White Christmas [Anniversary Edition] [With Music Download] [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

White Christmas, Paramount's belated follow-up to the 1942 hit Holiday Inn, was the studio's first VistaVision production. A veritable warehouse full of oldie-but-goodie Irving Berlin tunes are woven into the film's simplistic plotline, along with a handful of new songs, of which "What Can You Do With a General?" is the least memorable. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (replacing an ailing Donald O'Connor) play nightclub entertainers Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, while Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen are cast as singing-sister act Betty and Judy. The foursome travel to Vermont to visit Bob and Phil's WII commanding officer, General Waverly (Dean Jagger, who looks and sounds like Dwight D. Eisenhower!), who now runs a rustic old inn. Discovering that the general is in dire financial straits, the four entertainers secretly make plans to bail the old guy out with a big musical show, enlisting the aid of Bob and Phil's army buddies. Corny in the extreme, White Christmas evidently struck a responsive note with film fans; it was the high-grossing picture of 1954, and a decade later proved to be a ratings bonanza when it was given its network-TV premiere. Of the four stars, Crosby comes off best, especially when singing the title song at the beginning and end of the film; Kaye is a bit overshadowed this time out, though he's quite funny camping it up in a "drag" version of Irving Berlin's "Sisters." Still a big favorite on the home-video circuit, White Christmas may not be the best Bing Crosby musical on the market, but it's certainly one of the most heartwarming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Mono
• Encoding: NTSC
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, French, Spanish
• Features:
  • cc
  • Commentary by Rosemary Clooney
  • Backstage stories from White Christmas
  • Rosemary's old Kentucky home
  • Bing Crosby: Christmas Crooner
  • Danny Kaye: Joy to the World
  • Irving Berlin's White Christmas
  • White Christmas: from page to stage
  • White Christmas: a look back with Rosemary Clooney
  • 2 theatrical trailers

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Song - 1954 (Irving Berlin)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Bing Crosby - Bob Wallace
       Danny Kaye - Phil Davis
       Rosemary Clooney - Betty
       Vera-Ellen - Judy
       Dean Jagger - Gen. Waverly

• Director:

  Michael Curtiz

• Producer:

  Robert Emmett Dolan

• Screenwriter:

  Melvin Frank, Norman Krasna, Norman Panama

• Cinematographer:

  Loyal Griggs

• Composer (Music Score):

  Irving Berlin

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Joseph Lilley

• Songwriter:

  Irving Berlin

• Editor:

  Frank Bracht

• Art Director:

  Roland Anderson, Hal Pereira

REVIEW:

• Considering the amount of talent involved, it's surprising -- and rather a shame -- that White Christmas is only an enjoyable little trifle rather than a truly classic movie musical. The talent involved -- Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Irving Berlin, Michael Curtiz -- is a perfect embarrassment of riches. And yet they're all in service to a screenplay that is, at best, derivative and very rarely inspired. There's simply too little script, and what there is doesn't try hard enough. Still, the screenplay does provide excuses for a number of marvelous Berlin tunes, performed to a fare-thee-well by the quartet of stars, and these are well worth watching under any circumstances. Beyond the legendary title song (written for an earlier film), there's also the delightful "Sisters," which in both its original and reprised forms is considered a classic. But pay special attention to Clooney's creamy, entrancing rendition of the beautiful "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me"; this is a genuinely superior musical performance. Throw in such other treats as "Blue Skies" and "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," as well as the amusing antics of Kaye, the laid-back playing of Crosby, and the effervescent dancing of Vera-Ellen, and most people will be more than willing to sit through the corny script. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

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