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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Based on the comic strip, "Little Orphan Annie" which became a Broadway show that, of course, finally translated to a big budget movie in 1981 -- "Annie" is a musical from producer Ray Stark and director John Huston. Odd, that neither had much experience with the genre until this film. Some of their inexperience shows on the screen. The dance numbers are butchered in the editing process and some good talent, though competent, are wasted with the genuinely simple minded handling of the subject matter. The plot is threadbare but enjoyable. Annie (Aileen Quinn) is an orphan during the Great Depression who is invited to spend a weekend with Oliver Warbucks, the billionaire (Albert Finney) to improve his "image" for the press. But when Warbucks and his secretary, Grace (Anne Reinkin) begin to fall under the spell of their little red-headed moppet, the orphanage's proprietress, Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) vows to make a quick buck with a con involving her devilish brother, Rooster (Tim Currie) and his lady friend, Lily St. Regis (Bernadette Peters). Despite its shortcomings, "Annie" is a film imbued with a solid score, amiably put forth by the principle players. The film's climactic chase atop a raised bridge is truly harrowing.
Columbia has made the film available in both full frame and the original widescreen format, enhanced here for 16X9 televisions on a previously issued disc. There is also a "Special Edition" available but, for some odd reason, you won't find a widescreen version of the film included on that disc. Go figure. For the purposes of film purists, this review will concentrate on the anamorphic widescreen version of the film. Colors are rich and nicely balanced. Blacks are sometimes weak but nothing that leads to any great disappointment. However, there are some framing issues that need to be discussed, specifically during the "Let's Go To The Movies" musical number in which it appears as though someone has accidentally reframed the full screen version of this sequence, instead of using the 2:35:1 aspect ratio image. Actor's heads get cut off and there is some jittering as the camera pans to capture the action. Otherwise, the rest of the film image appears to have been processed from the proper widescreen aspect ratio. Fine details, film grain, dirt, chips and scratches inherent in the original camera negative are visible but not distracting. Some scenes are softly focused but again, these are brief. The stereo soundtrack 2.0 is scratchy in spots and strident with a slight hiss and lacking in bass. There are no extras.
No great shakes but still worth the price. Even
with all its shortcomings, this version of "Annie"
is better than Disney's direct to video remake. |
