Search - Greenwich Village on DVD

Greenwich Village

TICOOO | Boston, MA | 07/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This FOX Musical was the ONLY time CARMEN MIRANDA got TOP BILLING. A colorful romp in a 1920s N.Y. GREENWICH VILLAGE, of course it looks more like the 40s. Carmen is terrific in this film as a fortune teller and as a singer/dancer. She has three musical numbers in this film and all are true Miranda with outstanding costumes and sets. Her costume in the final number "GIVE ME A BAND AND A BANDANA" was considered by critics to be quite 'risque' for the times. It is an outstanding transfer with some very nice musical numbers...plot is just ordinary with DON AMECHE as a composer who's concerto gets stolen...VIVIAN BLAINE gives good support and is truly beautiful. Extras include studio stills and film trailer...

A MUST FOR MIRANDA FANS!...and those who love 40s Technicolor musicals. It is now available alone on DVD or part of the new FOX MARQUEE MUSICAL CARMEN MIRANDA 5-DVD COLLECTION."

Tons of Fun in Greenwich Village!

Charlotte Kendall | 06/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Greenwich Village is another Fox musical made during the 1940s. Honestly I didn't think that musical was great but it wasn't horrible. The film stars Don Ameche playing a classical composer named Kenneth Harvey that is trying to publish his concerto in New York. He lands a job in a nightclub in Greenwich Village and befriends two entertainers Princess Querida (Carmen Miranda) and Bonnie Watson (Vivian Blaine). During the same time their boss Danny O'Mara (William Bendix) decides to put on a musical show. While putting on the show Bonnie and Kenneth are falling in love and Danny has feelings for Bonnie as well. Danny jealous and in love with Bonnie decides to surreptitiously adapt Kenneth's tunes to his show without him knowing. The plot isn't much but what did you expect in a musical? The cast does a pretty good job carrying the film and I thought Bendix did a great job as a villian. He makes the character a likeable villian!



This movie is easy to enjoy and most of the numbers are done quite nicely. I think Carmen Miranda had the best numbers throughout the whole movie. My favorite number had to be "Give Me a Band and a Bandana" sung by Ms. Miranda. I would only recommend this movie to die hard musical fans, especially those of Fox musicals!



As for extras the DVD only has a Photo Gallery with behind-the-scenes, portraits, and ads.



Thanks Fox for putting out another musical on DVD!

"

Greenwich Village-a nice place to visit!

Robert Badgley | London,Ontario,Canada | 12/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Greenwich Village has now been released on DVD and is a fine movie with a good supporting cast.

The story involves a budding song writer(Don Ameche)who comes to New York City during the /20s.Out of curiosity he gets off a tour bus going through Greenwich Village and ends up staying.He is drawn to a place called "Danny's Den" which is run by Danny(William Bendix).He's a nightclub owner with big ideas to star his number one vocal act Bonnie(Vivian Blane).When Don Ameche walks in flashing the money he's saved up to get to NYC,Bendix sees a chance to get a backer for an even bigger show he wants to put on.Ameche plays a concerto he has written and Bendix likes part of it which he integrates into his new show.But Ameche has bigger aspirations for his concerto and when he auditions his piece for a local conductor,Bendix won't relinquish the song from Ameche's concerto.To add insult to injury Ameche and Blaine have fallen hard for each other much to the chagrin of Bendix,which steels Bendix even more.When a third party falsely intervenes acting as a supposed go between Ameche and the conductor,Ameche ends up losing all of his money and is under the mistaken idea Bendix and company had something to do with it.When Blaine learns of the mess she comes clean with Bendix about her true feelings with regards to Ameche and Bendix takes it surprisingly well.He ends up cleaning up Ameche's predicament and to top it off gets the maestro to play his music as part of his big new show.All's well that ends well.

