Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138191 in DVD
• Released on: 1997-07-15
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

A Great Movie That Isn't Given Justice on This DVD
I love this movie. Good acting by Powell, Astaire, and one of my favorites - Peter Lawford. Unfortunately the transfer to DVD is very poor. I think the film is badly in need of restoring. Even the colour (such as the skin on Jane Powell's face) is not constant in the film while watching. I bought it because I felt I had nothing to lose. It was a good price and is better than my EP copy that jumps, if that gives you any idea of the quality. It's probably better if you get a chance to get a hold of a SP version of the video. Of course the DVD is nice as you can skip to your favourite scenes, but there are no extra features with this one. Fred Astaire's dancing on the ceiling routine is a real classic though, and the movie is definitely worth seeing! If you buy the DVD just be prepared to overlook the flaws. Also, just a warning that there are two DVD versions, one in colour and the other is advertized as B & W.

*Note: Thanks to another reviewer, I found out that the best version of this movie was released by GOODTIMES DVD as it was digitally remastered. It is also sold by amazon, but be careful when ordering because there are quite a few different dvd releases of this movie. The picture in the Goodtimes version is much better than the other releases (and believe me I practically bought all of them before finding the best one, lol).*

Loved the movie, hated the DVD
By an odd coincidence, the same evening I watched this DVD one of the cable stations was broadcasting the same movie. The DVD image was horrible--it looked like a third-generation tape dupe. Bad resolution, bad color, poor video and sound. The movie on TV was crisp and clear. What a contrast! This is undoubtedly the worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. What a disappointment for fans of this movie to receive an absolutely terrible copy. Makes me want to cry every time I try to look at it. The publishers should be ashamed!

What a shame.
Many of us have been waiting for a long time to get the old musicals on DVD eg Fred Astaire, High Society, The Gold Diggers etc. Why would I buy these though if the quality is worst than VHS which I already have. I doubt I'm unique. This is a terrible DVD. Do it again and let's get it right.