Product Details

• Actors: Tommy Steele, Julia Foster, Cyril Ritchard, Penelope Horner, Elaine Taylor
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: April 6, 2004
• Run Time: 143 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001AW070
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,997 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Half a Sixpence" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Adventures of Arthur Kipps and his new-found wealth in Edwardian London's music halls.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-APR-2004
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A constant joy, May 26, 2004

By 

Joseph Hart (Visalia, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Half a Sixpence (DVD)

I resent the Amazon reviewer's caustic remarks about the movie, Richard and Steele. This movie was a true delight from beginning to end. The dancing was glorious and lots of it. The songs by this time were old friends. Incidentally, I've heard the cast recordings of the London, Bway and movie versions. A few songs were the same in all 3, others came and went, which I thought was odd. Tommy Steele (35 years ago, can you believe it!) was wonderful as was everyone, it was a little long (2 hours and 25 minutes), but it was always fun and exciting. I loved it. Incidentally, the villains were just nasty enough to get their point across, nothing to enrage you, and their comeuppance was also just right, not some scathing triumph. I found the whole thing a pleasure, just as I did 35 years ago.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Half a Sixpence on DVD--Better Than None, April 10, 2004

By 

Gabriel Oak (Middletown, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Half a Sixpence (DVD)

Contrary to what another reviewer has said, Half a Sixpence was a throughly delightful show on stage, at least on Broadway, thanks to a great performance by Tommy Steele, a charming cast, and wonderful choreography by Onna White who went on to do the choreography for the film version of Oliver! The movie version of Sixpence didn't quite have all the charm of the show, but it does have Steele, who gives his all, a touching performance by Julia Foster as Anne, and Grover Dale from the Broadway cast (who would also appear in the Demy film musical The Young Girls of Rochefort. The production values are pleasing to the eye. I'd say one of the flaws of the movie is the unimaginative choroeography by Gillian Lynne (who eventually worked on Cats)--I'm not sure why White wasn't available. The movie includes most of the score of the show, but it cuts one of the show's best songs, Long Ago--it's sung briefly by a chorus at the beginning and is also used as background music but it was an important number in the show because it reaffirmed the love of Kipps and Anne. Having said all this, Half a Sixpence is worth owning because it is an example of lavish filmmaking we don't get to see much anymore. And it's a good musical that for some reason isn't performed very much, at least in the US. I just wish they would have done an interview with Steele about being in the musical. I believe this movie did much better in England than in the US when it was originally released.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars HALF A TRANSFER IS BETTER THAN NONE, April 14, 2004

By 

Peter Gardner (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Half a Sixpence (DVD)

For the longest time I thought I was the only one in the world who could be hoping against hope for a widescreen stereo DVD of "Half A Sixpence" and thought it would never happen. I'm delighted to be proven wrong on both counts.

While I had no problem with what looked like a fine visual transfer, the stereo sound seems to be from faded magnetic tracks that have not been restored. It all sounds a bit muted, and in one scene one of the channels has a wobbling-hissing sound underneath the dialogue and music. I just wish they would have gone the extra step to polish the great soundtrack. But still, half a "Half A Sixpence" is better than none; this is a lavish, fun, boisterous musical.

Now if they would FINALLY release "Flower Drum Song" in widescreen and stereo...Anyone know what's taking so long?