The plot has many more enjoyable twists and turns to it but the pace never really slackens.Carmen Miranda again shines throughout the picture coming in and out when the plot demands giving out with her mixture of malaprops and mixed up English.She is her usual delightful self and she opens and closes the picture in her inimitable style and grace.The film is set in the 1920s and throughout,in case we forget,the picture is riddled with song hits from that era.In fact Carmen opens the picture with "I'm Just Wild About Harry"...Jolson should have looked so pretty! Further,the very song that Bendix lifts from Ameche's concerto is none other than the famous "Whispering",first recorded in 1920 by the Paul Whiteman band and which became Whitemans' theme song.

Vivian Blaine makes her screen debut here and does a good job.She was a good looking lady with a nice way about her and she was used frequently by Fox throughout her tenure there.Bendix plays the tough Club owner but he never goes over the top like for example Dennis O'Keefe did in "Doll Face".

Here is an interesting aside for all those Our Gang fans who remember Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison.Ernie appears here with the Four Step Brothers.They were a great little group of song and dance men who perform here in the film as a group who audition and get a shot to appear in Bendixs' upcoming show.They do a fabulous number,a real showstopper.After Ernie left the Gang he went back to the stage as a dancer/singer/performer and during the war,except for a brief time with the East Side Kids,toured many an armed forces camp with this group.It is very nice to see him and them in a rare film appearance.

Greenwich Village has been mastered from a splendid colour print and looks gorgeous,very crisp and clean which enchances ones viewing experience.

One item I must bring to the readers attention is the fact that the dust jacket of this DVD says that Perry Como appears in the film.This is a MISPRINT and wrong as Como never appeared in the film at all.I don't know what happened here but I think someone has gotten their movies mixed up.

In conclusion Greenwich Village is a pleasant and nice 82 minute beautiful colour diversion.The plot keeps moving very well and rarely,if ever,falters.There is a solid cast here with Ameche and Bendix leading the way followed right behind by Miranda and Blaine.The music throughout is good and Blaine sings pleasantly and ably, while Miranda gives her usual boffo and mesmerizing performances.Nevermind the era in which it is set,the most important thing here is that the movie is put over well by its' cast,and the musical kicks they offer up just add to the fun."

Fun musical outing for Carmen Miranda and Vivian Blaine

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 06/01/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a really fun movie for musical fans. 1944's GREENWICH VILLAGE marked the first and only time that Carmen Miranda was top-billed in the cast for one of her films, although she still ends up playing second fiddle to a love story between Vivian Blaine and Don Ameche.



After Alice Faye fell pregnant with her second child, producers frantically scrambled for a suitable replacement for the lead role of Bonnie. They found gorgeous cherry blonde Vivian Blaine, a nightclub singer whose voice was quite similar to Ms Faye's and who had the necessary screen charisma to carry the slight storyline.



GREENWICH VILLAGE, a charming musical set in the 1920s, was Blaine's first big break, in which she played Bonnie Watson, a promising young performer in a Greenwich Village nightclub owned by Danny O'Mara (the always impressive William Bendix). An up-and-coming composer visiting from Kansas, Kenneth Harvey (Don Ameche), takes an instant liking to Bonnie, and plays some of his compositions for her. Those tunes mysteriously start appearing in the show that Danny is tooling as a star vehicle for Bonnie and fellow nightclub performer Princess Querida (Carmen Miranda). Like the other reviewers here I won't go and spoil the plot any further.



Carmen Miranda sings "I'm Just Wild About Harry", "I Like to Be Loved By You", and "Give Me a Band and a Bandana"; Vivian Blaine performs "Whispering". The costumes are lush--especially the black sequinned creation that Ms Miranda wears at the end of the film.



A fun movie if you're a fan of the main stars. The DVD is also available as part of the Carmen Miranda Collection boxset which also boasts a remastered print of "The Gang's All Here" and three more titles co-starring Vivian Blaine ("Something for the Boys", "If I'm Lucky" and "Doll Face")."