Customer Reviews

White Christmas 54

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I do wish they would make more movies like this one. A family movie that everyone in the house can enjoy together. Only I wish when it says "in stock" they wouldn't put a delivery date 1 - 2 months later.

I live alone and have purchased many excellent movies from Amazon.ca. Being able to contact them via phone would be perfect!

Bing, as always is one who makes Christmas so wonderful. I wish I could purchase all the classic movies they have but this one at this time of year is a priority for me. I remember seeing it in black and white 50 years ago and have never forgotten the impact it made on me to keep watching it whenever the TV shows it. Unfortunately, they don't anymore. But through Amazon.ca I can watch it over and over again.

Thank you Amazon for carrying the best movies ever made. I'll get through my wish lists asap and thanks for having that available too.

Buy it and enjoy folks!

Mrs. Gwen Atkins

This review refers to the Widescreen Collection(Paramount)DVD edition of "White Christmas"...

This DVD should be held up as an example of what DVDs are all about.The transfer and restoration of this 50 year old film is superb. It is the reason we are willing to spend a little more to upgrade from VHS and are awed when we see the wonderful results. Filmed in "VistaVision", the widescreen picture lets you take in every scene of this wonderful classic from edge to edge. The picture is clear, sharp and in glorious technicolor.The colors are beautiful and vibrant.
You have the choice of viewing it in DD5.1 surround or the restored Mono. For those looking for some special features, Rosemary Clooney helps out with a retrospective interview and also commentary. There are English subtitles for those needing them and may also be viewed in French(mono).

The film is a treasure in itself. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye,Rosemary Clooney,and Vera-Ellen are the stars of this 1954 musical with songs by Irving Berlin that you'll want to sing along with and keep humming long after the film has ended. Directed by Michael Curtiz it's a feel good film that although takes place during the Christmas season, is one that you can pull out and watch anytime of the year.

Bing and Danny were Army buddies, now a successful song and dance team and are out to help their favorite old retired General(Dean Jagger),who is having trouble coping with retirement. The General is now running a country inn in Vermont, but the big problem is there is no snow to bring up the tourists. Bing and Danny to the rescue, as they turn the inn into a showcase of talent, and fall for the Haines sisters along the way. Can these wonderful voices also bring the snow out of the sky?...well..you know.

This film is filled with Berlin's wonderful tunes. When Bing takes Rosemary's little hand in his and croons "Count Your Blessings" to her..well it's movie heaven. Rosemary also treats us to several numbers, Vera-Ellen does some fabulous hoofing, and Danny clowns and keeps us smiling like only Danny can. And how much fun is it watching Bing and Danny do the "Sisters" number together?...alot! Then there's the goose bump evoking, wonderfully nostalgic scene of the four of them singing "White Christmas" together with the Winter Wonderland of Vermont as a backdrop.I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful character actress Mary Wicks, she's a great busy-body who causes misunderstandings, and also keep an eye out for George Chakiris and Barrie Chase.

Thanks Paramount for bringing us this great old classic holiday film on this great DVD...enjoy...Laurie

Ok, I saw this flick when it was first released. Since that time I CAN'T consider Christmas complete unless I watch this movie at least 2 or 3 times. No, it's not the Greatest Movie Ever Made, but it's so darn enjoyable; director, cast, and crew just seem to do everything right. I prefer the VHS tape to the 2000 DVD release; the DVD has slightly greyed color with (apparently) a bad yellow layer in the master negs. My DVD players have OK color controls that correct this (even though yellow is the worst color to try to correct with most consumer-grade equipment), but the DVD image has two other problems -- most scenes show an irritating flicker and vignetting in corners, with too much contrast overall that makes for glossy noses, shiny foreheads, and other glazing effects on highlights. The DVD flicker (it showed up on 3 players and 4 tv sets) and vignetting are truly irritating, spoiling what is otherwise a very good 4-star movie and a good old-fashioned Christmas story. If you have an above-average VHS player, stick with the remastered tape. The DVD looks even worse on HDTV, and S-video or composite hookups don't help (Looks worse on S-video). I tried 2 copies of this DVD, both had the same problems. The defects are slight; many viewers won't notice, but those who do seldom fail to comment. The image doesn't stop this very pro cast from Paramount from doing a wonderful job with what is essentially 1950's fluff, but who cares? Berlin's music is wonderful ("The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing" has to be one of the most perfect Hollywood-musical songs ever written), even Dean Jagger makes his predictable lines ring true. Crosby and Kaye are quite good together, and Rosemary proves that the old way of just singing a song with sincerity beats hysterical wailing any day. The production numbers are above-average for Paramount, perhaps due to director Curtiz' expert touch (he also gave us 'Robin Hood' in 1938 and 'Casablanca', among many, many other great hits). Enjoy.

