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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Vincente Minnelli's "Bells
Are Ringing" (1960) generally gets a bad rap from
reviewers and critics alike. While it is true that
the film came at the tail end of MGM's reign of
supremacy in musical motion picture entertainment
-- and it is equally true that the film falls
short by direct comparison to, say, Minnelli's
"Meet Me In St. Louis (an unfair but often used
example), all the pistons are firing on this
occasion with this delightful story of a phone
operator who falls in love with one of her
clients.
The story concerns lonely Ella Peterson (Judy
Holliday in her final performance). Working out of
a basement apartment for Susan's-a-phone (a
personal message service), Ella longs for the good
life and the right fella to fill her needs.
However, that doesn't prevent her plucky
personality from offering equal portions of good
advice and smart talk to her roster of happy
clients. Ella's fraternization doesn't
particularly sit well with her employer, Sue (Jean
Stapleton) who is all dollars and cents, or police
detective, Barnes (Dort Clark) who advises Ella
that it's illegal to provide unsolicited
information in the capacity of a business
acquaintance. But Ella is all set to throw caution
to the wind when she falls in love with Plaza
0-double four, double nine. That extension belongs
to Jeffrey Moss (Dean Martin), a once successful
playwright who fears that his days of popularity
are numbered and has since turned to shallow women
and hollow relationships for solace.
Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green
transform their Broadway original into a sublime
cinematic treat. Minnelli directs adroitly and --
given the limited budget he had to work with --
delivers a film that appears to be on a much
grander scale than it actually is. Particularly in
his execution of the "Drop that Name" sequence --
in which Ella lampoons her association with the
hoi polloi, Minnelli's brisk camera work and
staging is flawless. The same is true during Eddy
Foy Jr.'s charming romp in "Oh, What A System."
Delivered with comedic panache and laconic savvy a
la the darling Holliday and charming Martin, the
rest of the score, including such standards as
"Just in Time" and "Drop That Name" is brilliant
and bouncy.
Thanks to Warner's stunning new transfer, "Bells
are Ringing" arrives just in time on DVD. The
anamorphically enhanced Cinemascope image is
outstanding. Colors are nicely balanced. Image
quality is a marked improvement over anything this
film has looked like before on home video. Blacks
are rich, deep and solid. Whites are crisp, but
never blooming. There is a hint of film grain and
the occasional shimmer of fine detail but nothing
that will distract you from wallowing in the
riotous splendor of this musical classic. The
audio has been impeccably remastered in 5.1 and
delivers an unexpectedly powerful kick during the
songs. The one disappointment for admirers of this
film is that the featurette on the film "Just in
Time" is way too short to be considered a valid
supplement. Others include two outtake musical
sequences made available previously, and the
film's theatrical trailer. Regardless of these
shortcomings, "Bells Are Ringing" comes highly
recommended as great good time fun. |
