MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Auntie Mame began as a novel by Patrick Dennis (aka Ed Fitzgerald), then was adapted into a long-running Broadway play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. This 1958 film version permits Rosalind Russell to recreate her stage role as Mame Dennis, the flamboyant, devil-may-care aunt of young, impressionable Patrick Dennis. Left in Mame's care when his millionaire father drops dead, young Patrick (Jan Handzlik) is quickly indoctrinated into his aunt's philosophy that "Life is a banquet--and some poor suckers are starving to death." Social-climbing executor Dwight Babcock (Fred Clark) does his best to raise Patrick as a stuffy American aristocrat, but Mame battles Babcock to allow the boy to be as free-spirited as she is. In 1974, Auntie Mame was remade as the filmmusical Mame with Lucille Ball. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, French, Spanish
• Features:
  • • cc Music-only audio track highlighting Bronislaw Kaper's lush score
    • Theatrical trailers of tis and its musical remake Mame
    • Interactive menus
    • Cast/director film highlights
    • Scene access
    • Languages: English & Français
    • Subtitles: English, Français & Español

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Actress - 1958 (Rosalind Russell)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1958 (George James Hopkins, Malcolm C. Bert)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1958 (Harry Stradling)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1958 (William H. Ziegler)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1958
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1958 (Peggy Cass)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1958 (Rosalind Russell)
•     Won Best Picture - Comedy - 1958
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - 1958 (Peggy Cass)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Morton Da Costa

• Producer:

  Morton Da Costa

• Screenwriter:

  Betty Comden, Patrick Dennis

• Book Author:

  Patrick Dennis

• Screenwriter:

  Adolph Green, Robert E. Lee

• Play Author:

  Robert E. Lee, Jerome Lawrence

• Cinematographer:

  Harry Stradling

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Ray Heindorf

• Composer (Music Score):

  Bronislau Kaper

• Editor:

  William H. Ziegler

• Art Director:

  Malcolm C. Bert

• Set Designer:

  George James Hopkins

• Costume Designer:

  Orry-Kelly

REVIEW:

• Auntie Mame reunites star Rosalind Russell and her Broadway director Morton DaCosta in an enthusiastic film version of their long-running stage hit. While less polished than many stage-to-film adaptations, Auntie Mame has a vitality that allows the audience to share in the fun that the characters are having on the screen. The film's major flaw is its episodic nature and lack of narrative flow between sequences. Nonetheless, the good scenes are very, very good, and the story has a consistently upbeat tone. Tech credits are strong, with cinematographer Harry Stradling and set designers Malcolm C. Bert and George James Hopkins contributing splendid work. Indicating the production's overall high quality of production, it was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A word of caution: when looking for this film at the video store, be careful not to confuse it with the inferior 1974 Lucille Ball musical remake. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi