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The Warner Archives blu-ray edition of this historical musical film is very nicely rendered with beautiful picture and sound and some nice extras. It's unfortunate that the original two-color footage of a key scene was lost and currently only exists in black and white. The early 20th century was an era of rapid technological development virtually unparalleled in human history--and the developers of these technologies, including film studios, were eager to capitalize on them by showing them off to dazzle audiences. After some three decades of black and white silent films, the late 1920s saw the advent of sound "talkies" and even Technicolor. Color film remained very expensive for decades and tended to be employed sparingly--but often used in the early talkie era to highlight a single razzle-dazzle scene, such as a lavish song and dance routine with stunning, sparkling costumes--while the rest of the film remained in black and white. Originally, "The Broadway Melody" contained one single color scene of a stage routine, “The Wedding of the Painted Doll,” but sadly that color footage is lost, with only the black and white version remaining. It seems to me that, given today's digital capabilities, it wouldn't have been that difficult for Warner Bros. to re-colorize that one single scene to make it appear as it was originally released. I'm not a fan of colorizing black and white movies which were never in color, previously. I believe that damages its authenticity as an historical document. But if it was in color to begin with, and that was the original intent, then why not? However, otherwise, the film is nonetheless presented in pristine restoration quality, utilizing 4K scans of the original film prints. It looks as gorgeous today as it must have the first day it appeared on movie screens nearly a century ago. So, I can’t complain too much about that one scene.
As far as the movie itself, this one is a pleasant surprise. I had seen a clip of the “Broadway Melody” stage routine as a special features clip included in the 50th Anniversary DVD Edition of Gene Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain.” For those who are unfamiliar, “Singin’ in the Rain,” although fictionalized, is based on the true story of Hollywood’s not-so-easy, but very rapid transition from silent film to full blown musical talkies in the span of about two to three years, beginning in 1927 with Al Jolson’s revolutionary smash, “The Jazz Singer”—which panicked all of the major studios into scrambling to retool and start releasing, not just talkies, but Broadway-style musicals on film. MGM’s musical mogul, Arthur Freed, who produced “Singin’ in the Rain” in 1952, largely based it on his own work as a young, up-and-coming “Tin Pan Alley” songwriter in the late 1920s. Freed was hired by MGM to write songs for some of these early 1920s musicals such as “The Hollywood Revue” (1929), which gave us Freed’s original version of that iconic song “Singing in the Rain” and in that same year, this film, the (almost) fully restored “The Broadway Melody” (1929), which debuted multiple songs that would later be recreated as iconic Gene Kelly hits in 1952’s “Singin’ in the Rain”—including the title song “Broadway Melody” and romantic “You Were Meant for Me.” As mentioned, I had seen a clip of the “Broadway Melody” song and dance routine from this movie, and it seemed, quite frankly, rather primitive as one might expect of such an early outing for talkie musicals. Boy, did that one clip not do this film justice!
I went in expecting a light comedy revue with some kind of loose, light-hearted narrative to string it together. NO!!! Although it certainly contains humor, this movie is NOT a comedy at all. This is a sophisticated, gut-wrenching, tear-your-heart-out DRAMA, which only happens to have some music in it because the three central characters are attempting to make their fortune on Broadway and generally coming up short. When they sing, it’s usually because they are rehearsing a song for a stage show or performing it before a live audience. The rest of the time they are dealing with the trials and tribulations of navigating a rather unhealthy love triangle that borders on creepy. Again, this is NOT a comedy.
Bessie Love and Anita Page respectively portray a pair of song and dance sisters, Harriet “Hank” and Queenie Mahoney, otherwise known as the Mahoney Sisters. They have recently arrived in New York in hopes of taking their small-town act to the dazzling lights of the Big Apple—aided by Hank’s boyfriend, himself, an up-and-coming Broadway talent, Eddie Kerns (Charles King). Hank and Eddie are already engaged by the time the sisters arrive in New York, with younger Queenie a willing third wheel in this seemingly inseparable trio. However, tensions rise as Hank’s well-meaning, but near-irrational over-protectiveness of her younger sister are accompanied by Eddie’s conflicted gaze beginning to pivot from his fiancé to Queenie—all while Hank and Eddie both equally and loudly refuse to allow Queenie to date anyone else for different (or maybe the same?) reasons—and yet, to be fair, Queenie does find herself on a path to self-destruction, knowing that she is in essence sacrificing her own integrity and self-worth in order to distance herself from Eddie’s uncomfortable (but not completely unwanted) advances and, in her own way, protect her older sister who is blinded by love and jealousy (or maybe not so blinded and knows exactly what’s going on?). It’s a tearful, creepy and strange love triangle story to say the least—and absolutely compelling, with acting performances fully deserving of the Oscar nods these actors received along with a Best Picture win. These three actors, Love, Page, and King, create three characters who exist in an unhealthy and tragic relationship, and yet, there are no villains among the three of them. You feel deeply for each of these three characters who, despite their conflicted interactions, each appear to deeply care for one another throughout it all.
It's a must-see for fans of “Singin’ in the Rain” to appreciate that film’s origin story, as well as lovers of historical landmark films in general—and lovers of compelling human drama with a musical twist.
This film garnered three “Broadway Melody” sequels in 1935, 1938, and 1940, all starring dancing sensation Eleanor Powell, who in the third sequel is joined by Fred Astaire. A fourth sequel, which would have been titled “The Broadway Melody of 1944,” starring Eleanor Powell and Gene Kelly, was retitled “Broadway Rhythm” and retooled when the studio lost Gene Kelly to Columbia Pictures’ “Cover Girl.” The original “The Broadway Melody” from 1929 was remade in 1940 under the new title, “Two Girls on Broadway.” This time, the Mahoney Sisters were portrayed by Lana Turner and my personal crush, spunky Joan Blondell. I’m thrilled to own all of these films on disc.
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2024
- Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2005
- Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2008
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MariaReviewed in Mexico on October 9, 2024
Por fin el gran clásico ganador del Premio Oscar en formato Blu-Ray!
Colecciono las películas ganadoras del Premio Oscar, y cuando supe que Warner Archive Collection había lanzado en formato Blu-Ray el clásico "Broadway Melody", lo compré de inmediato.MariaPor fin el gran clásico ganador del Premio Oscar en formato Blu-Ray!
Reviewed in Mexico on October 9, 2024
Se ve espectacular, mejor que nunca, con una calidad de imagen fuera de serie para ser de hace más de 80 años.
Lo mejor es que llegó rápido y en perfectas condiciones, el único inconveniente es que no trae subtítulos en Español.
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