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64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As close to the original as we'll get, October 2, 1999
This review is from: Show Boat [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This film version of "Show Boat," while not perfect, is the best one available. Not only does it follow the story more closely (except for the end) but it also preserves three performances by members of the original Broadway cast -- Sammy White, Charles Winninger, and Helen Morgan. White is very good, his frenetic dancing a highlight, and Winninger is a real winner as Andy. However, Morgan's performance is a revelation -- we get a chance for once to sample a bit of musical theatre history first-hand. She is what Kern and Hammerstein originally intended, a frail, touching, tender Julie, who also sings her songs in the original soprano keys. In addition to this, Irene Dunne as Magnolia is lovely (she took over the role on Broadway from Norma Terris, the original Magnolia), and we are truly lucky to have Paul Robeson's Joe, the original choice for the role. You can hardly get closer to authenticity than this cast, and the entire production was supervised by Kern and Hammerstein themselves. This film is the one to own if you want the best "Show Boat."
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53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Miraculous movie., June 8, 2001
This review is from: Show Boat [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I'm grateful now that I saw the Keel-Grayson version from the 1950s first. Had I seen it after the 1936 version, I'm not sure if I could have handled the letdown. Remarkably, the recent film based on the life of James Whale, director of the original "Frankenstein," made little mention of this film, one Hollywood's historic achievements. This film has charm, pacing, a blend of cinematic and musical values, and above all a supreme performance by one of Hollywood's underrated, virtuosic actresses, Irene Dunne. Her version of "Can't Help Loving the Man" came as a revelation, capturing all of the bluesy, folksy charm of the tune and setting it in the African-American context Kern had in mind. Those viewers who are so indoctrinated by "political correctness" as to experience knee-jerk reactions to any "white" intepretations of the pain/joy of black culture will simply have to remain content in their segregated righteousness. The musical is about the integration of the races, and Dunne's "shuffle dance" celebrates her innocent joy over black traditions and her assimilation of them, to the approval of those characters who assumed such music and dance was off-limits to white folk. The musical is also about the assimilation of musical styles, and Dunne's rendition of "You Are Love" is a lovely expression of Kern's operatic, European roots. The only major disappointment in this fast-paced film is the omission of the standard, "Why Do I Love You"?
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seminal Musical Classic Well Worth Seeing Seventy Years Later, October 3, 2006
This review is from: Show Boat [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Sadly not available yet on DVD, the classic black-and-white 1936 version of the seminal 1927 Oscar Hammerstein-Jerome Kern musical is rarely seen these days since it's been overshadowed by the far more elaborate 1951 MGM color remake (which is on DVD). That's a shame since this one is like a piece of cameo jewelry from a bygone era, a sublimely entertaining piece of Americana so naïve in its approach that its pervasive use of racial stereotypes comes across more as quaint than demoralizing.
Directed by James Whale (the protagonist of 1998's Gods and Monsters and most famous for his 1931 classic, Frankenstein), it's a multi-generational story that starts with the Hawks family who runs a variety entertainment showboat in the 1880's. The jovial Captain Andy is the boat's impresario who is constantly goaded by his mean-spirited wife Parthy. They have a musically inclined daughter Magnolia who is best friends with the show's star, mulatto chanteuse Julie LaVerne. The local sheriff forces Julie out of the show for being half-black. Andy has Magnolia take her place just as gambler Gaylord Ravenal comes to town and becomes recruited as the show's leading man. Gaylord and Magnolia fall immediately in love, marry, move to Chicago and have a girl they named Kim. There, he gains and loses a fortune and then leaves Magnolia and Kim. Over the years, Magnolia becomes a big stage star and passes the torch to Kim.
The music, of course, is unbeatable with standards, chief among them "Make Believe", "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" and "You Are Love". Even though Irene Dunne was in her late thirties when she made this film, she amazingly gets away with the first half where she plays Magnolia as an ingénue. What's more, she was the rare actress who could act and sing (quite beautifully) at the same time, even when she is required to perform in blackface in "Gallivantin' Around". Allan Jones is a fine singer as Gaylord, though not as interesting an actor especially in the second half when misfortune takes over. When they sing "You Are Love" together, it's still quite magical.
What a treat to be able to see the redoubtable Paul Robeson as Joe singing "Ol' Man River" so powerfully (and filmed with an intriguing montage of woeful images), as well as legendary torch singer Helen Morgan play Julie and perform her signature song, "Bill", so touchingly. Familiar character actor Charles Winninger probably has his best role as Captain Andy, while Hattie McDaniel plays Joe's forceful wife Queenie in a performance as good as her Mammy in Gone with the Wind. The film is really an intriguing mix of melodrama and great music with socially relevant observations regarding racism, alcoholism and gambling addiction.
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