Gold Diggers of 1933 | 
| Director: Mervyn Leroy
Actors: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline Macmahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
Buy New: $23.49
New (5) Used (3) from $23.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 52408
Format: Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 98
UPC: 012569677401
EAN: 0012569677401
ASIN: B000E0OE2G
Theatrical Release Date: May 27, 1933
Release Date: March 21, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
Harry Warren - Musical Genius of the 20th Century! October 12, 2008
It's easy to overlook the genius of the composer of all this wonderful music, Harry Warren. We are so hypnotized by all the wonderful choreography of the genius of Busby Berkeley, that we forget that if it weren't for the music in this film, there would be nothing to choreograph! Harry Warren went on from "42nd Street" to "Footlight Parade" and other films in the early 1930s to compose the music for an impressive array of films into the 1960s. His list of hits are staggering--42 top ten hits (21 made it to #1, and 14 reached the #2 spot), the most hits for any composer of his generation--and he was writing music at the time when the likes of Cole Porter, Richard Rogers, Irving Berlin, and Jerome Kern (among many, many others) were at their creative heights! "Golddiggers of 1933" is a wonderful film, due in large measure to BOTH geniuses--one Busby Berkeley, and one HARRY WARREN!
Fabulously entertaining! Funny and moving. February 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you need proof that Busby Berkley was a genius, you have only to watch the production numbers of Gold Diggers of 1933. If you are looking for lavish, how about seventy-four dancers in gowns playing violins? The songs and dances are classic, the costumes are amazing, and it goes way beyond light entertainment.
Remember My Forgotten Man was a heartbreaking reminder of America's treatment of returning veterans, begging for food and sleeping on sidewalks.
This was Busbey Berkley's second film for Warner Brothers, following 42nd Street, and it is a DVD that belongs in your collection if you enjoy classic American films.
A Timeless Classic!! July 13, 2007
This period piece movie is not only an entertainment classic, it is also a wonderful educational tool. On the entertainment front, who can resist the lighthearted music and the almost adolescent romantic formulas played out in the movie? Who can resist Ginger Rogers singing in pig-Latin? Who can resist the pathos of "Remember My Forgotten Man"?
On the educational front I have to say this is a winner. I taught American History for 37 years to almost 2 generations of high school seniors. The Great Depression was simply a sterile concept to them until they saw the movie. As said earlier, this is an historic period piece, and permits the viewer not only to get a genuine sense of the styles, speech patterns, pop culture, and values of the time, it also gives a profound view of the burdens and destitution of the Great Depression. I was able to elicit hours of genuine educational discussion and valuse clarification from showing and then discussing this movie with my students. They had a new and sober respect for the trauma caused by the Great Depression. Of course, this was also a wonderful segue and introduction to the New Deal and the administration of FDR.
This is story telling,perhaps not at its best, but most assuredly at its most entertaining and useful.
Gold Diggers of 1933 June 20, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In this first "Gold Diggers" entry, the various romantic maneuverings may seem dated and silly, but also reveal the charged dynamics between the few "haves" and the many "have-nots" during our country's worst economic crisis. We see the rich, oblivious Bostonians brazenly manipulated by the sassy, savvy chorus girls, who aren't mean or dishonest- just plain hungry for a good meal. Busby Berkeley's risque, jaw-dropping production numbers temporarily transported a weary citizenry from their troubles, and immortal Harry Warren- Al Dubin songs like "We're In The Money" and "Remember My Forgotten Man" became powerful anthems for a desperate time, when fear itself was truly the enemy. (Also watch for Ginger Rogers in an early role, singing in pig latin!)
Fabulouly Fun February 19, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
You can spend your evening watching yet another cop show or you can delve into fabulous fun by watching this, the frothiest answer to the Great Depression.
The film begins with a huge close of up Ginger Rogers singing the ditty "We're in the Money" in pig-Latin (added to the film when she was overheard doing this off the set). The chorus girls go through their Busby Berkeley routine clad only in oversized coinage and so we know we are off on quite the romp.
The next scenes provide the grit of the Depression in the form of closed theaters, out of work actresses and pilfered milk bottles, but not to worry! There is always a song coming on, and Dick Powell, that charming neighbor across the airshaft has already captured Ruby Keeler's heart with his tunes and his smile. Her gal pals are not buying his applesauce, but when he provides the funds to underwrite their next big show that is sure to make them all happy if not famous, well, things start looking up big time.
We are gifted with some of the best of the Berkeley numbers in this film. The "Shadow Waltz" is breathtakingly gorgeous with all of those lovely chorus girls in the best Art Deco dresses ever dreamed, on their Dr. Seuss-ish set, as they play their neon violins... Like drifting on one very snazzy cloud. And the "Pettin' in the Park" number brings a whole new meaning to the question, "How long do you stay fresh in that can?"
The singing by both Joan Blondell and the incomparable Etta Moten (for whom Gershiwin wrote the role of Bess)in the "Remember My Forgotten Man" finale (by Al Dubin and Harry Warren) is as good as you will find anywhere.
Sprinkled all through this is a problem that is skillfully handled by a smattering of wise cracks, high-jinks and good clean fun that will make you glad that you took a trip back in time.
|
|
|
