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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Upon its release "That's
Entertainment!" became the biggest and brightest
moneymaker of 1974, and it's no wonder. For a
little over two hours one had the enchanted
experience of being teleported to a world just
this side of over the rainbow. Here is a
cornucopia of magical scenes and snippets from
MGM's most magnificent musicals. Directed with
adroit -- if self congratulatory -- wit and
concision by Jack Haley Jr. (son of "Oz's" Tin
Man), "That's Entertainment!" is the sort of
blindingly spellbinding extravaganza that
reinforces MGM's once galvanic mottos of "Art for
Art's Sake" and "More Stars Than There are in
Heaven." At its gala premiere Jack Haley Sr. was
heard declaring, "This isn't nostalgia. This is
art." Rightly so, by 1974 the MGM musical had been
dead for some time and the studio itself was on
the verge of a restructuring that would ultimately
reduce its holdings to garage sale status. But at
least in this film such forgotten treasures were
resurrected from oblivion to their rightful place
in film history. Variety gave "That's
Entertainment!" a glowing review, trumpeting that,
"While many may ponder the future of
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, no one can deny that it's had
one heck of a past!"
Naturally, MGM just had to have a sequel. Two
years later "That's Entertainment II" came out.
But David Melnick's follow up was decidedly a
letdown on several levels. First, it removed the
star cameos that so poignantly buttressed the
original's vintage clips. Second, it presented the
footage in a seemingly haphazard chronology. And
finally, it interrupted the musical performances
with a showcase from some of the studio's
non-musical performers in a string of disjointed
wordplays. Though not nearly as successful as its
predecessor, "That's Entertainment II" was
nevertheless a box office titan.
In 1994 MGM once again revisited its vaults for
"That's Entertainment III," the final installment
in the series. But by now the experience was
vaguely beginning to resemble grave robbing. The
new film's primary selling feature was that, in
addition to showcasing another round of classic
performances, it also dug deep into the coffers of
outtakes for a series of deleted musical numbers
which, until 1994, had either never or rarely been
seen. Despite these innovations the final
installment to the trilogy was the one most poorly
received. It's the original that continues dazzle
us all and it's the original that remains the
cornerstone of this newly minted DVD box set.
Warner's DVD transfers of all three "That's
Entertainment!" films is a welcomed delight. After
years of viewing parts one and two with poorly
mastered vintage clips, these newly minted discs
appear to have been the benefactors of some
digital restoration. Beginning with the original
film, there is a lack of grain and grit on this
transfer that is most becoming. Colors (during the
Technicolor clips) are vibrant, rich and deep. B&W
images are very crisp, nicely balanced, with an
often stunning grayscale and superior attention to
fine details. There is only the slightest amount
of edge enhancement for a picture that is very
smooth. The audio has been remixed and remastered
to stereo for all three films. Part II seems to
suffer from slightly lower contrast levels
overall, but the same review for Part I applies.
The most outstanding example of digital mastering
comes in Part III -- a marvelously vibrant array
of clips remastered (as they were for the
theatrical engagement) in high def that positively
glows off the screen. The audio is 5.1 surround
and is remarkably aggressive throughout.
Extras include a bonus disc of musical outtakes
and extras, audio only catalogue of songs and
dances, the original footage of the LA premiere
with all of the old time musical stars in
attendance and a series of short subjects that
collectively perform like a documentary on the
series. There are also the original theatrical
trailers for each film to be had. In the immortal
words of George Gershwin… "Who could ask for
anything more?" |
