Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition (Flying Down to Rio / The Gay Divorcee / Roberta / Top Hat / Follow the Fleet / Swing Time / Shall We Dance / Carefree / The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle / The Barkleys of Broadway)

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2006 marks the arrival of five Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films (Flying Down to Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Carefree, and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle) on DVD after the first five were released in 2005. The big package is this Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition, which contains all 10 films plus a CD, a bonus DVD with the documentary Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm, press-book replicas, and some other material. If you want the big package with the extra stuff but already bought the five films in 2005, you can get the Astaire & Rogers Partial Ultimate Collector's Edition, which includes everything except the actual discs of those first five films. Or, if you only want the five new films, pick up Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 2 as a bookend to Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1.

The Astaire-Rogers films mix light romantic comedy (usually centered around mistaken identities and ending, inevitably, in blissful wedding promises) with elegant dinner wear and surreal sets intended to transport '30s audiences away from the Depression to such locales as Rio, Paris, and Venice. The two stars are also aided by a recurring stable of RKO players such as Edward Everett Horton (master of the double-take), Eric Blore, and Helen Broderick. And then there's that sensational dancing set to great songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Jerome Kern, numbers that are not merely entertaining but also innovative for their time in that they reveal character and advance the plot. Add it all up, and you have a recipe for an irrepressible joie de vivre that practically defines the movie musical.

Flying Down to Rio (1933) headlined Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond, but it was the fourth- and fifth-billed stars who would rewrite cinematic history. Astaire and Rogers had limited screen time, but were still able to establish many of the trademarks of their later films. The heart of the film is "The Carioca," a company dance extravaganza in which they take the floor together for the first time; their eyes meet and their foreheads touch. Their dance lasts only a few minutes, but it was the highlight of the film and audiences wanted more. The Gay Divorcee (1934) is their best early picture, a loose adaptation of Astaire's stage show, 'The Gay Divorce.' The only song retained for the movie is Cole Porter's smash hit "Night and Day," which is the setting for a sublime pas de deux between Fred and Ginger. The closer is the sprawling 17-minute ensemble number "The Continental." Roberta (1935) was a step backward, with too much time spent on 1930s Parisian fashion and the romance between top-billed Irene Dunne (who gets the best Jerome Kern ballads, "Yesterdays" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") and Randolph Scott. But as the second-banana couple Astaire and Rogers still get a tap battle, a romantic duet, and plenty of comic banter.

With a score by Irving Berlin, Top Hat (1935) is most famous for two numbers, Astaire's definitive tuxedo setting "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" and the feathery duet "Cheek to Cheek." But other joys include Astaire's "Fancy Free" declaration, "Isn't It a Lovely Day," and the grand finale "The Piccolino." Follow the Fleet (1936) changes the pace a bit, with Astaire playing a sailor, and it suffers from making him and Rogers the second-banana couple to the dull Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard. But it still has plenty of laughs and some classic Irving Berlin numbers, including "Let Yourself Go," which Rogers sings before she and Astaire compete in a dance contest; a Rogers solo tap number; "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," their best comic dance. The pièce de résistance is "Let's Face the Music and Dance," a show within a show in which the pair dons their customary evening formals. Effortlessly flowing from pantomime to song to dance, this sublime piece of storytelling is one of the series' defining moments. Maybe their most enjoyable picture, Swing Time (1936) features the set-piece "Pick Yourself Up," in which Rogers "teaches" Astaire to dance before they break into a spectacular number; the farewell ode "Never Gonna Dance," and the Oscar-winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight," from the team of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields.

Shall We Dance (1937) has a complex plot that has Astaire and Rogers actually getting married before the final credits roll, and turns George and Ira Gershwin's brilliant "They Can't Take That Away from Me" into a heartbreaking ode. Other great songs include "Slap That Bass," "They All Laughed," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," unforgettably performed on roller skates. The eighth and ninth entries in the series tried some different approaches, with the underrated Carefree (1938) more of a comedy vehicle for Ginger (yet still including some fine dances and Irving Berlin songs as well as their first onscreen kiss) and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) portraying the pair as historical dancing stars and using a score of turn-of-the-century standards. The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) is the oddity, reuniting the stars 10 years after their last RKO picture when Judy Garland had to be replaced due to health problems. It's trademark MGM: splashy colors, Fred in a gimmicky solo number (playing sorcerer's apprentice to a line of unoccupied shoes), Oscar Levant providing his usual dynamic pianism and acerbic personality, and a score that is at its best when it borrows songs from a previous generation (including the big ballroom number set to "They Can't Take That Away from Me"). The film falls short of their best work, but serves as a fond remembrance of the most glorious partnership in film history. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

wonderful Edition.......2007-08-27

This is a wonderful edition with all movies of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with bonus features (Trailer, Cartons, Short Movies, a documentary on bonus DVD, Reprints of Lobbycards + 1 Audio CD with any soundtracks. But I do missing "The Piccolino" Soundrack.

