Hollywood Beauties [3 Discs]

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: All
• Number of Discs: 3
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Score - Drama or Comedy - 1943 (Art Lange)
•     Nominated Best Black and White Art Direction - 1941 (Richard Irvine, Alexander Golitzen)
•     Nominated Best Black and White Cinematography - 1941 (Charles B. Lang)
•     Nominated Best Dramatic Score - 1941 (Miklos Rozsa)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Arthur Pierson, Léonide Moguy, Jean Delannoy, Robert Enrico, Virginia Stone, Francesco Maselli, William Wellman, Edgar G. Ulmer, Henry Hathaway

• Producer:

  Arthur Pierson, Seymour Nebenzal, Alain Poiré, Virginia Stone, Lorenzo Pegoraro, Lucille Emerick, Hunt Stromberg, Jack Chertok, Walter Wanger

• Screenwriter:

  Arthur Pierson, Philip Yordan

• Book Author:

  Maritta Wolff

• Screenwriter:

  Jean Aurenche, Leo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Jean Delannoy, John Michael Hayes, Rodolphe M. Arlaud, Robert Enrico, Pierre Pelegri

• Book Author:

  J. Porcheral

• Screenwriter:

  Francesco Maselli, Cesare Zavattini, Aggeo Sarioli, Franco Bemporad, James Gunn, Herb Meadow

• Book Author:

  Ben Ames Williams

• Screenwriter:

  Charles G. Booth, Barré Lyndon

• Book Author:

  Barré Lyndon

• Cinematographer:

  Lucien Andriot, Russell Metty, Gabor Pogany, Jean Boffety, Armando Nannuzzi, Robert de Grasse, Charles B. Lang

• Composer (Music Score):

  Louis Forbes, Dimitri Tiomkin

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Dimitri Tiomkin

• Composer (Music Score):

  Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, François de Roubaix, Christopher L. Stone, Art Lange, Carmen Dragon, Miklos Rozsa

• Editor:

  William F. Claxton, Gregg G. Tallas, Michel Lewin, Mario Serandrei, James Newcom, Dorothy Spencer

• Production Designer:

  Joseph B. Platt

• Art Director:

  Hilyard M. Brown, Rudi Feld, George C. VanMarter, Max Douy, Bernard Herzbrun, Nicolai Remisoff, Alexander Golitzen

• Set Designer:

  Alfred E. Kegerris

• Costume Designer:

  Edith Head, Natalie Visart, Walter Plunkett

• Makeup:

  Robert Stephanoff, Joe Stinton

• Special Effects:

  R.O. Binger

• First Assistant Director:

  Sam Nelson

• Choreography:

  Jack Crosby, Daniel Dare

• Short Story Author:

  Gypsy Rose Lee

REVIEWS:

• As blatant a piece of propaganda as has ever been produced, Home Town Story would be unwatchable were it not for its cast. Story was made under the supervision of General Motors, and its simplistic, hit-you-over-the-head screenplay is completely devoid of subtlety and nuance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making a movie that wishes to make a case for the advantages of Big Business; but to make one with as amateurish a screenplay as this and with as little regard for real character development and accuracy is simply insulting. It doesn't help that the lead is played by Jeffrey Lynn. Granted, his part is horrible, the kind of claptrap that can sink all but the most determined actors. Yet even considering that, Lynn's work here is substandard. Much better is Alan Hale, Jr., who doesn't have as much to do and whose part, while marginally better written, is still not a world beater. But Hale does a fine job, overcoming his material to make a real impression. Likewise, even though he has one of the most groan-inducing speeches in the whole film, Donald Crisp finds a way above his material. And a young Marilyn Monroe makes the most of her scant few minutes of screen time as well. These actors don't make Story worth watching, but if you gotta watch it, they make it easier to take. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• Gypsy Rose Lee, who brought a veneer of erudition to the image of the striptease artist, published a best-selling mystery novel (ghostwritten by Craig Rice) in the early '40s called The G-String Murders. Former MGM producer Hunt Stromberg purchased the rights, and, with a tight screen adaptation by author James Gunn and with director William Wellman at the helm, used this film adaptation to make his debut as an independent producer. Wellman does a superb job of melding the story's mix of backstage theater ambience, mystery, musical, comedy, and romance, some of which is reminiscent in certain ways of the Thin Man movies that Stromberg oversaw at MGM, although Lady of Burlesque is grittier than those class-conscious comedy-mysteries in just about every way possible. Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea are the focal point of the story, a seemingly mismatched romantic couple who spend as much time bickering as they do solving the three crimes at hand, which start to come up surprisingly late, more than 40 minutes into the story. Released in April of 1943, but very deliberately set in the late '30s, before Mayor LaGuardia closed the burlesque houses in New York, the film treads a fine and delicate line, weaving a fascinating tale of overlapping jealousies and lusts leading to murder amid the surprisingly earthy and realistically detailed background of burlesque as it was (though this could, with fewer scantilly clad young actresses decorating most of its scenes, have been just as realistic a depiction of any low-rent theatrical setting). The characters feel as real as their environment, with Stanwyck convincingly portraying a flawed but plucky heroine (with an articulation clearly modeled on author Lee's image). O'Shea, her egocentric yet self-mocking would-be lover, and the supporting players -- from Iris Adrian's brassy portrayal of Stanwyck's gal pal and Pinky Lee's eccentric comic antics down to the actors portraying the stage hands and hangers-on -- are perfect in their parts. Viewers should also pay special attention to J. Edward Bromberg, as the kindly owner of the burlesque house, in a quiet portrayal that adds some depth to the breezy proceedings. Not all of it hangs together perfectly, as the film slows down a bit from the frantic, Howard Hawks-like pacing of its first 50 minutes, once the first murder is discovered. The mix of humor and police procedural elements gets pushed about as far as the script and the actors could carry it, with Charles Dingle's gruff, crafty police inspector playing straight man to O'Shea and Pinky Lee. But those bits of theatrical business aside, which almost break the spell, there are also all kinds of fascinating details to take in, sandwiched in the overlapping dialogue and the breakneck pacing, such as the sympathy that Stanwyck's character expresses for the Chinese kitchen workers next door (with a wartime reference that should have been anachronism but wasn't -- China was fighting Japan in 1938) and the references to Prohibition and the bootleg liquor racket as fairly recently ended activities. As much as any movie ever made as pure entertainment, which this is, Lady of Burlesque is also a tour through time and a look at a past that was already disappearing as it was being made -- and it's also got a great score and a hot number ("Take It Off the E-String") at the center of its music. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
• A slightly above average adventure picture, Sundown has its ups and downs but comes out just a bit on the up side. As is so often the case, much of the "downs" are due to the screenplay. It seems as if the writers cobbled together a few plot devices from here, a few from there, a good supporting character from one story, an ending setting from Mrs. Miniver and hoped that stirring them all up would create something new. It doesn't. But, that said, there have been far worse screenplays than this, which is functional if nothing more. Its stars are also a mixed bag. On the plus side, we have George Sanders. When "on," Sanders could be relied upon to bring a unique quality to any film, and Sundown catches Sanders definitely in the "on" position. The movie also has the beauty of Gene Tierney, which is truly something to behold. Were her performance in the same class as her beauty -- which it is not - Sundown would have been a much better film. Similarly, Bruce Cabot looks good but his performance is only okay. There's better work from supporting players Harry Carey and Cedric Hardwicke. Henry Hathaway's direction is uneven, but it's spot on during the battle scenes; these are among the film's highlights. Charles B. Lang's cinematography is also a definite plus, moody when needed, dazzling on occasion. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi