Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1267 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-05-24
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Turkish, Arabic, Czech, Danish, English, Spanish, Hungarian, Portuguese, Finnish, Romanian, German, French, Italian, Dutch
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the finest American musicals, this 1944 film by Vincente Minnelli is an intentionally self-contained story set in 1903, in which a happy St Louis family is shaken to their roots by the prospect of moving to New York, where the father has a better job pending. Judy Garland heads the cast of Meet Me in St Louis in what amounts to a splendid, end-of-an-era story that nicely rhymes with the onset of the 20th century. The film is extraordinarily alive, the characters strong, and the musical numbers are so splendidly part of the storytelling that you don't feel the film has stopped for an interlude. --Tom Keogh

Synopsis
Vincente Minnelli's classic romantic musical about a well-off family, the Smiths, in 1903 St. Louis. As the two oldest girls fret about boys and love, a darker, more serious cloud appears on the horizon: their father is being transferred to a job in far-off New York City just as the World's Fair is coming to town and making St. Louis the "centre of the world". Will they have to leave the home and town they love and their new boyfriends?

Customer Reviews

Judy Garland at her best
One of Judy Garland's best films is now released in a fantastic and restaured copy. The advertise for it says it never looked better. This is probably quite true. The colours are just perfect, making justice to Vincente Minnelli's work as a director. Although with less extras than the US edition, this DVD still has a very good making off, an introduction to the film by Liza Minnelli, a trailer, a music only audio track and a informative and entertaining commentary.

The film has all the charm of the best MGM productions, and it tells the story of a family living in St Louis in the year leading to the World Fair of 1904. Judy Garland sings some of her best songs ("The Boy next door", "the Troley song" and "Have yourself a merry little christmas") and is upstage by the very young Margarte O'Brien as Tootie (she won the juvenile performer OScar for her part here).

Judy in top form
Thanks to a thorough restoration, this film has become one of the most vibrant DVDs available. Has 'Meet Me in St Louis' ever looked this good before? It's like new.

The songs include 'The Trolley Song', 'The Boy Next Door' and the heart-rending 'Have yourself a Merry Litle Christmas', all three sung by Judy Garland at her most relaxed. Her blossoming relationship with the director, Vincent Minnelli, created the perfect working environment for her to use her talents.

If it's one of your favourites, buy it now. In particular, the American 2-Disc version is worth buying for the extras. The print is the same on the UK edition, though, and either is essential to the musical lover.

The best family musical ever!
This special edition of ‘Meet Me in St Louis’ will not disappoint those who have been eagerly awaiting its first release on DVD. The quality of the restoration is truly magnificent … and the extra disc of bonus material is a delight.

The first disc has a personal introduction by Liza Minelli; highly appropriate, as her mother was the film’s star and her father was the director. As soon as the film starts, you know you’re in for a treat. In 1944 Technicolor was in its infancy, so whenever a colour movie was filmed, every effort was made to make it as vibrant as possible. The rich jewel colours and sumptuous detail of both the interiors and costumes almost give the illusion of watching an oil painting come to life!

The film is set in the 12 months immediately prior to the opening of Louisiana Purchase Exposition (A.K.A. the World’s Fair) in 1904, and charts the life of the Smith family (Father, mother, 4 sisters, 1 brother, grandpa and Katie the maid). The script was initially based on a series of short stories by Sally Benson, telling the true story of her childhood at 5135 Kensington Avenue. The stories were so popular that Sally later added further chapters turning them into a novel, first published the same year as the film’s original theatrical release. Sally Benson remained on hand throughout the preparation of the film’s interior sets, ensuring that every detail of her childhood home was faithfully recreated. As a result, the finished product is one of those rare instances when an adapted film truly reflects the author’s written work.

The plot is a simple one … and the better for it. Like the book, it is little more than a series of domestic family incidents with a romantic sub-plot (divided into 4 seasons rather than the 12 months of the original novel). It is a charming insight into the totally different world of exactly 100 years ago … a time when: telephones were a modern contrivance and a long distance call was a momentous event; nice girls didn’t let a man kiss them until after they were engaged; homes were lit by gas; and ‘Hell’ was swearing … polite people merely said ‘H’ instead!

For possibly the first time, the musical numbers fitted seamlessly into the plot … rather than everything stopping for a contrived song and dance. It seems perfectly natural for Esther to sing to her distraught younger sister in an attempt to comfort her, or for them to perform an impromptu cakewalk for their guests at a supper party. Or, after a family rift, Mrs Smith plays the piano for her husband, and as he sings a sentimental old ballad, the family reunite, sensing that whatever their problems they still have each other. Add to these show-stoppers like ‘The Trolley Song' and the inevitable result is a family musical without equal.

Although this is arguably Judy Garland’s finest performance, ‘Meet Me in St Louis’ is a true ensemble piece … and every role is cast and played to perfection (if you can trace a rare copy of Benson’s original book, you’ll see what I mean). Six year-old Margaret O’Brien won an Oscar for her portrayal of Tootie, the Smith’s youngest yet most eccentric daughter; her heart-rending scene with the snow-people is perhaps the best child performance of all time. Hearing her own reminiscences of filming (on the director’s commentary) is one of the things that really makes this special edition so special!

The bonus material on the second disc is well worth having: a ‘behind the scenes making-of’ documentary; a pilot episode of a television spin-off; a 1946 radio broadcast of an abridged version of the film … and much, much more.

Apart from one minor gripe (this isn't a wide-screen edition), I cannot recommend this DVD enough! If you’re already a fan of this wonderful musical, I also recommend the BFI Film Classics book by Gerald Kaufman, also available from Amazon. It’s full of great photos, many more behind-the-scenes stories and explores in detail Vincent Minelli’s contribution as director.

Add this fantastic DVD to your collection now – you won’t be sorry!