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| Kiss
Me, Kate |
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| Starring: Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Nancy Anderson,
Michael Berresse Directed by:
Chris Hunt |
Theatrical Performance: 2001
DVD Release: 2003
Released by: Thirteen/WNET New York-Image Entertainment Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Widescreen (anamorphic) |
The plot is a gem. It is about the theater, love conquering
all, and Shakespeare. How could one lose with such a winning combination! The book, by Sam
and Bella Spewak (who also won a Tony), is a delight, telling the story of two thespian
couples performing in a production company that is putting on a musical version of
Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. The director, Fred Graham, who plays
Petruchio in the play within the play, has his own shrew to deal with. Lilli Vanessi, his
ex-wife, plays Kate in the musical and these two battle on stage and off. They fight so
much in character and out of character that the line between reality and fantasy is
hilariously blurred.
| More Scintillating Cole from MGM Cole Porter divided his time between New York and Hollywood. Before
the tragic equestrian accident that crushed his legs, the bi-coastal lifestyle fitted his
love for great parties and handsome young men. But even after he became a near invalid, he
seemed to be drawn to Tinseltown. Along with Kiss Me Kate, MGM has released a
quartet of films with Porter scores.
Broadway Melody of 1940 (****) paired the two
tap-dancing wonders of America for the first time: Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. There
is a plot, but the real attraction in this movie is the fantastic dancing. The final
"Begin the Beguine" number has never been topped. The Warner transfer is crisp
black and white, and "Begin the Beguine," with its mirrors, looks just perfect.
On seeing this transfer, even the most jaded viewer couldn’t imagine it in color.
Extras include Ann Miller hosting a documentary on the film, and a charming Little Rascals
short called The Big Premiere.
High Society (***1/2) was a 1956 musical version of The
Philadelphia Story, and starred Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Celeste Holm,
and Louis Armstrong. It was Kelly’s last acting role before she became Princess Grace
of Monaco. This version loses the comedic bite of the original movie, but that loss is
compensated for by first-rate musical numbers. This includes a laid-back, yet red-hot
"Now You Has Jazz," and a rip-roaring duet for Sinatra and Crosby, "Well,
Did You Evah?" Better-known songs from the movie include "You’re
Sensational," and "True Love," which made the hit parade of the day. An
anamorphic transfer that shows little age, and a well-defined stereo soundtrack help make
this DVD a delight to view. Extras: Celeste Holm hosts a documentary; there’s a
premiere newsreel; and a Cinemascope Droopy Dog cartoon, Millionaire Droopy.
Silk Stockings (***), a 1957 film based on
Porter’s 1955 show, in turn based on the Greta Garbo comedy, Ninotchka, brings
Astaire to the screen again, this time partnered with Cyd Charisse. The hit song for this
movie was "All of You." The interesting documentary reveals that although many
thought this was a love song in the play and movie, it was really a Valentine barb from
Porter to agents. Astaire and Charisse dance well, the production is handsome, and the
transfer of the Cinemascope movie is excellent, both in picture and sound. Extras, in
addition to the documentary, are two vintage musical shorts: Paree, Paree, which is
a brief musical starring Bob Hope (happy birthday again, Bob); and a straight Cinemascope
performance of the Poet and Peasant Overture, with the MGM Symphony conducted by
Alfred Wallenstein.
Les Girls (***) was an amusing, strikingly produced
1957 Cinemascope offering, starring Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, and Taina Elg.
In a courtroom in London, the four give accounts of their romantic entanglements in Paris
when all were performing in that city. In true Rashoman fashion, each story is a
little different from the other, getting at the truth without being truthful. George Cukor
directed with a sure hand and Porter’s music serves the film well, though there is no
"American Songbook" hit. Attractions include great dancing and beautiful color
in a radiant transfer. The magnetic four-track sound has also been successfully mixed to
Dolby Digital 5.1. Extras: Taina Elg hosts a documentary; and there’s a vintage Tex
Avery cartoon, Flea Circus.
