DVD Corner

Rhapsody In Blue Blu-ray Review

“Rhapsody In Blue” is an uneven biopic. 

“Rhapsody In Blue” is a 1945 biopic on the life of pianist and composer George Gershwin. The story (which is penned by Howard Koch and Elliot Paul) chronicles Gershwin’s tragically short life from childhood to his untimely death from a brain tumor. The story explores his family life, his romantic love interests with a singer/actress Julie and a society girl named Christine, his close bond with his influential music teacher (Professor Franck), and, of course, his career. In addition to being known for tunes like the titular track and “Summertime” from the “Porgy And Bess” musical, Gershwin’s compositions were created for everything from stage shows to jazz concertos. 

Director Irving Rapper’s “Rhapsody In Blue” is presented as an epic tribute to the late ahead of his time musician. The film even clocks in at a 161 minute runtime complete with an opening 10 minute overture and contains numerous stage performances and choreographed dance numbers in full in honor of his iconic work. Despite all of that, however, ‘Blue’ does the artist a bit of a disservice. It’s not uncommon for a biopic to fabricate the truth in service of storytelling, but it is odd at just how much of this movie is fictional. Both romances and the Professor Franck character were all scripted which is really odd considering how prevalent they are to Gershwin’s story in this motion picture. Moreover, we never really get a sense of who George Gershwin is and what drove him to continually create bold new music and sounds. Basically, it feels like we should have gotten a much more faithful and deeper biopic than what this picture delivers.

On the plus side, the casting is spot on. Robert Alda does a commendable job carrying the narrative as George Gershwin. Perhaps the most curious aspect of ‘Blue’ is seeing how many people portray themselves in it such as Oscar Levant, Al Jolson, Paul Whiteman and Hazel Scott. How surreal and weird must it have been for Levant to star as himself in a movie about his friend? Joan Leslie, Charles Coburn, Herbert Rudley and Alexis Smith also turn in notable performances here. Everyone is really game for this film which is what makes it watchable.

As mentioned above, the music numbers and choreographed dance pieces are the real MVP of this production (outside of the cringe worthy blackface sequences that is). The “Rhapsody In Blue” performance and “Somebody Loves Me” duet stood out in particular. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p. How does it look? Warner Archive has done it again. This restoration offers up stunning clarity. The B&W film has never looked better. 

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Expect an effective audio track in which the music really soars.

The lone extra is a theatrical trailer.

June 17, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Biopic, George Gershwin, Rhapsody In Blue Blu-ray Review, Warner Archive