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TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Best Picture Winners (Casablanca / Gigi / An American in Paris / Mrs. Miniver)

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I am 80 years old and saw these films when they were first released. In an age when there were no VCRs, much less DVDs, a film came your way, you saw it and from then on they were memories. These films were considered classics then and seeing them again I would say that they stand up well against current stuff. Different acting style, true, but the dramatic impact and the story lines are as good as any. It is refreshing to see the dancing in American... and Gigi. Is today's stuff really more energetic? The old days were so much more graceful - tell me about Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astair. The great relief? I cannot imagine Mrs. Minniver using the indecent language that we hear in too many films these days. How refreshing!!!

This TCM/Warners classic movie collection will be a great space-saving alternative for those people whose DVD collections are getting slightly out of control...like me! This set comprises four all-time classic films that won the coveted 'Best Picture' Academy Award in their respective years.

MRS MINIVER: Greer Garson is a portrait of courage under fire in this stirring wartime drama, beautifully directed by William Wyler and co-starring Walter Pidgeon and Teresa Wright. Special Features: Greer Garson Academy Awards speech footage, shorts "Mr. Blabbermouth" and "For the Common Defense", photo gallery and trailer.

CASABLANCA: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in their iconic roles of Rick and Ilsa, two former lovers who are thrown together again in wartime Casablanca. You must remember this! Special Features: audio commentary by Rudy Behlmer, audio commentary by Roger Ebert, all-new introduction hosted by Lauren Bacall.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS: Gene Kelly's unmatched dance talents, the glowing screen debut of Leslie Caron and the sensitive direction of Vincente Minnelli combine in this breathtaking musical classic. Special Features: audio commentary hosted by Patricia Ward Kelly, shorts "Paris on Parade" and "Symphony in Slang", and trailer.

GIGI: The final hurrah of the grand old MGM musical, reuniting star Leslie Caron and director Vincente Minnelli in an opulent adaptation of Colette's famous novella. Special Features: audio commentary by Jeanine Basinger and Leslie Caron, shorts "The Million Dollar Nickel" and "The Vanishing Duck", and trailer.

This is one of the first of what is planned to be 27 sets of four films each from Warner Home Video. They are cheap bare-bones releases of classic movies sold at a discount to introduce classic film to the masses. That is a good idea, and for that I salute Warner Home Video. The following are the contents of this set -

Mrs. Miniver (1942) - This is a good film, and it has great acting, but it is one of those films that probably won because of the times. It depicts how the British coped while under seige during World War II as experienced by one British family headed by Mrs. Miniver.

Casablanca (1943) - This one probably won because of the wartime theme, but it is a great piece of moviemaking that just gets better with time. The chemistry between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart just oozes off the screen. It's more what's not said than what is in this film. The fact that Bogart didn't win best actor was one of the great injustices of all time.

An American in Paris (1951) - Of course the point of this film not the plot, it is Gene Kelly's dancing, which is fabulous as always. It inspired the quickly thrown together and even more popular "Singin In the Rain".

Gigi (1958) - The academy award winner in the year of my birth just does not inspire today. There are a couple of good songs, but not many. Plus the screenplay is antiquated and outright campy by today's standards.

Casablance is the finest Best Picture winner in the Warner Home Video archives. However, I think a better selection to round out the three of the total four films would have been Gone With the Wind (1939), Ben-Hur (1959), and My Fair Lady (1964). Also realize that Casablanca, Gigi, and American in Paris have recent deluxe releases, if you are interested in extra features.

An American In Paris
When Gertrude Stein told Hemingway "You're all a lost generation," the bloom came off the rose and expatriate status lost its cache among Americans living in Paris. It was a phenomenon, but one that had expired by the time this film was made in 1951. Still, for a new generation of viewers, the main premise of this film is still intact. That seems to be what the film wants: to be accepted for what it is: a love story.

Gene Kelly had a boatload of experience in film and on stage prior to his pairing with Leslie Caron in An American in Paris. He plays an artist low on cash but high on principle; there are two scenes where he takes up arms, first a sidewalk encounter with a college student on a point over art theory, second with art patron Milo Roberts (Nina Fochs) who wants more than his paintings. Kelly is so adamant in both instances that the movie becomes his film, although he gets lots of help and advice from his friends, one of whom, the classical pianist Adam Cook (Oscar Levant) takes a flight of fancy that forms the comic high point of the picture. But Kelly's main interest, then obsession, leads him to Leslie Caron and a well choreographed episode of imaginative longing, a lush panorama of art, Gershwin music and ballet that secured Kelly's reputation for helping broaden ballet's appeal to large audiences. The film leaves no doubt that Gene Kelly could carry a motion picture. He followed it up a year later with another great performance in Singin' In The Rain.

Gigi
Gigi is a musical spectacular that overlays a thorny family issue: discreet infidelity - a touchy subject when this film was made in 1958, a sore point between couples today. Lavish and colorful costumes helped producer Arthur Freed sell this underlying theme to the guardians of the Hollywood Production Code. Placing the action of the movie in the 19th century instead of the 20th is a timing device helping to put some distance between the filmed era and the contemporary scene. This distance allows the film to deftly suggest the issue it chronicled was part of a bygone age, even though we know it isn't.

