Customer Reviews

Trapeze

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

For those a little leery of ordering this copy, rest assured it is in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35. The quality is identical to the Warner Archive release of 'The Big Circus', colors fluctuate from vibrant to soft but is not enough to distract from the films power. It is definitely better than the showing on 'Turner Classic Movies' so if you are a fan of the film like I am, you will cherish this release

Great circus shots in a beautiful miniature European circus surround a love triangle. Lots of tension, suspense, interesting characters and a great climax! Tremendous photography of aerial stunts and other circus action.

I must complain about the Amazon information lately. What happened? I'm a regular customer, but I wouldn't buy TRAPEZE unless you tell me more about it. What is "Format: NTSC". I remember that Amazon used to inform in that item: ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN, COLOR, 2:35, etc., not to mention about subtitles or anything like that. I won't buy any product without knowing what's in it, like special features, digital transfer, soundtrack remastered, behind-the-scenes documentary or audio commentaries. It's all you expect to find in a new DVD, specially an MGM original from a United Artists production. I can't buy TRAPEZE to find a poor letterbox version (not anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 television sets) like other MGM releases. Please: I NEED TO KNOW MORE DETAILS.

Don't waste your money on this MGM DVD from 2010. The transfer quality is horrible....I gave up watching after just 30 minutes.

My wife and I were dating when we saw this movie back in the 1950's and we've often joked about Gina Lollobrigida's comment to Burt Lancaster as she is trying to be the third member on his trapeze team along with Tony Curtis. Burt is appraising her attributes for trapeze "flying" and mentions her legs and she replies, "I've always been strong in "zee" legs." Burt doesn't mention Gina's more noticable attributes but then this was the Fifties. This is a delightful movie which was filmed in a real circus in Europe. Burt Lancaster was a real circus performer before he made movies and did his own stunt work until his last years in the movies. He plays the part of an injured "flyer" who now can only "catch" another "flyer" as they swing high above the circus floor. Tony Curtis wants Burt to teach him the "triple" which involves 3 revolutions of his body when he leaves his trapeze to be caught by Burt. All three actors are "flying" and swinging above the crowd as they do their act so they had to learn some trapeze work. I'm sure real circus performers did the dangerous trapeze scenes. Tony Curtis works well with Burt, as he does with all other actors, and their is a realism and believeability to the movie. Gina is beautiful and of course her beauty attracts both Burt and Tony but you'll have to watch the film to see who she walks away with at the end. We've seen the film on TCM and enjoy it just as much today as we did originially and we're glad that it is available on DVD.

I also agree with 'Jaime Costa' regarding info provided on amazon and specifically this DVD, has anybody bought this new edition and provide details that one would find pertinent to prior purchase.

I'd like to preface this review by paying tribute to Tony Curtis. Not given a lot of respect in his lifetime, Curtis was usually given grudging praise when he delivered a good performance. Truth be told Curtis was usually good, sometimes great, more often than not. All one has to do is reference "The Sweet Smell of Success", "The Defiant Ones", and "Some Like It Hot" to make the case. As for this film, well, it's backstage melodrama albeit superb backstage melodrama. This isn't deep think but a great popcorn movie. It's graced by terrific production values and cinematography which shouldn't come as any surprise for a film directed by Carol Reed ("The Third Man"). You can almost smell the sweat and straw from the film's circus setting. The highwire scenes are equally thrilling. Burt Lancaster and Curtis give good accounts as acrobats and Gina Lollobrigida is...eye candy. Five star eye candy, though. Special note should be made for Katy Jurado as a former flame of Lancaster's. Jurado was a great actress of her day and probably doesn't get the recognition she deserves. Curtis made better films than "Trapeze" but you can't go wrong by viewing this in homage to a true Hollywood legend.

Burt Lancaster traded on his former life as a trapeze artist for this melodrama, easily one of the most enjoyable of circus movies. He plays a famed flyer who is coaxed back after an accident that has left him with a limp by Tony Curtis, who wants to learn the near impossible triple somersault, until Gina Lollabrigida muscles in on their act and sets them against each other. Lancaster is on great form, either in the air or pinching his unwanted protégée's drink, Curtis (doubled in the acrobatic scenes by Lancaster's former circus partner Nick Cravat) is amiably enthusiastic, and La Lollabrigida is about as subtle as a flying sledgehammer, delivering lines like "I wuz alwayz strong in da legs" for considerably more than they're worth.

With a colourful supporting cast, including snake-hater Sid James trying to sell a used python (he apparently took the part to pay off another gambling debt), and a terrific array of behind-the-scenes talent (director Carol Reed, cinematographer Robert Krasker, composer Malcolm Arnold), Trapeze is a lavishly produced audience picture with a few inspired moments in the air. The first performance is a terrific piece of direction and editing and looks terrific in widescreen. This is a film that makes such full use of the Scope ratio that it's always been marred by panning-and-scanning on TV, very consciously designed for the CinemaScope screen that at the time was almost as big a draw as the stars at the box-office, so it's good to see the original ratio preserved on this PAL DVD even if the print is a tad grainy in places.

I'm not about to knock the movie "Trapeze", however MGM seriously needs to put a bit more effort towards the packaging artwork for this title and others in this particular line of recent releases.

When I first ordered this I figured the actual cover art must not have yet been available to the Amazon site and they were using a generic form of cover art with the MGM logo. Unfortunately it was 'as shown'.

Since I operate a rental store, this affects my operation more than the average collector and I'm sure some people couldn't care less. Either way, MGM could put a bit more effort towards their product. What they are presenting here resembles that of some inferior old VHS cover art from 30 years ago.

This was available as a MGM widescreen laserdisc, and was worth a decent amount before this DVD was released. I can tell you, having owned both, that this film looks much better now that its super-widescreen format has been enhanced for 16:9. It is very enjoyable to watch and I did not find the video transfer obstructed the story or technical aspects of the production. No, it has not been remastered and there is not a whole lot of "pop" to the image -- but in some ways, I enjoy older transfers because there is no threat of DNR or obnoxious boosting of color saturation.

The film itself is a well directed story of rivalry and melodrama beneath the big top. It's got a decent plot about battling Trapeze artists, but the CinemaScope photography is truly spectacular. This is a real gem from the 1950s, directed by Carol Reed, and filmed in the neighborhoods of Paris by Robert Krasker, the cinematographer who shot "El Cid" and "The Third Man".

The reason I just cannot enjoy the film more is because of Burt Lancaster. I'm not a fan of his over and underacting approach to characters; it seems like he's always furious or getting soft & mushy. Tony Curtis is pretty mild-mannered here so he's fine, and I prefer him to Lancaster in both this film and "Sweet Smell of Success". Now, this is a very subjective criticism but you're going to se a lot of fuming Lancaster in "Trapeze". Still, a great, underappreciated film about the old circus environment, and a must-see for anyone who loves CinemaScope.