The Merry Widow

Genre: Musical / Comedy / RomanceAwards: Won Oscar(1935) Product Description

MUCH better than the Brazilian release

I bought this DVD with trepidation after seeing the reviews on the Brazilian release of this film. However, I was wonderfully surprised: The sound and picture quality, while not perfect (come on, it was filmed in the 30s!), are passable, and you can actually hear the whole film.

If you are a purist when it comes to original stories, this is not for you. If you think Jeannette MacDonald is shrill, or can't sing, this is definitely not for you! However, for those of us who love Miss MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, and the campy, smarmy musicals of filmdom's early days, this is a keeper.

The story revolves around Count Danilo and Madam Sonia. Sonia, the richest woman in Marshovia (She's into every cow in the country for 52%!), tires of dower widowhood and decides to go to Paris. In order to avoid national bankruptcy should the lovely widow marry a foreigner, the king of Marshovia sends Danilo to Paris to woo and win Sonia and bring her back home. From there, you have mistaken identities and everything else that makes movies like this so much fun.

The ending is ridiculously stupid to those that prefer "gritty realism", but is a true joy to those that love entertainment for entertainment's sake. This movie is a gem that is fun, light, airy and adorable. If you need realism or some kind of social political correctness in order to be entertained, do the rest of us a favor and don't watch this. We don't need to be told there is no point to this film, we already know--that's why we love it! June 2, 2007

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