Comment

Not only is the 1948 Vincente Minnelli classic, starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, with songs by Cole Porter, a joyful romp featuring two of cinema’s greatest entertainers, but it is also one of the most colorful of all the colorful Technicolor productions, and on DVD it looks absolutely spectacular and luscious. Surprisingly, according to the DVD’s supplement, the film was generally a failure when it was first released, as hard as that is to believe now, primarily because both Garland and Kelly were expanding their range a little bit wider than audiences of the day were prepared for. But in retrospect, with the careers of those involved long since finalized, the movie is a true gem. Set on a Caribbean island early in the Nineteenth Century, Garland’s character is about to enter an arranged marriage with the island’s governor when Kelly’s character, part of a group of traveling performers, arrives and captures her heart. There is a clever mistaken identity device involving the title character that leads to several amusing comedy scenes and a satisfying finale. It is more than enough narrative energy to justify the musical numbers and even provide a satisfying emotional foundation for them. Kelly’s athletic dancing is transfixing, and Garland’s singing is transcendent, all of which are captured vividly on the DVD. The full screen picture has one succulent color after another, each delivered with a crisp smoothness. The monophonic sound is solid and worth cranking up the volume.