Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of MGM's Best !, February 17, 2000
After seeing this movie for the first time since its 3D release in 1953, it makes one wonder why MGM insists on holding up "Singin' in the Rain" (a great treat in itself) as its best musical. KISS ME KATE is simply amazing -- tight, funny, fast, colorful, full of the dry wit and wisdom of Cole Porter, and gloriously "musical". To the crew's credit, many lines are straight from Shakespeare's original and the cast's readings are as adroit as any from Old Vic, anywhere, any time. Hermes Pan's and Bob Fosse's dance numbers are so sizzling good you can't take your eyes off the performance. It's a must-have for dance fans. For comedy fans, the offstage antics that mirror the onstage situations are a fiendishly clever conceit. Only one regret: the original 3D photography was terrific, with perhaps the most brilliant color work of 50's vintage. It's a bit subdued in modern prints. But don't let that deter you from enjoying this lively, literate, nearly perfect gem. Others have mentioned some of the more famous musical bits, but pay attention to Howard Keel's brilliant comedic reading of "The Life That Once I Led" (which drew gleeful applause when I saw it in a New York cinema recently), and Miss Grayson's rendition of "I Hate Men", copied by every lady who's tried it since 1953. Ann Miller's dance numbers are easily her very best work, by far -- and her "Too Darn Hot" was, at the time, almost too darn hot. Add veteran George Sindey's directorial expertise (The Harvey Girls, Scaramouche, etc.) and Shakespeare's own genius, and this becomes *THE* show for people who say they don't like musicals!
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
DULL LOOKING TRANSFER NEEDS SOME TAMING, April 22, 2003
"Kiss Me Kate" is Cole Porter's charming update of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew". It stars Kathryn Grayson as Lily Vanessi, a hyper-sensative diva of the stage who stars opposite her ex-husband (Howard Keel) and his new lover (Ann Miller). On their way to a hit show, the three repeatedly bump heads and egos, ultimately finding true love. Porter's score for this musical is perhaps his finest, with such standards as "From This Moment On", "Wunderbar" and the title track. "A" list performances throughout make "Kiss Me Kate" a real show stopper.
Unfortunately the same can't be said for Warner Home Video's dull looking transfer. Colors are muted, at time appearing bleached or, at the very least, weak. The same is true of the picture's contrast and black levels. There is a haze that plagues the picture quality throughout and adds to its overly soft characteristic.
Now, about that - the visual characteristic is generally soft looking throughout (most likely the result of over use of noise reduction equipment used to master the DVD). On a 32 inch television screen the picture will merely appear generally soft. On a 65 inch monitor it looks down right blurry and at times incredibly out of focus.
I am really at a loss to explain why this movie looks this bad. Owning the laserdisc and, doing a side by side comparison, I can report that the laserdisc actually surpasses this DVD in all of the above mentioned catagories. Of course, no laserdisc can hold a candle to DVD, in its superior resolution capabilities, and this DVD is no exception. There is no edge enhancement, aliasing or fine detail shimmering to speak of. This movie has been remixed to 5.1 surround. It's generally good, only suggesting a strident characteristic during brief interludes of dialogue or effects. The musical score is well represented.
Extras: Another all too short featurette on Cole Porter and the making of this movie - this one hosted by Ann Miller, but also featuring snippets from Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Tommy Rall and James Whitmore. A theatrical trailer and isolated music track are also worthy of mention.
Bottom Line: In light of Warner's usually pristine efforts on DVD this transfer is a big disappointment and NOT recommended.
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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fantastic musical, deplorable DVD case, March 22, 2005
I'm giving this item five stars simply because the disc itself is grand - you receive one of the greatest MGM musicals ever conceived and it's bolstered by quite nice extras. That much you can be assured of.
I'm writing this particular review because of Warner Bros. insistance on using fragile, cheaply made cardboard sleeves rather than the standard plastic dvd cases.
The problem with these Warner cases is that the pins holding the disc can break if even the slightest pressure is applied to the case, rendering it's capability the actually hold the disc useless. And unlike the plastic cases, the Warner ones cannot be replaced save for returning the disc to the original purchase place or attempting to contact the manufacturer (good luck with that, by the way).
Another problem lies with the fact that it's made out of cardboard - when you remove the anti-theft stickers almost invariably the sticker will peel some of the artwork off the cover. This can occur even when you're carefully attempting to slowly peel the sticker off.
The reason I feel the need to mention this is I own dozens of Warner movies, and well over half of them are damaged in this manner and irreplaceable outside of purchasing a new one (not likely, Greedy Bros.)
To be fair, Warner has finally began producing plastic cases with some of their newest releases - the top-notch Film Noir and Gangster collections offer the films in splendid little plastic cases. But titles like "Kiss Me Kate", "Rebel Without A Cause", "Broadway Melody of 1940", and even "Wizard of Oz" are still only available in these sad cardboard cases.
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