, but this new anamorphic one is just as fuzzy. In fact, when I put the old one in the zoom mode, there is no difference in focus and contrast whatsoever. And the colors are somewhat more warm and pleasant on the old edition. But worst of all, is that the new DVD is cropped on all four sides! There is quite a lot of more picture information available on the old disc, especially on top of the frame! So much for a Deluxe Edition! Shame on you, Sony/MGM-UA! Fans of this film - myself included - will have to keep the old DVD, and get this new one for the extras and the booklet. (The 2 stars above are for those inclusions alone.) This is certainly no way to treat loyal film fans and costumers willing to pay for an upgrade version of a beloved film!

A film by Joseph Mankiewicz

The image I have in my head of Marlon Brando is that of Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" and Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront". The opportunity to see Brando in a musical was just too good to pass up. "Guys and Dolls" is a musical about gamblers and women, but the story is much better than that.

Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) runs a high stakes craps game. Normally he does not have any trouble finding a location for the game, but the police is putting on the heat and nobody is willing to take the chance...nobody but one person who wants $1000 up front to host the game. All of the big mobsters are in town and they are looking for Nathan's craps game. Nathan makes a bet with Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando), a high roller who will bet on absolutely anything. The bet is that Sky cannot convince Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) to go with him to Havana for the night. This may not seem like that big of a bet, but Sarah Brown works downtown at the mission and is a very straight-laced, Christian woman. Sky Masterson is not the sort of man she would associate with. Sky takes the bet and starts trying to win over Sarah. While Sky is doing this, Nathan is setting up the craps game with the promise of the thousand dollars he believes he'll win from Sky. The only thing raining on Nathan's parade is his fiancee of 14 years, Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine). Miss Adelaide is a show girl, and she is getting tired of waiting for Nathan to marry her and she is also completely against the crap game.

The above description sets the stage for a wonderful musical where we get to see Brando singing "Luck Be a Lady". The other song that completely surprised me was "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat", a song I only knew from the much slower Don Henley version. With Sinatra's crooning and Brando singing like I never knew he could, this is one good musical. I would definitely recommend this movie.

"Guys and Dolls" is a fairly faithful, good adaptation of the great Broadway stage musical. Unlike "West Side Story" or "My Fair Lady", it isn't a film that cries out "SPECIAL EDITION!" but it is fine to have one available.
MGM has given the film a fine special edition (or Deluxe Edition as they call it) treatment. The box is nice and reflects some of the original artwork with modern touches. The scrapbook (A collection of old advertising and photos) is fine as well.
As for the disc itself, the two documentaries are fine. No rare photographs from the Broadway or film archives are shown, but the interviews from the children of the creators (Loesser, Goldwyn and Mankiewicz) and the choreographer, Michael Kidd are quite nice and informative.
The film itself recieves a nice treatment although it is quite similar to the previous editions.

For those uniformed potential buyers...note that the picture/aspect ratio for this specific release has been cropped (I've done identical scene comparisons with this deluxe release and the previous edition). In addition, the (2000) release is mislabeled (i.e. 2.35:1) and is actually presented in a 2.55:1 ratio (the original theatrical release format). Conversely, the deluxe edition (is labeled 2.55:1) and because of cropping, has been altered from the picture's original aspect ratio...in effect displaying a 2.35:1 image. The cropping issue has also been noted by other various reviewers, therefore confirming and/or lending credibility to this issue not being an isolated event.
In summmation...the product has been misrepresented. With this release, one does not get the complete picture...literally. I returned my deluxe edtion for a refund and will stay with my (2000) version, until the studio(s) or those responsible for a legitimate "deluxe" edtion will "do it right."

I've seen the play twice and the movie umpteen times, but nobody does a better Nathan than Frank Sinatra. Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine all add to the movie's magic. Even though Stubby Kaye has a small role, he steals the show in his scenes. If you're feeling down in the dumps, this movie will make you chuckle, tap your feet, and burst out in song. You've read the twenty-four reviews above mine. It's unanimous--Guys and Dolls is a five-star film. Why doesn't amazon.com release it again? Don't they read our reviews? PLEASE RERELEASE THIS MOVIE!

Was this really 1955? That soon after the Broadway run? It seemed so unconnected to the stage version at the time. Sure Sam Levine and Robert Alda, as Nathan and Sky, weren't going to translate to extra box office bucks. You knew they'd be scratched for the more bankable. But then, Vivian Blaine and Stubby Kaye weren't household names either. And it's their Broadway gloss and charm in this screen version that makes it so vivid. I recall there was mild interest at release in seeing what Brando could do, a sort of breath-holding waiting for him to fail. That he didn't wasn't enough to distinguish this as one of the great screen musicals of the '50s.

But times are different now. My 8-year-old is in love with Brando in this video version. And all evidence to the contrary, thinks his singing is wonderful. Her 5 year old sister thinks Jean Simmons' Sergeant Sarah Brown is beautiful-and therefore also wonderful-and they both love the music and Michael Kidd's muscular and strenuous choreography (the similarities to "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" are so obvious even they pointed it out!). It's a much better film than I remember.

