Customer Reviews

Royal Wedding

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This is one of my favorite Fred Astaire musicals. It has some of his classic numbers, such as the hatrack dance and the dancing-on-the-ceiling routine. Plus, I truly adored the cockney number that Fred Astaire performed with co-star Jane Powell. I used to have a recording of this film I made off the TV, and when the DVD version was available, I decided to purchase it.

So....what can I say? The DVD is less then $10, and the film is great fun. Fred and Jane play a brother-sister vaudeville act, probably based on the real-life Fred and Astele Astaire act of the 1920s. They go to England for their new show and find new love, all during the time of Queen Elizabeth's wedding (hence the title). Along the way, we get those wonderful dances and songs (Jane Powell's "Too Late Now" won the Oscar for best song, I believe).

However....the DVD transfer is, to be polite, poor. The color looks faded in some spots and there is horrible pixelation or blockiness in other spots (especially at night). The sound quality isn't that great either, (but at least it sounds better than my TV recording). That's not saying too much, though, given the potential for DVDs. This film looks like a straight transfer from a poor VHS copy to DVD with no attempt at clean-up or restoration. This trait, however, is common to all Madacy DVDs, so I wasn't expecting any surprises there. One reviewer mentioned a widescreen version - I don't think this film was made in widescreen but rather in full-frame, so what you see on the screen is all there is to the film, I believe.

At any rate, bottom line...the movie itself gets 5 stars but due to a rather lazy DVD transfer, I can only give the DVD 2 stars. However, it *is* less than $10, so decide for yourself if it is still worth purchasing.

I love this movie. Good acting by Powell, Astaire, and one of my favorites - Peter Lawford. Unfortunately the transfer to DVD is very poor. I think the film is badly in need of restoring. Even the colour (such as the skin on Jane Powell's face) is not constant in the film while watching. I bought it because I felt I had nothing to lose. It was a good price and is better than my EP copy that jumps, if that gives you any idea of the quality. It's probably better if you get a chance to get a hold of a SP version of the video. Of course the DVD is nice as you can skip to your favourite scenes, but there are no extra features with this one. Fred Astaire's dancing on the ceiling routine is a real classic though, and the movie is definitely worth seeing! If you buy the DVD just be prepared to overlook the flaws. Also, just a warning that there are two DVD versions, one in colour and the other is advertized as B & W.

*Note: Thanks to another reviewer, I found out that the best version of this movie was released by GOODTIMES DVD as it was digitally remastered. It is also sold by amazon, but be careful when ordering because there are quite a few different dvd releases of this movie. The picture in the Goodtimes version is much better than the other releases (and believe me I practically bought all of them before finding the best one, lol).*

By an odd coincidence, the same evening I watched this DVD one of the cable stations was broadcasting the same movie. The DVD image was horrible--it looked like a third-generation tape dupe. Bad resolution, bad color, poor video and sound. The movie on TV was crisp and clear. What a contrast! This is undoubtedly the worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. What a disappointment for fans of this movie to receive an absolutely terrible copy. Makes me want to cry every time I try to look at it. The publishers should be ashamed!

Many of us have been waiting for a long time to get the old musicals on DVD eg Fred Astaire, High Society, The Gold Diggers etc. Why would I buy these though if the quality is worst than VHS which I already have. I doubt I'm unique. This is a terrible DVD. Do it again and let's get it right.

Royal Wedding has been a favorite in the Fred Astaire canon ever since it was released 54 years ago. Astaire and Jane Powell turn in some of their best perfromances in this film, and Astaire's dance on the ceiling ("You're All the World to Me") is classic. The score, by Burton Lane (of Finian's Rainbow fame) and Alan Jay Lerner (future lyricist of My Fair Lady) is unbeatable. I need not comment further on the film's merits--it speaks for itself.

The film is now in the public domain and, unfortunately, nearly all VHS and DVD releases of such films are deplorable at best. That is not so in this case. The DVD I'm commenting on here is from Goodtimes DVD (edition 05-81171), and I must say that the transfer looks pretty darn good for a PD film. The picture is clear, for the most part, and although there are some minor color shifts and age-related artifacts present, they do not distract. Colors are fairly bold and are well defined. The soundtrack is pretty clear and sounds fine. There are no extras. I have a very old 1980s copy of the VHS tape from MGM/UA Home Video and also a VHS dub I did off Turner Classic Movies two years ago, and honestly, this DVD looks better than both. It is about as good as we can expect for a PD film that has not been restored from original elements. Goodtimes is often better than most in their releases of PD films--it could be a lot worse. Warner Home Video, which controls video/DVD release rights to the rest of the old MGM library, has not given us a studio DVD release of ROYAL WEDDING as yet, and as far as I know none is in the works.

If you want ROYAL WEDDING on DVD, I absolutely recommend this Goodtimes DVD release--it is probably the best one you'll find, is at a very good price, and comes in very nice packaging.

RECOMMENDED!

Everyone who's interested in this movie has probably seen it many times. Not much of a story, as usual, but great dancing. It has the classic numbers with Fred dancing on the walls and ceiling and him dancing with a coat rack.

However, if you think you'll get higher quality video and sound by purchasing this DVD, think again. The opening credits are crooked -- on a 10 to 15 degree slant. The picture is muddy and washed out, and the sound is muted. It's as if someone taped this off a TV broadcast and then transferred the tape to DVD. Very disappointing.

I really wish we could get some of Astaire's great color movies (The Band Wagon, Silk Stockings, Funny Face) released in a high-quality DVD format similar to the quality of the DVD version of Singing in the Rain.

The 2001 digitally remastered GoodTimes DVD is far superior in both picture and sound than this 2002 Alpha Video DVD. -- Roy

Fred Astaire and Jane Powell are very convincing and highly amusing in this classic flick... "Royal Wedding." It's a fun movie about a brother and sister dance team that bring their act to London during the same time that the Royal family is making wedding plans. The whole movie is full of fun romantic mishaps and goofy happenings! The quality of this DVD isn't spectacular, but it's really not that bad. Definately worth the money! This DVD made a great addition to our home library!

DO NOT BUY THIS VERSION! VERY POOR VIDEO AND AUDIO! IT LOOKS LIKE A COPY OF A VERY LOUSY VHS VERSION

ROYAL WEDDING isn't on DVD yet. That's because the OWNER of the film, Warner Bros. hasn't released it yet.

But several other companies have, under the "guise" of public domain. The original copyright on the film was not renewed properly with the Library of Congress, so the film is perceived to be public domain, although the music is very much copyrighted and every distributor of this movie is participating in copyright infringement by selling these "bootlegs".

The companies make the money, because they're selling OTHER people's property.

The people who ultimately suffer are YOU, THE CONSUMER, unknowingly buying products of inferior (worse than professional VHS) quality, thinking you're getting the real thing, because it's a DVD.

Save your money. Wait until Warner Bros. gives us the real thing
thing...

And by the way, the movie gets 4 stars, it's the cheapo bootleg DVD that gets 1 star!