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Brigadoon Blu-ray Review

“Brigadoon” is a flawed, but pleasant musical.

Vincente Minnelli directs the film adaptation of the musical “Brigadoon” by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. The story of this fantasy musical is very light and simple. While on vacation, 2 New York friends (Tommy and Jeff) get lost and stumble across a mystical Scottish village named Brigadoon that only appears once every 100 years. Jeff is grouchy and shows little interest while Tommy becomes enamored with the place as well as a woman named Fiona. Before Brigadoon vanishes once again, Tommy begins to wonder whether he should stay there or return to his normal life. There are other minor subplots including a wedding and an unhappy Brigadoon inhabitant, but that’s the main gist of it.

Presented in glorious Cinemascope, “Brigadoon” is an often charming albeit light musical. What you see is what you get here story wise and that’s perfectly fine. This is classic Hollywood escapism after all. Besides, if it has Gene Kelly in it, you know it’s at least worth seeing for his song and dance numbers alone (the “Almost Like Being In Love” number is not to be missed).

Production wise, the movie is a bit frustrating. The movie is a big spectacle to be sure. There are lavish costumes, big sets, animals, and so forth, but it all feels too stagey. This is the type of movie that desperately needed location shooting. It was essential really given that Brigadoon is supposed to be a magical place. You lose something when it’s so clearly sets on a stage. Equally unconvincing here is the fact that nothing feels remotely Scottish. The accents are all over the place (I’m being kind here) and it all feels like Hollywood’s take on Scotland.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.55:1 1080p. How does it look? The colors pop in this Warner Archive Blu-ray release. Fans should be pleased by this transfer.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Most WA classics get a 2.0 track, but “Brigadoon” is an exception. This film gets the full 5.1 treatment and it shows in the quality.

Extras: 4 deleted musical scenes (one with audio only) and a “Brigadoon” trailer.

November 5, 2017 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Brigadoon Blu-ray Review, Gene Kelly, musical, Musical Movie, Warner Archive