The Great Ziegfeld Blu-ray Review
“The Great Ziegfeld” is a movie of moments.
In 1936’s “The Great Ziegfeld,” the story begins in 1893 during the Chicago World’s Fair in which Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. is putting on a struggling strong man show across the way from his rival/friend Jack Billings who operates a more successful belly dancer show. To make a long story short, things don’t exactly go well for Ziegfeld. In his search for his next big break, he finds French singer (Anna Held) who Jack was looking to sign. Ziegfeld persuades her into signing with him and the two go on to have a successful show. Anna and Flo even marry one another for a period of time. Not happy with just 1 show, Flo is constantly looking to find the next big star and make the next big thing which leads him down a path of creating “Ziegfeld Follies” along with other stage musicals including “Show Boat.” His ambitions, however, begin to interfere with his personal life as he becomes known as a ladies man. On top of that, his financial situation is in a constant state of flux which also hampers his life.
With this being the week of the Oscars, it seems only fitting to be reviewing a Best Picture winner with director Robert Z. Leonard’s “The Great Ziegfeld.” Clocking in at 183 minutes, this MGM musical is part biodrama, part musical, and part epic (with overture, intermission and all). Despite its awards, the William Anthony McGuire scripted film is not one of the more memorable Best Picture winners, but it’s not without its highlights.
As a biodrama, ‘Ziegfeld’ is very surface level. We never really get to learn much about who Flo really was outside of his accomplishments, drive, and reputation. It’s all presented in a very tedious manner. Where ‘Ziegfeld’ really shines is with the musical moments. The costumes, the dancers, the stunning cake sequence, the elaborate moving sets, and Ray Bolger’s scene stealing tapdance are all feasts for the eyes. Unfortunately, there’s not quite enough of those moments in this overlong production.
Now, it’s no fault of the cast as there are a host of impressive performances from the likes of William Powell, Myrna Loy, the aforementioned Ray Bolger, Frank Morgan, and Oscar winner Luise Rainer as Anna. They’re merely saddled with material that feels a bit too dry.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p. How does it look? Despite the presence of some print defects, this B&W classic gets a largely nice clean new print.
Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The audio is a little low and snowy, but is still satisfactory as a whole.
Extras:
* Original theatrical trailer
* Song selection option
* “Toytown Hal” cartoon
* “Leo Is On The Air” radio promo program about “The Great Ziegfeld.”
* “Premiere Newsreel”
* “Ziegfeld On Film”- A special on the history of Flo Ziegfeld.
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