Dazzling and Beautiful.......2007-04-20

Ibelieve everything has been said already of Rogers and Astaire.The two together on the screen is magical and entertaining.Funny whitty beautiful.The music by some othe greatest composer such as Berlin costumes by the best of Hollywood is a treat for the eyes.You will not be dissapointed,when you are feeling low his will make you sore to the sky.Get it.

A set of classics.......2007-02-28

If you enjoy Fred & Ginger, you need their entire set of these classics. The dialogue can be a little corny at times, but so was yours when you were young. They practiced for hours, and it shows.

BEWARE!.......2007-02-19

Twice I ordered this set for my wife, and each time the package arrived with DVDs missing from the set! All the containers were there, but as many as five (5) DVDs were gone. What a joke. I gave up and purchased the set at Borders. Does Amazon care? Never heard from them.

a thesaurus of musicals in a package for musicals lovers.......2007-02-19

each movie starring Fred and Ginger can be considered as a jewel; so is this collector's edition with bonus of value ( many photographs "off screen", newspapers articles,...) certainly collected by a true lover who aimed to enjoy the buyer.

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway)

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Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway
JAR
GREAT MOVIES!
the astaire collection volume 1
A Real Classic

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway)
Starring: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Edward Everett Horton , Erik Rhodes , and Eric Blore
Director: Mark Sandrich , and George Stevens
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0009NSCR6
Release Date: 2005-08-16

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Fans of classic movie musicals will be in heaven with Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1, featuring the DVD debut of five films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the quintessential dancing duo. The two gems of the set are Top Hat (1935), generally considered their definitive movie, and Swing Time (1936), which many consider their most enjoyable. Follow the Fleet (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) fill out the set, each with its own charms.

Follow the Fleet

With a score by Irving Berlin, Top Hat is most famous for two numbers, Astaire's definitive tuxedo setting "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" and the feathery duet "Cheek to Cheek." But other joys include Astaire's "Fancy Free" declaration, "Isn't It a Lovely Day," and the grand finale "The Piccolino." Favorite musical moments in Swing Time include the set-piece "Pick Yourself Up," in which Rogers "teaches" Astaire to dance before they break into a spectacular number; the farewell ode "Never Gonna Dance," and the Oscar-winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight," from the team of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields.

Swing Time

Follow the Fleet changes the pace a bit, with Astaire playing a sailor, and it suffers from making him and Rogers the second-banana couple to the dull Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard. But it still has plenty of laughs and some classic Irving Berlin numbers, including "Let Yourself Go," which Rogers sings before she and Astaire compete in a dance contest; a Rogers solo tap number; "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," their best comic dance. The pièce de résistance is "Let's Face the Music and Dance," a show within a show in which the pair dons their customary evening formals. Effortlessly flowing from pantomime to song to dance, this sublime piece of storytelling is one of the series' defining moments. Shall We Dance has a complex plot that has Astaire and Rogers actually getting married before the final credits roll, and turns George and Ira Gershwin's brilliant "They Can't Take That Away from Me" into a heartbreaking ode. Other great songs include "Slap That Bass," "They All Laughed," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," unforgettably performed on roller skates. The Barkleys of Broadway is the oddity, reuniting the stars 10 years after their last RKO picture when Judy Garland had to be replaced due to health problems. It's trademark MGM: splashy colors, Fred in a gimmicky solo number (playing sorcerer's apprentice to a line of unoccupied shoes), Oscar Levant providing his usual dynamic pianism and acerbic personality, and a score that is at its best when it borrows songs from a previous generation (including the big ballroom number set to "They Can't Take That Away from Me"). The film falls short of their best work, but serves as a fond remembrance of the most glorious partnership in film history. --David Horiuchi

Description

You'll Love The Way Fred and Ginger Look Tonight in the 5-film, 5-Disc Astaire and Rogers Collection Volume One, including the highly acclaimed Top Hat and Swing Time.

Customer Reviews:

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway .......2007-07-25

Loved them all. Brings back memories of good times. Well worth the price in memories and escaping into the past if only momentarily.

JAR.......2007-05-15

I love Fred Astaire Movies, classic movies there's nothing like these type of movies. excellent....

