Guys and Dolls: Deluxe Edition – DVD Review

Archive, Film, Reviews


Directed by:
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Starring:
Marlon Brando ………. Sky Masterson
Jean Simmons ………. Sergeant Sarah Brown
Frank Sinatra ………. Nathan Detroit
Vivian Blaine ………. Miss Adelaide
Robert Keith ………. Lieutenant Brannigan
Stubby Kaye ………. Nicely Nicely Johnson
B.S. Pulley ………. Big Jule

MGM and the Samuel Goldwyn Company present Guys and Dolls. Written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Running time: 149 minutes. NOT RATED. Available on DVD: April 25, 2006

The Movie


Sam Goldwyn is a man many see as one of the few producers who were more interested in making genuinely captivating films rather than turning a profit for the studio. Which is evident in the fact that he was canned by no less than three studios before creating and controlling his own self titled company. Goldwyn knew how to work the system, he knew this business back and forth and how to make screen adaptations of what ever he wanted to make. Getting the ball rolling was rarely a problem for him, especially when he was so attached to the subject like he was with Guys and Dolls, there was no stopping him from making what he wanted.

The odd thing is that while he mainly cared for the story, he much like the rest of Hollywood loved to fill his casts with the biggest leads in the business. This is a business after all, and by this point he was self financing the projects by himself so he wanted to make sure he would at least recoup the production cost. But he made sure he had a story worth telling first, a detail many today even leave out of the equation. In order for anything to get off the ground they needed some familiar faces signed on to star and from there include a director with a keen eye that also was passionate about the project. And those he most certainly got with this movie.

Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) runs the local traveling craps game and he’s is a tough position, he’s got the most popular game in town and with that type of notoriety he’s got Lieutenant Brannigan turning up the heat and concentrating all of his time on bringing down the illegal activities. All that unwanted heat has put a big wrench in to Nathan’s plans for his next game which is shaping up to be the greatest craps game of his life. No one in town wants to risk their joint being raided by the cops and the only place he can find willing to hold the game wants a thousand bucks up front. Which wouldn’t be a problem if Nathan’s pockets were lined with cash, but they aren’t, he barely has a nickle to his name.

Then as if it were a sign from god, he gets word that Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) is in town, Sky is one of those gamblers who would put money on what ever oddball bet you would throw at him, things like which drop of rain will reach the bottom of the window first. So Nathan sees this as an opportunity to possibly get a quick grand out of Sky by fixing a small bet, the plot fails as Sky sees it coming a mile away, but he does offer up a second bet. He allows Nathan to pick any woman of his choosing and he vows that by the next day he’ll have successfully taken the woman to Havana with him. Which instantly backfires in his face when Nathan simply points out the window and says “I choose her” as he points to Salvation Army Sergeant Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons).

So here he is with no cash, the fuzz breathing down his neck and a crowd of guys pestering him for the location of the next crap game that hinges on him winning this most unusual wager. All of that while his fiancee Adelaide (Vivian Blaine) is pushing him to set a date for their marriage, on this the day of their 14th anniversary. The poor guy just can’t catch a break.

Frank Sinatra after continually pushing for the role of Sky Masterson plays the secondary role, and while his musical talents aren’t used to their fullest it’s clear why Mankiewicz wanted him as Nathan Detroit. He shows an insecurity in the character that’s relatable and understanding. If he were to play the larger role it wouldn’t be the worst thing, but it certainly would have been predictable and if there’s one thing Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ pictures aren’t it’s predictable.

Brando has always carried the moniker of “greatest living actor” and here he certainly shows why that title was so fitting, he worked hard and diligently for this part. Goldwyn saw this opportunity with Brando in the lead as promoting the film as Brando’s first singing role, and Brando the perfectionist that he is worked day and night at times to make sure not to make a fool of himself when his time came to sing. Not to mention the cool, calm, and collect manner in which he plays the Sky Masterson character who just exudes confidence.

Vivian Blaine never seems to feel comfortable acting for the screen, it’s quite clear that she’s better suited for the stage, she constantly over acts in her scenes and sings to the second balcony with her role and is one of the minor set backs to the film. While Jean Simmons who was known only for her beauty and extraordinary acting ability showed she had quite the set of pipes on her which blew everybody away when they first heard her sing.

These characters were walking stereotypes in the play, one dimensional only there to move the plot from one musical number to the other. What Mankewicz did was give them depth, made them likeable and made us care while watching them. He expanded the love stories so that people would be emotionally invested with the performances. So while it wasn’t a “true rendition” of the play due to some of the liberties he took to make the film more accessible to audiences he kept the heart of the play intact. In doing so managed to appease both those who loved the Broadway version and those experiencing the story for the first time.