Maurice Chevalier adds charm and sophistication with his presence, not to mention a great singing voice, and yet another means of softening the film's main theme of preparing young girls to be mistresses. Gigi herself is in training for such a role under the tutelage of Madam Alvarez (Hermione Gingold).

Louis Jourdan as Gaston stands in contrast to the whole notion of marital deceit and is repelled by the social system supporting it. An ardent proponent of plain speaking, Gaston is the polar opposite of the gossipers at Maxim's restaurant (if you can't actually go to Maxim's, you can visit it vicariously in this film). Leslie Caron is wonderful as Gigi, her transformation from naïve adolescent to the radiantly confident woman she becomes is amazing to watch - the producers no doubt also intend it as a triumph of enlightened virtue over essentially corrupt social mores. Vincent Minnelli supplies impeccable taste to his direction, Joseph Ruttenberg's camera work translates vibrantly on the screen in this restoration.

Mrs. Miniver
Seventy years ago, Winston Churchill remarked that Mrs. Miniver was England's greatest propaganda tool of World War II. He alluded, no doubt, to the struggle to enlist the United States on England's side for the war, something that would have happened even without the aid of Mrs. Miniver. Enough time has passed to allow this film to be evaluated on artistic rather than political grounds; by the same token, we can view Churchill's remark as a political judgment, not an artistic one.

Artistically, the film's ability to surprise is potent. The wartime theme prepares us for tragedy, if not for those who receive it. Another surprise is its treatment of children as human beings in their own right, not extensions of parental authority. Greer Garson augments this; she doesn't interrupt, censor or admonish them for the things they say, and they say a lot. Once the air raids begin, parents and children unite to fend off the terror of night bombing and despite their stoicism, the parents themselves become children.

The outcome of Mrs. Miniver's encounter with a wounded German paratrooper seems unpredictable, not prescripted. The film could go in any number of directions. In one event where we do know the outcome, the sweep and panorama of boats on the English riverside will be impressive even to those who have never heard of Dunkirk. In sum, the distance from the film's events is such that new viewers can form their own opinions, which may have nothing to do with propaganda.

Casablanca
Perhaps the labeling on this package should read: Best Picture Ever Winner because that's what Casablanca is: The Best Picture Ever.

Some critics of this picture usually point to its technical flaws, a view that ignores the film's ability to elicit strong emotions from an audience. In accompanying commentary, much is made about the airplane swooping into Casablanca's opening sequence - its a "model airplane" we're told, as though the picture might have been better with John Wayne swooping onto the landing field in a Grumman Hellcat. Suspension of disbelief is such that the plane could be a balsawood glider (it probably was) and I wouldn't care; it's Bogart's reaction to the aircraft I'm cueing on. Anything short of Rodan landing would be satisfactory. Some say Bogart was off cue - later on, when Bogart tongue lashes Ingrid Bergeman, a bottle of bourbon squarely in the middle of the table between the two actors, it should be apparent it's the bourbon talking, not Bogie.

Casablanca unleashed a torrent of phrases into the popular culture, a testament to its grip on public imagination. Its sustained emotional appeal is the reason the film permanently enthrals audiences.

Casablanca, Gigi and An American in Paris are truly great Movies. I did not care that much for Mrs. Miniver that much but the other three are certainly worth the price of this set. I highly recommend the set.

While looking for a good DVD of Casablanca I ran into this quaint little collection of greatest hits of the golden years of Hollywood. Instead of having to purchase these movies individually, they were grouped together just for me; it seems. Great buy for the video historian and those who love the real classics.

I love movies and these are 4 really great movies. I do watch them over and over.

I have several now. This set replaced 2 VHS formats and added 2 movies to my collection. I had Gigi and Mrs. Miniver and was delighted to view for the first time Casablanca and An American in Paris. Color and clarity were much improved on the DVD from the VHS formats. Beautiful films I will enjoy for many years to come. Thank you TCM.

It is now possible to buy the most popular and most enduring films in the Turner Classic Movies library through Amazon.com. Each collection includes the very best in its genre. My favorite set is the Best Picture Winners: "Casablanca", "Gigi", "An American in Paris", and "Mrs. Miniver". I do wish they had put each film on a separate disc. However, I am impressed by the material they crammed onto the two double-sided discs; interviews, trailers, short subjects, and cartoons all of which relate to the features. "Casablanca" and "Mrs. Miniver" are both inspiring tales of courage and sacrifice during World War II. The other two are legendary MGM musicals in glorious Technicolor. This is a perfect gift for young people just beginning to discover the films of yesteryear. "Casablanca" is cited by some critics as the greatest movie ever made. If you enjoy this set, purchase Westerns, Horror Movies, the Marx Brothers, Busby Berkeley musicals, and many others.

Since I no longer used my VCR I decided to donate it and all my videotapes to a worthy cause. Two of these donated tapes were Casablanca and Mrs. Miniver. With the purchase of a Blue Ray player I made sure that these two films would be in my library. It was great getting, not only these two outstanding films, but for the price I had originally paid for them I received two additional outstanding films; great deal!