Meet Me In St. Louis (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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Meet me in St. Louis, 2009-01-06
The provider gave customer a calendar and Christmas card. Someone who maybe a complete stranger gave some holiday cheer to another stranger is always a plus. Movie was excellent and would buy from seller again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Five Stars Forever - CLASSIC, 2008-12-21
There are many things to love about this film. Where to begin? Judy Garland - lovely and lyrical as Esther Smith, one of four sisters of an upper class St. Louis family circa 1903/1904. She's the heart of the story and her romance with "The Boy Next Door" (Tom Drake) is just plain sweet. Among many great songs she sings in the film standouts include the song mentioned above, Academy Award-nominated "The Trolley Song ("clang, clang, clang went the trolley...") and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (heart-melting). There's Margaret O'Brien as her precocious little sister, "Tootie," whose Halloween adventure is almost a subplot. A great supporting cast includes Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Harry Davenport, Marjorie Main and Chill Wills. br / br /"Meet Me in St. Louis" was directed by one of Hollywood's greatest directors, Vincente Minnelli ("An American in Paris," "Father of the Bride," "The Bad and the Beautiful," "Gigi," "Some Came Running"). This is one of his masterpieces and I can't praise his artistry in this film enough. That it didn't walk away with a shelf of Oscars is stunning. Margaret O'Brien got a special award for her work as a "juvenile," but other awards for which it was nominated - screenplay, color cinematography, music/song, and musical picture score went to others. History shows that winners in some of these categories, "Cover Girl" and "Wilson," haven't withstood the test of time as well as "Meet Me in St. Louis." br / br /Essentially this enchanting family story stirs one's own nostalgia and idyllic childhood memories...Three generations of the Smith family live under one roof in a great, sprawling house in a very nice section of St. Louis. There's lovable Grandpa Smith, a spry old dear (Harry Davenport). Mr. Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames)is the father of the family, a prosperous attorney who works hard to support the entire brood - he's bluff and gruff but a caring son, husband and father. His loving wife, Anna (Mary Astor), manages the household with the help of eccentric cook/housekeeper, Katie (Marjorie Main). The children, a son and four younger daughters, are at different stages in their lives: Lon, Jr. is going off to Princeton and the youngest, Tootie, is not yet in grammar school. The trials and tribulations of family life ensue over the course of a year, four seasons, in its life: Esther is falling in love with next-door-boy, John Truett. Older sister Rose is in love with Warren Sheffield, but he's now in New York and their romance is up in the air. Youngest sisters Agnes and Tootie are mostly into mischief. Then the bombshell, Mr. Smith's firm is sending him, and the entire family, to New York to head its law firm there! And just as the World's Fair is coming to St. Louis! br / br /It all works out. What a delight "Meet Me in St. Louis" is. Not to be missed. Have yourself a merry little Christmas!

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"...We could be happy anywhere as long as we're together!', 2008-12-08
This is my favorite line in a nearly flawless movie uttered by Judy Garland at the climax of the memorable Christmas sequence, perfectly capturing the spirit of family that permeates this film. If you're looking for a film that promotes the family unit in a positive light, search no further. Or, if you're a fan of the golden age of the Hollywood musical, this is the touchstone, the film that revolutized the genre in the same way "Oklahoma!" did to the Broadway musical. There are no big production numbers, the songs flow efforlessly out of the situation, are used for characterization and advance the plot. The film introduced three songs which have become standards, "The Boy Next Door", "The Trolley Song", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", all masterfully performed by Judy Garland at her peak. br / br /Although intended as an ensemble piece, there is no question as to who is the star. Judy Garland made the leap to superstardom as Esther Smith, incandescent as the young girl on the cusp of womanhood, totally natural, tender believable, also never more exquisite to the eye on screen, particularly in the latter part of the film. Her talent coupled with Vicente Minnelli's superb direction created screen magic in this and " The Clock", their next film together. Theirs was an extraordinary cinema partnership in the tradition of George Cukor Katharine Hepburn, Willian Wyler Bette Davis, or Stanley Donen Audrey Hepburn. br / br /Margaret O'Brien as Tootie Smith, in inspired in the quirks and nuances she brings to this fey little girl, particularly shines in the Halloween sequence. She was awarded a special Juvenile Oscar for her performance. The rest of the cast, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Harry Davenport, Marjorie Main and company, all wonderful. This is director Vicente Minnelli's masterpiece, that thrust him to the top ranks of Hollywood film directors, started him on his illustrious career. He doesn't strike a wrong note in his vision of the film as a whole, and every last detail works beautifully. br / br /The only flaws in the film are the deleted scenes mentioned in the excellent audio commentary by film historian John Fricke, which include a song written by Rodgers Hammerstein called "Boys and Girls Like You and Me" sung of course by Judy Garland. As described by Mr. Fricke, they all sound interesting but were cut to trim the running time. It would have been a bonus to see them added as an extra but unfortunately, it seems the footage is lost. Also, it would have been nice since the St. Louis World's Fair has been such a focal point in the film to have a little more of the Smith family experiencing it's wonders, but these are minor complaints. br / br /As for the extras besides the aforementioned commentary, the highlights include a very charming introduction by Liza Minnelli, where she shares her own impressions of her parents and the film. In addition there is a very good documentary of the making of the film narrated by Roddy McDowell that inculdes interviews with Vincente Minnelli, Margaret O'Brien Hugh Martin, one of the composers of the songs, plus a vocal recording of the cut "Boys and Girls..." number, accompanied by stills of Garland and Drake. The only clunker is a television pilot from the mid 1960's starring Celeste Holm Shelley Fabares, skip it. br / br /Over the years "Meet Me in St. Louis" has become known more as a holiday film, although it is a welcome additon to the cannon of classic Christmas movies, this is truly a film for all seasons.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent service, 2008-11-16
The CD was as advertised. The price was terrific and with free delivery it beats going shopping at a retail store. Meet Me In St.Louis is a classic, great family film and should be shown in every grade school.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This, 2008-11-16
Vincent Minelli's period musical is about a family to whom . . . well, nothing really happens in this movie. But if you can give yourself over to its message that (once again) there's no place like home, you'll see that this picture is a thing of pure beauty. br / br /A wonderful score, the most beautiful use of Technicolor you may ever see, and Judy Garland. What's most remarkable about this movie is the complexity of its delivery. Yes, it presents a rose-colored picture of good old days that may never have been. But the cast believes in it. Everything is just a bit heightened -- the colors are rich and seductive, the lighting casts deep shadows and textures across the screen, the banter among family members is more clever than it would ever really be, and the sense of importance around the moments in this year in a family's life make them feel like little jewels to be treasured. Without making too big a point of saying so (ok, so every scene opens with a framed photograph), Minelli presents us with a picture book of memories. This may not be how things ever were, but it is how people would like to remember them. br / br /Music advances the story in ways few musicals manage to pull off. And it certainly doesn't hurt to have Garland deliver the most memorable ones: "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." br / br /Our point of view keeps shifting between those of our two main characters -- Judy Garland's Rose and Margaret O'Brien's Tootie -- and there's a persistent sense of seeing things the way they might have . . . or the way they might look back on these memories. O'Brien's Halloween night is not simply beautiful -- dark and moody, lit by moonlight and bonfires -- but it allows you to see and feel as she might, or as she might remember that night. The camera is low and tracks with her, looking up at houses and adults and the dark tree tops. br / br /And yes, it's a perfect movie for the holidays. Sure, the story's climax takes place on Christmas. But, most importantly, it's the movie's perspective on the fond memories of childhood that makes this an especially good fit for the season.