Thanks to MGM for making these wonderful films available in
such good transfers. The extras are imaginative and welcome, and the prices are low.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
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The second couple to receive attention is Lois Lane (no,
not that Lois Lane) and Bill Calhoun. Lois is a nightclub dancer who is spotted by
Fred and given a role in the show, as well as in his bed. Bill is a compulsive gambler and
sets up the subplot of the show by signing a marker for ten grand. But Bill doesn’t
use his signature; he signs Fred’s name instead. Two gangsters, listed as "First
Man" and "Second Man," show up in Fred’s dressing room to put the
screws to him for the money. Fred sidesteps the issue, saying he won’t have the money
till the show has run for a week, so the mobsters do everything possible to insure that
"the show will go on," while getting some big-belly laughs along the way.
The production on the DVD is by the 2000 revival cast. It
also won five Tony awards, including Best Revival, and, in a word, it is fabulous.
However, everything is really due to Porter’s music, so let’s break here to
remind everyone of the hit songs in Kate: "So In Love," "Another
Op’nin', Another Show," "Why Can’t You Behave," "Too Darn
Hot," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," and "Always True to You in My
Fashion," plus another half dozen, just as good. This production follows the lead of
the 1953 MGM movie version by adding "From This Moment On," an earlier Porter
masterpiece.
The superb cast on this DVD sings these songs for
everything they are worth, which is a lot. They do not try to imitate the original cast.
Who could, when it consisted of Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk, and Harold
Lang? But I honestly think this new cast is just as good. Fred/Petruchio and Lilli/Kate,
Brent Barrett and Rachel York exhibit voices that could probably do Puccini well, and they
have perfect English diction. They also are great stage actors. Nancy Anderson is perky
and audacious as Lois. Her "Always True to You in My Fashion" is a showstopper,
but this production is full of showstoppers, including the one that always steals the
show: the two gangsters singing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," replete with all
those spiky double entendres that Porter so loved to use.
The set is impressive, as are the costumes. The orchestra
-- under the direction of Stephen Sondheim alum, Paul Gemignani -- plays spot on, and the
recorded sound is about the best I have heard for a live production on DVD. The voices
have great presence, and, thanks to careful balance, the orchestra really sounds like a
pit ensemble. The masterful video direction puts the camera at the right place at the
right time, and the anamorphic picture is rich and detailed. For some odd reason, no
intermission chapter-stop was planned for the disc, but act one ends between chapters 11
and 12. You will know.
Concurrent with this release, Warner Home Video, as part of
a festival of Cole Porter films, has trotted out its film version (***). The movie opens
with some added, tedious scenes between Fred (Howard Keel) and Lilli (Kathryn Grayson).
Porter was on the set, so the idea must have been given his blessing, but I think it was
merely a setup to give Ann Miller a chance to tap dance her way into film history, using
"Too Darn Hot" as music. Because she does, the song is not put in the show where
it belongs, and is needed.
Once this 20-minute tacked-on preface is done, the movie
sticks pretty close to the play (or plays!), using most of the original music. The cast is
attractive, with Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore stealing the show as the gangsters. MGM,
the film’s original studio, spared no expense. It was supposed to have been a 3-D
movie, but by the time it came out that craze had died, and it was only released in 3-D to
half the theaters. It was recorded in excellent stereo and surround, and Miller’s
aforementioned number makes great use of it as she taps around the room. However, though
the DVD has a brilliant, colorful picture and effective sound, much of Porter is missing.
The 1950s’ censors clipped many of his pithy words.
I wouldn’t be without either of these Kates. It
is a show so good that it can stand up to different interpretations from
similar-yet-divergent casts. To see the musical, I would pick up the Image release; to see
film stars do star turns, and for Wynn and Whitmore, pick up the movie version. The
latter, by the way, has some fascinating extras: a retrospective with Ann Miller; a
music-only track; and a vintage documentary short, Mighty Manhattan. |