There’s something very special about Guys & Dolls that’s hard to describe, while the story and musical numbers are certainly a cut above the rest there’s still something to it that has managed to make it stay in the public eye after all these years. It isn’t the star studded cast, certainly they’re a plus to the experience but there is just something to the film that makes it more than that. The jokes are still funny and the love stories are still touching, the film just has that universal story that everyone can enjoy with lovable characters with real emotions.

The DVD


Video:
(Presented in 2.55:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
For the most part the film presentation here is wonderful, putting the previous DVD to shame. However there are still problems with the video appearance, numerous scratches and dirt on the print are prevalent enough where you never manage to forget them. Color in several scenes tends to saturate but it is maintained as well as it could be considering the films age. Those few flaws aside the DVD certainly has enough positives to outweigh the negatives.

Audio:
(English Dolby Digital 5.1 & 3.0, Spanish and French 2.0)
The 5.1 track does the film and Frank Loesser’s musical numbers justice with the songs and dialogue coming out wonderfully in all of the channels. The inclusion of the original 3.0 audio was a nice touch by Sony and will certainly please those who want to experience the film as it was first presented.

Extras:

The first thing you’ll notice when removing the cellophane wrapper is a 72-Page Collectible Scrapbook inside of the cardboard holder that houses the DVD case, in it you’ll find a much more indepth look at the production than most of the similar books included with DVD’s these days. It includes a rundown of everyone included with the production behind the scenes which include the stars, the producer, the songwriter, choreographer and writer/director. But it’s largely filled with pictures of all of the promotional material made for the movie and photos from the film.

Next we have A Broadway Fable: From Stage to Screen which includes the brunt of the Special Features on the DVD, included in the section are two features with a “Play All” option. First is Guys and Dolls: The Goldwyn Touch (24:43) which starts off talking about the origin of the play which involved a short story by Damon Runyon called “The Idol of Miss Sarah Brown”, Frank Loesser loved the story right away which lead to him writing the play. The feature starts off about the cast and crew behind it and their passion for the story and characters, but since most of the people involved are no longer with us, instead the people here to talk about the film include the family members of Frank Loesser, Michael Kidd the choreographer, Samuel Goldwyn jr., Tom Mankiewicz and author A. Scott Berg. For the relatively short runtime they manage to cover a lot of ground, such as the translation from stage to screen, Brando’s hesitance towards taking a musical role, Sanatra’s stubbornness on set, and the rocky relationship the two stars had. But for the most part the main thing discussed is Goldwyn, Mankiewicz, and Loesser’s passion for the project. The adoration shown here is only a drop in the bucket compared to what everyone who actually worked on the movie must have felt.

Guys and Dolls: From Stage to Screen (27:30) is the second part of the section and focuses more on the musical numbers and is a nice counterpart to the previous feature which takes a look at the acting and production. They share some personal views on how the actors presented themselves while singing in the film. Mainly talked about here is Loesser’s writing and musical numbers, some of which were dropped from the film and were instead used as background numbers because the director felt they held down the plot or showed weaknesses in Brando’s singing. Also discussed are the songs created specifically for the movie so Sinatra had more work to do and could show off his vocal talents. Michale Kidd’s choreography is talked about greatly at the end of the piece and really goes in to his personal views on how to create a dance number that suits the film and the sets but more importantly the actors and dancers.

More Guys & Dolls Stories is a collection of five stories that didn’t quite fit in with what the other two features were covering but were entertaining enough to put elsewhere on the disc. They can be viewed individually or all at once with the “Play All” feature, combined they run just under eight minutes. Subjects discussed include the character of Adelaide, Brando’s dance lessons, Goldwyn’s career, Tom Mankiewicz’ experience on set while his father directed and Sinatra’s rehearsal habits.

There’s a Musical Performances section which will allow you to go to a specific song or dance number in the movie and view the scene. This is, for all intents and purposes, a glorified chapter selection.

The last pieces to round out the DVD are a Photo Gallery, many of which are shown in the featurettes, and Previews for the Annie Special Anniversary Edition and West Side Story Collector’s Edition DVD’s.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Guys and Dolls: Deluxe Edition
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

8
THE VIDEO

7
THE AUDIO

7
THE EXTRAS

7.5
REPLAY VALUE

7.5
OVERALL
8
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

The Inside Pulse
Guys & Dolls is a timeless film that thanks to its toe tapping musical numbers and talented lead actors has stayed quite familiar to audiences both young and old over the years. The DVD while probably better suited as a two disc release rather than a single should certainly be your purchase of choice if you ever decide to add the film to your personal collection.

Currently residing in Washington D.C., John Charles Thomas has been writing in the digital space since 2005. While he'd like to boast about the culture and scenery, he tends to be more of a procrastinating creative type with an ambitious recluse side. @NerdLmtd