Product Details

• Actors: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rossano Brazzi
• Directors: Fred Zinnemann, Henry King, Joshua Logan, José Ferrer, Robert Wise
• Writers: Benjamin Glazer, Ernest Lehman
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 12
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006
• Run Time: 956 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000HT3PGU
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,921 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #4 in	Movies & TV > Musicals & Performing Arts > Musicals > Rodgers & Hammerstein

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection contains film versions of the five major works by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who helped define the American musical landscape and rewrite the direction of musical theater. After enjoying extremely successful careers working with others, Rodgers and Hammerstein first teamed up in 1943 for the prairie tale Oklahoma!, with songs including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "People Will Say We're in Love." The subsequent 1955 film starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, who teamed up again for 1956's Carousel. While that film's dark nature made it less popular than its predecessor, the score ("If I Loved You," "You'll Never Walk Alone") was Rodgers's favorite. The King and I (also 1956) featured stage star Yul Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as schoolteacher Anna Leonowens, who must learn Asian customs even as she tries to instill some of her Western ones. The somewhat bloated version of South Pacific (1958) follows two couples during World War II and features standards such as "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "Some Enchanted Evening" from stars Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. The last film, The Sound of Music (1965), proved to be the most popular, with Julie Andrews winning the hearts of seven children and their father with her blissful songs. And if the perhaps saccharine music and plot may test the patience of some, there's no doubt that songs such as "My Favorite Things" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" have charmed audiences around the world for decades. Accompanying the Big 5 in this set is the relatively minor State Fair from 1945 (though it does have "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing"). Some may expect and prefer other entries in the R&H canon such as Flower Drum Song or the television production Cinderella, but those were produced by different studios.

This 12-disc set from 2006 includes the two-disc special editions of each film, remastered and anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs (except State Fair, which was shot in traditional 1.33:1 aspect ratio). Bonus features include the Todd-AO version of Oklahoma! (which should look better than the CinemaScope version but doesn't); 40th-anniversary bonus material for The Sound of Music, including a commentary track by Julie Andrews; Lilliom, the 1934 film based on the same story as Carousel; and the 1962 version of State Fair starring Pat Boone and Ann-Margaret. --David Horiuchi

Product Description
Disc 1: Carousel Special Edition Disc 2: Carousel Special Edition-Bonus Disc Disc 3: King and I Special Edition Disc 4: King and I Special Edition-Bonus Disc Disc 5: South Pacific Special Edition Disc 6: South Pacific Special Edition-Bonus Disc Disc 7: Sound of Music Special Edition Disc 8: Sound of Music Special Edition-Bonus Disc Disc 9: State Fair Special Edition Disc 10: State Fair Special Edition-Bonus Disc Disc 11: Oklahoma Special Edition Disc 12: Oklahoma Special Edition-Bonus Disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sound of Their Music, November 4, 2006

By	Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Oh, what a beautiful collection! These 6 films from the most successful writing team in the American musical theater have been available on DVD for years--but not like this! All 6 have now been fully remastered to meet the demands of the latest TV and computer equipment. They have always been great, but they've truly never looked and sounded better than they do now.

But wait--there's more! This package includes a generous bunch of extras: documentaries, deleted material, alternate versions, interviews, running commentaries, soundtrack albums, performances by stars from the original stage productions, even a remake of STATE FAIR from 1962. The extras alone are a good reason to upgrade your copies--or to get them for the first time.

If you're looking for colorful, romantic stories with brilliant performances and a virtual catalogue of nearly 100 of the very best show tunes in history, you couldn't make a better purchase. These are, quite simply, the finest films of their kind. No serious DVD collection is complete without them. Watch. Listen. Enjoy!

PS: You'll also want to add FLOWER DRUM SONG to your collection. It's now (finally) available on DVD, and it's every bit as lovely as these films.

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT R&H COLLECTION, ALL 6 FILMS BEAUTIFULLY REMASTERED, November 25, 2006

By	Lowell S. Harris "terlat" (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the finest DVD collections ever produced. Fox has added the same three anniversary editions from last year--"Oklahoma," "State Fair," and "The Sound Of Music"--to a thin-pack set with this year's bonanzas: "Carousel," "The King And I," and for good measure, although it's not an anniversary, "South Pacific." Extras abound here with such delight that it should take the dedicated viewer many nights to fully appreciate all the contents. For example, the 1934 "Liliom," the French film based on Ferenc Molnar's play, that establishes the story of "Carousel" as a drama, is a special gift from Fox. The 55mm and Todd- AO versions of several films are now fully available and the Road Show version of "South Pacific" is presented. Richard Barrios, one of our major experts in film musicals provides the commentary (with others) for "State Fair," "The King And I," and "South Pacific." There are excerpts from TV and Broadway versions of songs and numerous other bonuses that are exhilarating.

Remember, too, that "South Pacific" had what was in 1958 considered by many in the industry to be the finest example of sound design and engineering to that time, and it won the Oscar for Best Sound.

The compact set, which is apparently the new industry standard, also features a short but very useful booklet. If you love Richard Rodgers and his second partner, Oscar Hammerstein II, this box set should be number one on your list right now.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars R & H Heaven, April 29, 2007

By	Jonathan Schaefer (los angeles, ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an amazing collection - the movies never looked better, the sound is wonderful and the extras are bountiful, to say the least. State Fair was never a favorite but they included the 1962 version as well -- now I really LIKE the original -- and they call that an Extra? Same for Carousel - they include the 1934 Liliom. You may think you're only getting six movies but it's far much more than that. I won't go into the sing-along format, but the kitchen sink is included as well.

For me a little R & H goes a long way - this is just perfect for those days when I need a shot of beautiful music, basic morals, great sets and yes, I'll admit watching Anna and the King dance the polka makes me cry for joy.