Amazon.com: White Christmas: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen: Amazon Instant Video

White Christmas

After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to ... perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.

Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute
Release year: 1954
Studio: Paramount

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Synopsis: After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.

Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye

Supporting actors: Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes, John Brascia, Anne Whitfield, Bea Allen, Joan Bayley, Tony Butala, Glen Cargyle, George Chakiris, Barrie Chase, Les Clark, Lorraine Crawford, Robert Crosson, Sayre Dearing, Marcel De la Brosse, Mike Donovan, Franklyn Farnum, Ernie Flatt

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Genre: Comedy, Musical, Romance

Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute

Captions and Subtitles: English Details

Release year: 1954

Studio: Paramount

ASIN: B000IBUOX4

Rights & Requirements

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

242 of 253 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars White Christmas Has Received a Face Lift--of Sorts October 11, 2009

By Tom Anderson

Format:DVD

"White Christmas," one of my favorite movies of all time, had always looked bad on home video. The VHS version was a pale, pastel shadow of the original until the 40th anniversary edition of 1994 when all Paramount did was greatly darken the picture. Unfortunately, this was also the print that was used to make the first DVD release in 2000: a dark, dark picture with no contrast, tons of grain, and a barely-in-focus picture that revealed little detail. Fortunately, most of this has been improved in the newly-released 2-disc Anniversary Edition that has just hit the stores.

Although Paramount obviously did not want to fund a complete restoration, the picture now has vibrant colors (the "Mandy" number will knock your socks off!) with much better sharpness and detail and very little grain to speak of. However the picture is still a little too dark and flat, at least one scene still has registration problems (when Bing meets Doris, the "Mutual, I'm sure" girl), some scenes could have a sharper focus, and there's some trouble with minor flicker (stability) of the image. The bonus material is very enjoyable and above average, with family members, critics, and cultural historians to add perspective.

So in summary I definitely recommend this latest version of "White Christmas" as a rebuy on the strength of the improved picture alone, with the bonus material as a very nice plus. I would have given it my highest rating if the picture quality had presented absolute clarity and if the film itself were more inspired, but it still remains a sentimental favorite and a must-see!

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109 of 115 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bing Croons....Rosemary Swoons....Watch It In June! May 25, 2004

By L. Shirley TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This review refers to the Widescreen Collection(Paramount)DVD edition of "White Christmas"...

This DVD should be held up as an example of what DVDs are all about.The transfer and restoration of this 50 year old film is superb. It is the reason we are willing to spend a little more to upgrade from VHS and are awed when we see the wonderful results. Filmed in "VistaVision", the widescreen picture lets you take in every scene of this wonderful classic from edge to edge. The picture is clear, sharp and in glorious technicolor.The colors are beautiful and vibrant.
You have the choice of viewing it in DD5.1 surround or the restored Mono. For those looking for some special features, Rosemary Clooney helps out with a retrospective interview and also commentary. There are English subtitles for those needing them and may also be viewed in French(mono).

The film is a treasure in itself. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye,Rosemary Clooney,and Vera-Ellen are the stars of this 1954 musical with songs by Irving Berlin that you'll want to sing along with and keep humming long after the film has ended. Directed by Michael Curtiz it's a feel good film that although takes place during the Christmas season, is one that you can pull out and watch anytime of the year.

Bing and Danny were Army buddies, now a successful song and dance team and are out to help their favorite old retired General(Dean Jagger),who is having trouble coping with retirement. The General is now running a country inn in Vermont, but the big problem is there is no snow to bring up the tourists. Bing and Danny to the rescue, as they turn the inn into a showcase of talent, and fall for the Haines sisters along the way. Can these wonderful voices also bring the snow out of the sky?...well..you know.... Read more ›

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48 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful...like you've never seen it before!! November 5, 2010

By Philip S. Mclaughlin

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

I do not have to relate the story of White Christmas. Anyone who watches Christmas movies has seen it over and over. It is a highly entertaining film that leaves you with a good feeling inside. The stars, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney are all wonderful.

The new Blu Ray transfer is magnificent. The picture is so sharp, so crystal-clear, so detailed and so alive with brilliant color, that it is hard to believe that the film is over fifty years old. While watching it, I almost felt like I was there in person. Fortunately, the picture was shot in real Technicolor, and was filmed using Paramount's VISTA-VISION, which created a much larger image on the film allowing for incredible sharpness of vision. The newly remastered 5.1 DTS soundtrack fills your viewing room with rich, lush sound and sharp dialog.

You cannot go wrong by buying this new Blu Ray of White Christmas. It's a film the whole family can enjoy.

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68 of 79 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars New 2007 "remaster" huge disappointment! October 10, 2007

By Lars Sandell

Format:DVD

Recently, Paramount has offered us wonderful new DVD-issues of classics like To Catch a Thief and Funny Face, both shot in Vista-Vision, and now looking better than ever on home video thanks to Paramount using original camera materials for the transfers. Naturally, I expected that the same loving treatment would be given an old favorite like White Christmas, which was the first feature film shot in Paramount's superb wide-screen process called Vista-Vision.
Not so! This new "remaster" is just as dreary-looking as the older DVD. Grainy and soft with an unstable look and dull colors except in some brightly lit "performance" scenes. Also lots of dirt marks and scattered speckles, plus an ugly splice or two. And NO new extras! Where is the expected featurette about the Vista-Vision system - newly made or at least some old promotional reel taken from a shelf in the archives? A huge disappointment! And by the way, where are all the many beloved Paramount classics from the fifties and sixties that have not yet been released on DVD? Not a single title in sight for the coming months. Sad.

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