The Warner Archive Collection has just released an important new restoration of the George Gershwin biopic RHAPSODY IN BLUE (1945).
This new 161-minute print, restoring 12 newly discovered minutes, as well as the rarely seen 11-minute roadshow overture, debuted in April at the TCM Classic Film Festival.
I was unable to fit it in my festival schedule and am thrilled it's now been released on Blu-ray so it can be widely seen.
It's somewhat amazing to me, given that I'm a big fan of musicals, that I'd never seen RHAPSODY IN BLUE before. It was never a short film, and it's even longer now, but I found it enjoyable from start to end.
Despite the length, this tribute to composer Gershwin (Robert Alda) is somewhat light on plot, though it does include the usual '40s musical bio nonsense of working in not one but two make-believe romances for Gershwin;
Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland) is a musical star and Alexis Smith an elegant divorcee he meets in Europe. (It's a fun side note that just a year later, Smith would play Cole Porter's wife in NIGHT AND DAY.)
Instead, after a brief look at Gershwin's childhood, the film mostly focuses on the steady progression of his career, which provides hooks for the performances of a great many songs from the Gershwin musical songbook, along with his concert compositions.
The most striking numbers for me were perhaps Gershwin's best-known pieces, "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris." Alda's performance of "Rhapsody in Blue" was dubbed by Gershwin's good friend Oscar Levant, who appears in the film as himself. I especially loved the presentation of "An American in Paris" to a montage of Paris sights, as well as taxi drivers; it was perfect.
Several cast members play themselves, including not only Levant, but Al Jolson, George White, Hazel Scott, Rouben Mamoulian, and Paul Whiteman. Anne Brown, who played Bess in the original Broadway cast of PORGY AND BESS, sings a haunting rendition of "Summertime."
Morris Carnovsky and Rosemary DeCamp plays Gershwin's parents, with Herbert Rudley and Julie Bishop as Ira and Lee Gershwin. As was so often the case, DeCamp played a character older than her actual age; she was only a little over three years older than her movie son, Alda.
Alda, in his film debut, does a nice job as the driven Gershwin, who seems to sense he's on a limited timeline; Gershwin was only 38 when he passed away due to a brain tumor. Alda manages to keep Gershwin likeable despite his constant focus on his career, often ignoring the (admittedly mythical) women in his life.
The multitalented Levant brings his usual wry humor to the film, which is welcome in what is otherwise a fairly serious musical drama. The cast also includes Charles Coburn, Albert Bassermann, Anne Brown, Mickey Roth, and
Darryl Hickman.
The movie was directed by Irving Rapper and filmed in black and white by Sol Polito. The screenplay was written by Howard Koch and Elliot Paul from a story by Sonya Levien; it was also worked on by uncredited writers including Clifford Odets and Robert Rossen.
The excellent restored Warner Archive Blu-ray print is a new 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate negative and "nitrate lavender" (that latter term was new to me).
Disc extras include the previously mentioned roadshow overture, which is set up to play before the film; the trailer; and a song selection menu, a nicety which is always greatly appreciated.
Classic film fans, and film history in general, owe a debt to the Warner Archive Collection for not only releasing beautiful Blu-ray prints, but in some cases restoring long-missing footage. Other examples of Warner Archive releases with restored "found" footage include THE MAN I LOVE (1946) and THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947).
Recommended.
Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.
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