GREAT MOVIES!.......2007-02-24

ARRIVED NEXT DAY I ORDERED THEM! VERY GOOD QUALITY OF MOVIES.

the astaire collection volume 1.......2007-02-20

Fred Astaire is unbeatable especially when paired with Ginger Rogers or Eleanor Powell. These are older films and of course not up to modern technical standards. However the charm and the eleghance and the excellence shine through- A must for a fan or collector.

A Real Classic.......2007-01-21

Very well done. A must have for anyone who loves the old films. Even my 10 year old son, enjoyed the dancing and singing. :-)

Average customer rating:

As good as ever.
Top Hat
A Wonderful Classic
Silliness Squared But Who Cares
Top Hat

Top Hat
Starring: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Edward Everett Horton , Erik Rhodes , and Eric Blore
Director: Mark Sandrich , and Lloyd French
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009NSCQW
Release Date: 2005-08-16

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Even the best Fred and Ginger musicals are merely lavish excuses for some of the most elegant dancing ever put on screen, and Top Hat is no exception. The story is a silly but timeless tale of mistaken identity that compounds itself to extremes. Fred Astaire is the famous American hoofer Jerry Travers, in London preparing for a new show with his befuddled producer Horace Hardwick (the always entertaining Edward Everett Horton) when he falls for Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers), a lovely, wisecracking American girl as light on her feet as Jerry. Dale believes Jerry to be Horace, the husband of her best friend Madge (Helen Broderick) and rebuffs his advances by marrying her dressmaker Alberto (Erik Rhodes), but in the best tradition of musical comedy, true love finds its own way. Practically the entire cast of the 1934 hit The Gay Divorcee reunites for this frothy confection, along with director Mark Sandrich, designer Van Nest Polglase, and choreographer Hermes Pan. Irving Berlin provides a tuneful score, including "Cheek to Cheek," which provides a classic duet for Astaire and Rogers, and "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails," which remains one of Astaire's finest solo numbers. Polglase outdoes himself with sets both elegant and outrageous and Hermes Pan's choreography is as smooth as ever, but ultimately it's the grace and chemistry of the leads that makes Top Hat top entertainment. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Perhaps the best remembered of the 10 Astaire/Rogers musicals, Top Hat has it all: Art Deco elegance, a wonderfully addled storyline, loopy support from skilled farceurs and the incomparable chemistry of the two leads cheek-to-cheeking to Irving Berlin's finest film score. It's a wake-up call for romance when Fred's exuberant No Strings dance in his hotel suite disturbs the sleeping beauty (Ginger) in the room below. They meet cute, Fred decides he'd like a few strings (preferably a tied knot) after all and love beckons until Ginger mistakenly gets the idea that Fred is a married playboy. But mistakes can be wonderfully, wackily resolved. Among the highlights: Fred mows down the chorus line in his signature Top Hat, White Tie and Tails, the shimmeringly dreamy Isn't It a Lovely Day (to Be Caught in the Rain)? and the rhapsodically tender Cheek to Cheek. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Top Hat is top-drawer entertainment magic.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by Fred Astaire?s Daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie and Film Dance Historian Larry Billman
Featurette:On Top: Inside the Success of Top Hat
Other:Comedy Short Watch the Birdie with Bob Hope, Classic Cartoon Page Miss Glory

Customer Reviews:

As good as ever........2007-08-27

I have always loved this movie, especially the dance with the feather dress. The humor in it, and the characters that present it go right along with Astare and Rogers. It could not have had a better cast!

Top Hat.......2007-08-18

Good movie but pictured on cover as in color but in b & w. Didn't say anywhere whether it was black and white or color. Otherwise, pretty good

A Wonderful Classic.......2007-08-13

Fred Astaire plays a (fancy this) stage dance performer signing up for a new show. As he's dancing in the producer's hotel room, he disturbs the sleep of the very beautiful Ginger Rogers. It's a wonderful ride from there. One of the songs that appears here is "Cheek to Cheek". This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Silliness Squared But Who Cares.......2007-08-05

"Top Hat," RKO-Radio Pictures, 1936, is fourth in the canon of ten Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films. It's as silly as any of them; it opens on an argument about whether a square tie must be worn with evening dress, and floats along by pushing a wafer-thin mistaken identity plot further than you might imagine. However, it did get four Oscar nominations, so turn off the uber-critic, and enjoy.

