|
By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Alexander's Ragtime Band"
is a red herring in musicals -- a stagy, stilted
fictional lament of the hardships of composer
Irving Berlin, without Berlin's name ever
surfacing from the deluge -- except in the title
sequence.
It stars resident 20th Century Fox heartthrob
Tyrone Power as Berlin's alter ego, the suave
bandleader "Alexander." Smitten with the rather
racy girl from the wrong side of the tracks,
(Alice Faye), Al makes a few wrong turns and winds
up lovelorn and bitter. However, true to the tripe
of musical plotting he gets over his angst in
style. Ethel Merman -- fresh from Broadway --
makes the most out of a series of hear-pounding
musical sequences, the best probably being "Heat
Wave" which closes the show. Don Ameche turns up
for good measure and in good voice, along with the
delightful comic styling of Jack Haley Sr. (best
known to audiences as the Tin Man in "The Wizard
of Oz"). Darryl F. Zanuck lavished this fictional
film bio with every ounce of sumptuousness that
his studio could afford and every last dollar
shows up on the screen. Even the set of the seedy
bar, which opens the story, looks like Toot Shores
for the rough trade. Despite its faint hint of
formaldehyde, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a
valiant addition to the Fox Studio Series DVD
collection.
The transfer is remarkably clean and solid. There
are moments where the image slightly jerks from
left to right, but these are sporadic glitches in
an otherwise flawless transfer. The grayscale has
been impeccably remastered with deep, velvety
blacks and very pristine whites. Occasionally one
will note a slight hint of film grain but this is
to be expected for a film that is 60-plus years
old. There are no digital anomalies (edge
enhancement, pixelization, shimmering of fine
details) for a smooth video presentation that is
sure to please. The audio is mono -- as is to be
expected -- but has been very nicely cleaned up.
Extras include several deleted scenes, a
theatrical trailer and an exceptionally dense and
engaging audio commentary. Bottom line; come on
and hear and see "Alexander's Ragtime Band." It's
a treat! |
