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| Starring: Shirley Booth, Anthony Perkins,
Shirley MacLaine, Paul Ford Directed by: Joseph Anthony |
Theatrical Release: 1958
DVD Release: 2005
Released by: Paramount Dolby
Digital 2.0 mono
Widescreen |
| Farewell Shirley, Hello Dolly! --
Trading Drama for Spectacle If for some
reason you were planning to watch a doubleheader of The Matchmaker and its
"sequel," Hello, Dolly! I advise to keep the munchies handy. The Broadway
hit, based on the machinations of Dolly Levi, did not move blithely to the big screen.
Rather, it exemplifies an overwrought rollout promoting unwieldy talent singing and
dancing to an excessive budget. Hello, Dolly! is less rewarding than a
musical based on The Matchmaker should have been.
Whether the problem is Barbra Streisand’s eye-searing,
ear-aching star turn or Gene Kelly’s directorial overindulgence, I am uncertain. In
my estimation, every song, dance, and joke goes on too long. The movie’s
excessiveness is symbolized by a huge parade added to the screenplay for no apparent
reason. Director Kelly did a fabulous job at marshaling unicycles, elephants, Clydesdales,
and hundreds of extras for a scene that pleases the eye but muddles the brain. Spending
millions on a scene superfluous to the original idea seems stupid to me. (The DVD contains
an "extra" showing the making of the parade scene -- what a hoot!)
Still, as a movie for videophiles with high-resolution
systems, Hello, Dolly! does have redeeming value. Color and lighting remind me of
Suerat’s "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." Pretty. The
opening credits are filled with such fine detail that I played the scene several times to
marvel at pointillism in motion. The entire movie is a feast for an artist’s eye. Too
bad Ms. Streisand’s singing voice is so heavily equalized that it sounds like
she’s singing through a blanket. Actually, I preferred her singing to her speaking.
Streisand fans will not understand me, but Julie London fans will.
...Jim Saxon
jims@hometheatersound.com |
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This is not a knock on MacLaine’s acting. It’s
just that her onscreen presence is more interesting than her one-dimensional role. All I
wanted was to watch her be the lovely sprite she was 47 years ago! My viewing pleasure was
aided by the photo-like contrast and textures of the "enhanced" DVD release. At
one point, I was able to detect the finely sprinkled freckles on MacLaine’s bare
shoulders. I once rubbed elbows with Shirley MacLaine at a charity dinner and can attest
that she has lovely freckles.
In the case of Anthony Perkins, a similar disconnect
occurred because I was surprised to see him twist his limbs and wrinkle his face with
winsome comic effect. Too bad his role in Psycho (1961) limited forever his range
of personae.
As the plot degenerates into contrived silliness, only the
title character remains intriguing. Shirley Booth’s closing monologue as Dolly
"Gallagher" Levi caps one of the best performances of the 1950s. The way Ms.
Booth uses her chin, eyes and hands in non-verbal communication recalls for me Laurence
Olivier’s grandiose posturing in Richard III. The lady wasn’t pretty but
she could sure rivet one’s attention while she spoke. Would her close-ups have been
as powerful colorized?
The Matchmaker’s production techniques (black
and white, mono) will not test a surround system but will focus one’s eyes and ears
on the fine acting and skillful directing. As with most play-based films, dialogue is rife
and all-important. I was especially pleased that the DVD release is almost perfectly
intelligible. Only once was I forced to back up the disc to catch a "swallowed"
word.
As part of Paramount Picture’s Widescreen Collection, The
Matchmaker is the type of film I hope to see more of in the future. The DVD is
mercifully devoid of extras. |