The story, written by the uncredited Sandor Farago, Aladar Laszlo, and Karoly Noti, and credited to Astaire's frequent collaborators/writers, Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor, is, in many ways, a remake of the same people's 1934 "Gay Divorcee." But it's got its own wit and charm. Pandro S. Berman produced, as he generally did, with an open purse for this team's efforts. Mark Sandrich directed: cinematography was by David Abel. Hermes Pan had a hand in the choreography, as usual; Bernard Newman designed Rogers's elegant evening wear. Art direction was by Van Nest Polglase, who gave us glorious art deco sets, glistening with white. London itself, its hotels and clubs, has never looked so glamorous; Venice and its hotel are of a fantastical beauty, though I don't know about those swimmers in the canals....

The film's leads, Astaire as Jerry Travers, dancing star, and Rogers as Dale Tremont, model, are given strong support by the usual suspects. Edward Everett Horton plays Horace Hardwick, Jerry's impresario/rich best friend, with Eric Blore as his valet Bates. Helen Broderick is Madge Hardwick, Horace's wife -- and why must she always be called Madge or Marge? Erik Rhodes is Albert Beddini, Dale's employer/dress designer, who will be her usual disappointed swarthy suitor. A young Lucille Ball has a tiny part.

Famed American composer Irving Berlin contributed both words and music. "I'm Fancy Free" was a light-hearted romp for a solo Astaire; it starts the action rolling. The unforgettable duet, "Isn't It A Lovely Day," was sung and danced by both stars. "Top Hat and Tails," is one of Astaire's signature solos: he's backed by a line of chorus boys. "Cheek to Cheek" is a memorable melodic duet. "The Piccolino," Roger's somewhat shaky vocal solo, to me, does not rise to the same sublime heights as the very similar "Continental," from the two years earlier "Gay Divorcee." But make no mistake, Astaire was a lucky man. He and Berlin were old friends from their scuffling Tin Pan Alley/vaudeville days, and Berlin knew just how to write for the hoofer. Songs are comfortably in his range, and allow him to talk/sing them in his inimitable style.

And oh, the dancing. Nobody's ever done it better. In addition, Astaire and Rogers could act and dance at the same time. Mind you, Astaire's very walk is one of extraordinary athleticism and grace: he's never quite not dancing. But, to adapt one of Berlin's great lines, "Heaven, I'm in Heaven, when they're out together dancing cheek to cheek." So, enjoy.

Top Hat.......2007-06-21

Finally, the long-awaited Astaire-Rogers classics are being released on DVD, and "Top Hat" (arguably the best of the series, along with "Swing Time") has never looked or sounded better. The plot is soufflé-light, but runs on the divine hilarity of its ensemble players, in particular Eric Blore as persnickety butler Bates, and Erik Rhodes as Beddini, rival to Dale's affections. Beyond that ineffable Astaire-Rogers chemistry, the real stars are the buttery Berlin score (highlight: "Cheek to Cheek") and dancing sequences that define beauty and grace in motion. Heaven-I'm in heaven!

Average customer rating:

As good as ever.
Top Hat
A Wonderful Classic
Silliness Squared But Who Cares
Top Hat

Top Hat [Region 2]
Starring: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Edward Everett Horton , Erik Rhodes , and Eric Blore
Director: Mark Sandrich
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000059X9X

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Customer Reviews:

As good as ever........2007-08-27

Top Hat.......2007-08-18

Good movie but pictured on cover as in color but in b & w. Didn't say anywhere whether it was black and white or color. Otherwise, pretty good

A Wonderful Classic.......2007-08-13

Silliness Squared But Who Cares.......2007-08-05

Top Hat.......2007-06-21

Average customer rating:

As good as ever.
Top Hat
A Wonderful Classic
Silliness Squared But Who Cares
Top Hat

Top Hat [Region 2]
Starring: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Edward Everett Horton , Erik Rhodes , and Eric Blore
Director: Mark Sandrich , and Thornton Freeland
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005LJBT

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

As good as ever........2007-08-27

Top Hat.......2007-08-18

Good movie but pictured on cover as in color but in b & w. Didn't say anywhere whether it was black and white or color. Otherwise, pretty good

A Wonderful Classic.......2007-08-13

Silliness Squared But Who Cares.......2007-08-05

Top Hat.......2007-06-21

Top Hat DVD Authentic Region 1 Starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers 1935

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Top Hat DVD Authentic Region 1 Starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers 1935

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
Director: Mark Sandrich
Genre: Classics
Format: Full Screen
Awards: Academy Award® Nominee

ASIN: B000KYV140

Product Description

This joyous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical features an Irving Berlin score and the classic duet "Cheek to Cheek." Astaire stars as Jerry Travers, a singer-dancer who auditions some new moves for producer Horace Hardwick at his hotel. The beautiful Dale Tremont (Rogers) is staying downstairs and the wackiness begins when she mistakes Jerry for Horace in this romantic comedy that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

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