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Double
The Bing
Just in
time for the holidays Universal brings us two perennial holiday
favorites, double billed on one dual-layered disc.
Going My Way is the story of Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby), who is
sent to St. Dominic's parish, supposedly to work under the
aging Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) and to help bring
money into the financially troubled church. The two clash
ever-so politely, O'Malley's fresh ideas and outgoing attitude
being at odds with Fitzgibbon's more traditional beliefs.
And there's even more trouble ahead, when Fitzgibbon learns
that O'Malley was really sent to take over his role as head
of the parish. But of course, things work out in the end.
Though the
plot may seem like a prime candidate for heavy syrup, both
the screenplay and the execution of it are surprisingly free
of schmaltz. The acting is almost uniformly understated, so
that Fitzgerald's fussy, cranky older priest , which so easily
could've been a caricature, is quite believable, and Crosby's
performance is beautifully restrained. Although the pacing
might be a bit laconic, it seems very much in keeping with
the story. This is a subtly moving an affecting film which
was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 1945 and won seven
of them, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Crosby), and
Best Supporting Actor (Fitzgerald).
In Holiday
Inn der Bingle plays a nightclub entertainer who is fed up
with show-biz life and decides to "retire" to a farm and be
lazy, taking with him his female partner (Virginia Dale) and
leaving his other partner (Fred Astaire) behind. Unfortunately,
Dale and Astaire have fallen in love behind his back, and
have been booked as a dancing team without him. Crosby quickly
finds that the farm is a backbreaking bust, and decides to
open the place as Holiday Inn, a night club that is only open
on holidays. This leads the way for a whole spate of fine
Irving Berlin songs, lovely Crosby crooning and elegant Astaire
dancing. But Holiday Inn is another one of those musicals
where you have to ignore the plot and enjoy the songs: if
you give any thought to these characters at all, man! Are
they ever unpleasant!!
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Both films
are presented in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and both
are fine if unremarkable: however, comparison between the
LD and DVD editions of Holiday Inn was no contest. The DVD
has a much better picture in all areas, black level and detail.
But, both films were recorded at a surprisingly low bit rate,
hovering just below five (although Holiday Inn went around
six during dance numbers). Thankfully, the print elements
used are good, and there is very little in the way of scratches
or blips throughout both films.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
2-channel
mono. Both soundtracks are very clear, the sound quite lush
despite being mono. Considering the age of the materials,
the low tones were particularly good, a must for films featuring
Crosby's amazing, deep crooning.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? There are
some very interesting production notes for the films, detailing
the origins of the idea for each one and carrying through
the filming, with text of quotes from many of the notables
involved. There are extensive bios for the all of the major
cast members and the directors of each film which were very
interesting, along with a filmography for each actor (although
the first half of the filmography for Marjorie Reynolds, who
is the female lead in "Inn," appears to be missing: her list
begins in 1949, four years after the film was made!).
Also included
is the original theatrical trailer for Holiday Inn, but unfortunately
only a re-release trailer for Going My Way. One minor quibble:
there is no main menu for the disc. In order to access the
supplements, you have to select the film you want to watch,
start Play, and then press menu.
Parting Thoughts
This disc
offers two classic films for a very reasonable price. If you
like one or both of these films, you'll be delighted both
with the quality and the value.
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