WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Music Man, The
Genre:Musical

Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 3
Sound Rating: 3
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
Internet Links

Supplementals
Features an all-new documentary with reminiscences by cast and filmmakers.

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number): 16768
(MPAA Rating): G
(Retail Price): $49.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 151
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1962
(LD Release Date): 2/99
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Morton DaCosta
(Screenplay/Written By): Marion Hargrove
(Story):
(Music): Meredith Wilson
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Paul Groesse
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): William Ziegler
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers): Morton DaCosta

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Technirama
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Digital Surround
(Theatrical Sound): Mag Stereo
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital): Yes
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Reprising his role from Meredith Wilson’s Broadway success, The Music Man, Robert Preston is Professor Harold Hill, a con man who travels through small towns selling boy’s band uniforms and instruments with the promise of teaching them how to play. Once he collects the deposit money, he skips town. That is until he meets the good folk of River City, Iowa. Memorable songs, spectacular dance sequences, colorful costumes and engaging performances make The Music Man a movie musical classic.

LaserDisc Picture:
The 2.35:1 LaserDisc, exhibits generally pleasing color fidelity throughout. Images are generally sharp and detailed with nicely rendered contrast and shadow delineation. Minor noise is apparent throughout, and the picture is more-or-less mediocre.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The original theatrical soundtrack has been remastered and encoded in 5.1 discrete Dolby® Digital. The matrix PCM version is virtually identical in sound character sans the .1 LFE enhancement. The sound fidelity is dated and both soundtracks are mono-focused with the music score presented in stereo surround. Surround envelopment is limited to the music, but the Dolby Digital has some .1 LFE added. Dialogue is quite forward and sounds produced on a soundstage. This is a highly manufactured-sounding soundtrack.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz): Yes
(Aggressive System Surround): Yes
(Intense 25Hz Bass): No
(Deep Bass Challenging): No
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield): No
(Aggressive Split Surround): No
(Center Back Surround Imaging): No
(Directionalized Dialogue): No
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
No
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
No
Superb Color Fidelity:
No
Superb Cinematography:
-
Reference LaserDisc:
No
Collector Edition:
No
DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
The dual-layered, anamorphic DVD, when viewed in component video, exhibits superb, vibrant color fidelity with natural fleshtones, rich hues and deep, true blacks. The LaserDisc, while pleasing, is not as vibrant. Images are generally sharp and detailed on the LaserDisc, but the DVD exhibits finer background detail, no doubt due to the increased resolution of the anamorphic processing. Contrast and shadow delineation are nicely rendered on both versions, but the DVD delivers better depth. While minor noise is apparent throughout the LaserDisc, the DVD appears digital in some scenes, but neither version exhibits distracting artifacts. The DVD is quite pleasing, while the LaserDisc is more or less mediocre. The LaserDisc, anamorphic and letterbox DVD ratios are framed at 2.35:1. The original theatrical soundtrack has been remastered and encoded in 5.1 discrete Dolby® Digital and is presented on both DVD and LaserDisc. The matrix PCM LaserDisc is virtually identical in sound character sans the .1 LFE enhancement. The sound fidelity is dated and both soundtracks are mono-focused with the music score presented in stereo surround. Surround envelopment is limited to the music, but the Dolby Digital has some .1 LFE added. Dialogue is quite forward and sounds produced on a soundstage. This is a highly manufactured-sounding soundtrack.