Brando is Brando. You can't take your eyes off him. But he doesn't convince. His voice, well, he's on key and with electronic augmentation that thin voice sounds like he's belting them out. His dancing in the Cuba sequence and in "Luck Be a Lady" is athletic and, for that period, not awkwardly masked by dancing chorus. Looks to me that Simmons was synched in the tough numbers but did her own singing for "I'll Know When My Love Comes Along," but hey, she's Jean Simmons and that enough. Knowing today what we didn't know then of Sinatra's hangout buddies, his Nathan is more than a little soft-edged. My daughters kept recalling "Chip,"(or as they put it, "an older Chip") his lovable innocent in "On the Town," an odd sort of connection to make with a Broadway gambler.

Almost 50 years later, the real triumph is how Abe Burrows book and Frank Loesser's music still strike home. And the Damon Runyon characters are still fresh and funny. It's all so sprightly, so memorable! Even with Mankiewicz practicing the interfering and irrelevant direction he would perfect a decade later in "Cleopatra". And the question still persists: why in the world was "Bushel and a Peck" excised from the film?

Even so, a great movie for kids, and a great way to remember a time when families laughed at the same thing.

"Guys & Dolls" is based on the classic musical and the stories of Damon Runyon. The music by Frank Loesser is excellent, the screenplay is funny and fast-paced, and the acting is very good as well.
The last person you would guess to be cast into a movie musical would be Marlon Brando. But in his musical debut, he is actually better than expected. He gets through his songs, including the classic "Luck Be a Lady," and his acting is wonderful.
In the show, Nathan Detroit has two songs: a small piece of "The Oldest Established" and a talk-singing version of "Sue Me." However, since this part is played by Frank Sinatra, the movie had to be completely "Sinatra-ized." Now, I love Frank Sinatra. But now Detroit participates in "Guys and Dolls," stealing this hilarious number from Stubby Kaye (Nicely-Nicely) and Johnny Silver (Benny Southstreet) and another song, "Adelaide," has been added just for him.
The two leading ladies work well. Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide is excellent, maybe better than she was in the original Broadway cast. Jean Simmons is also good as conservative Salvation Army worker Sarah Brown and belts out "If I Were a Bell," the number where she breaks out of her conservative self.
But the real show-stealer was, surprisingly, Stubby Kaye reprising his Broadway role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Although the "Guys and Dolls" number was stolen from him, he makes up for it with "Fugue For Tinhorns" and the jazzy show-stopper "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat." His energy and comedic timing are excellent and he is... actually... the best character in the whole show.
The movie is good, corny at some times, but good. The cast is excellent and the screenplay is hilarious. If you're looking for a great old-fashioned movie musical, check it out.

Like it or not, it's up there with the classic film musicals of all time. Who would want to miss a singing Brando? He does a good job as Sky Masterson but one wonders how it would have been if Sinatra had played Sky & Brando, Nathan Detroit. Apparently in reality, Sinatra wanted the part of Sky but he lucked-out to Marlon. Brando said later that when they recorded his voice, it was so bad that he literally had to sing it line by line. I personaly think he does a fine job, as does Old Blue Eyes. One of those great looking hollywood movies. Like candy for the eyes. How lucky we are to be able to see it in it's cinematic DVD glory in our own lounge rooms. Need popcorn in your lap for this one.

I can't get over the fact that I am unable to buy this amazing musical! I have played the music from this on many occasions, including in the pit orchestra for a stage performance of Guys & Dolls, and also as a marching band show. If you are a performer, you know the feeling that I am talking about here, that 'tingle' you feel when everything goes right, and you can just feel the emotion and power behind what you are playing/performing. This is one of the few musical scores that has both the power to do this to you, yet isn't as 'in your face' as something like Malaguena. It's light and humorous at times, yet in the same song, there are moments when you feel like you are just palying your heart out. This video is absolutely amazing, and the fact that Brando *SINGS* is even better. By far, however, Nicely Nicely Johnson's "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" is the best song in the entire show. It would make a great closer for any performance of this musical, and also a good curtain call!

The first time I sat down to see this movie I was expecting to be bored senseless! It took about five minutes for me to find myself focused on each character. I found it to be one of my favorite movies of all time, and know many others who feel the same. Don't be scared by the typical uninteresting musical numbers and silly dance numbers. this film has a great story as well as a great cast to drive it home. If you have yet to watch Guys & Dolls in your life, I fear that you have sheltered yourself from real cinema. Plus Sinatra sings songs that are forever burned into your mind as you eat in any italian restaurant or drink a martini in a nice lounge (luck be a lady tonight). Buy It, Rent It, Just watch it! I assure you it will be a prized member of your video library. If I am wrong you can write me a nasty email note, but you wont need to. END