I'd really like someone over at Paramount to email me and explain why all of their Vistavision "high motion picture fidelity" DVD transfers look as though they have been fed through a meat grinder. "White Christmas" is the annual holiday right-of-passage that follows the exploits of two G.I's , turned Broadway showman. Together, they bring their latest hit to a quaint inn in Vermont and save it from going out of business. The film stars Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney and is riddled with the kind of Christmas magic that one doesn't seem to get from later film fare based around holiday themes. No! This is not the first time the world heard the title tune. That honor belongs to "Holiday Inn" a 1942 musical with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby also from Paramount but available on DVD through Universal studios.
Paramount has done a down right injustice to this movie on DVD. Colors are not well balanced, shifting in range and consistancy from scene to scene. Just watch the 'Sisters' number to see how Clooney's and Ellen's dresses shimmer from sky blue to aqua-marine. Some colors, like the red santa uniforms used for the final production number, are orangy red and bleach out the rest of the scene in a mess of undistinguishable browns, beiges and really, really soft greens. Also, a disturbing amount of pixelization and edge enhancement really give the film a hard edged look. The soundtrack has been remixed to 5.1 but is strident, scratchy and poorly balanced. There's a featurette which basically amounts to Rosemary Clooney (the only surviving cast member at that time)spouting off about how great everybody was and what a joy it was to be in the film. Yeah, whatever! A theatrical trailer comes with it. Big whoop! What we need is a complete, frame by frame restoration to make this film come alive on DVD. Sadly we get more Paramount cost cutting with a retail price that, no kidding, doesn't reflect the quality of the transfer within.

A must see every Christmas at our home. We enjoy the music, the colours and the final scene at the Inn is amazing. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and the "Haines Sisters" do a fabulous job.

Love it love it. In our house the tree gets decorated to this movie. Greatest Christmas movie of all time. Had to buy another copy for my kids and grandkids. Best buy, you won't be sorry!

Like I said in my review for Holiday Inn, this is one of my fav's. Just hearing Bing sing White Christmas makes my heart melt!!! I love the story line as well and I always cry when the tribute starts!!!

This is a must have for your Christmas collection. Makes you feel warm all over after watching it.
Some silly and some romantic and lots of music

The colour and clarity of this Blu-ray edition is astounding. It's the final piece of the puzzle that makes this film a necessity for Christmas viewing. White Christmas already had magnificent costumes and gowns, wonderful songs and great sets. Now you can see and hear every detail as it was meant to be. When you see these legendary actors perform with all the ease and grace that a lifetime of training and a boatload of talent can give, you'll realize that this film is a prime example of the Hollywood musical at its best. Buy it, see it, love it.

Here is a movie and although the plot is limp..if there actually is one its an entertaining piece of fluff..I gave it four stars and it really doesnt deserve that but before commenting on the film a few interesting tidbits. The movies had newsreels where the war news was broadcast during breaks or before films, I'm not quite sure.Often also very famous stars would make war bond commercials, to support the war effort, especially as some stars skipped the war..due to age. An example of this is Battle Circus, which is actually a documentary with a drama inserted not a film of much interest today, but was filmed at a military camp and a war bond spot was filmed..and military like musicals after the war like WEst Point Story with big stars were made largely to entice people to join the military, good people and people who just werent able to make it in life..they didnt have welfare, but military service. Very often people in dire straits were given some work and cash..who may not have made it elsewhere in the general ranks..White Christmas is one of those films..it actually soft pedals the military..it is shown as an easy and enjoyable way of service..and it really doesnt occupy much of the film, and where as the previous films, which Bing made into large commercial successes, Holiday Inn, Going My Way and Belles of St Mary's(although this film has different thematic concerns, the life of youn girls as they relate to the older teachers) which the present film is a sequel, the earlier ones had more to do with religious life, and spirituality..and this film centers on the secular experience of a holiday, with snow and trees and music, it can almost be a pagan film and seems almost to celebrate christmas as a commercial celebration. It was to teem bing with fred astaire who passed, donald o'connor became ill and danny kaye was called in. Rosemary clooney pretty with glistening eyes and very nice wardrobe(like they all have in this film)..but when you put a comic in the film the comic dominates. This is the case here where this old warners director Michael Curtiz(strange choice) sees the singing dancing wise cracking danny as away to thread the sequences together(one wonders on how much of this is adlibbed)and the film revolves largely around his personality as a hollywood star, like much later Billy wilder's satire on sex in the 60's Kiss me stupid revolves around Dean Martin's image(a film originally meant for Marilyn Monroe). I find danny hilarious and there is no one like him and the type of entertainment he throws off in this film, in which the ladies seem annoyed and he resembles a stand up comic in bits on a variety show and the ability of the director is to smooth danny's sequences so it resembles a movie, a comic actor known for spontaneity. Its too bad danny didnt do more films, and he's a joy to watch here..but his sequences and the military type story are not really joined successfully and they seem like two stories..and the girls tend to watch danny in sequences..he's as difficult to work with as Robin Williams, and female costars have difficulty in scenes, like they seem disturbed or uncomfortable..its enjoyable to watch danny and the songs and dances are great..and he's entertaining in the show..and this disjointedness, a movie which seems to go in different directions is the reason it seems to go in different directions, these stars also dont gel that well..its fun to watch at christmas..and always fun to watch danny!!