AVS Discussions
Movie and TV Discussion => Movie reviews => Topic started by: David Vaughn on February 28, 2021, 02:11:04 PM
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(https://i.imgur.com/QYu5iiH.jpg)
Studio: Warner
Release Date: March 9, 2021
Rating: Not Rated
Film: 4/5
Plot
Step up to the plate for Damn Yankees, the rousing movie of the 1,019-performance Broadway grand slam that imports nearly all the original New York lineup, including Tony® Award-winning stars Gwen Verdon as luscious vamp Lola and Ray Walston as her slyly Satanic boss Applegate. Hollywood’s Tab Hunter suits up as potential lost soul and Washington Senators slugger Joe Hardy, revealing a freewheeling fun side unseen in previous roles. The Pajama Game duo of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross serve up an out-of-the-park home-run score, including “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Heart.
My Thoughts
Damn Yankees was actually the first Broadway play my wife and I had ever seen back in 1994 on a trip to New York city. Victor Garber played the Devil (and was fabulous) and Charlotte d’Amboise was Lola (we missed seeing Bebe Neuwirth in the role by a week). We were able to score cancellation tickets the day of the show and sat second row center and it was the highlight of our trip. We ended up buying the CD of the musical numbers and have listened to it countless times over the past 27 years, so when I saw that Warner was releasing the 1958 film on Blu-ray, I couldn’t resist putting in a request.
While the film is enjoyable in its own right, it doesn’t have the power or presence of a live performance even though the majority of the cast came from the stage production. Gwen Verdon reprises her role as Lola (albeit a tamed down less seductive version to not turn-off the prudish audience) and Ray Walston (made popular from the title character on My Favorite Martian) as the Devil in disguise. The story itself is a modern take on the Faust legend and uses the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators as the vehicle to move the story along.
The film receives a brand new 1080p encode based upon a 4K scan of the preservation masters resulting in a pleasing image. Colors are extremely well saturated—especially the primaries—although some of the “stock” baseball footage shows its advanced age. The audio track is a serviceable DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that sports limited dynamic range, but it holds up quite well considering the elements are from 1958.
Video 4/5
Audio 3.5/5 (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
Special Features:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQVoU9lPjoU
Conclusion
Having seen the stage production live I have to admit that the translation to the silver screen isn’t as impactful. This is most likely due to the limited dynamic of the audio track. Regardless, if you’ve never seen the show it’s worth a viewing. Its musical numbers are fun and entertaining and the story itself has a lot of heart (which just happens to be one of its best songs—“Heart”). Recommended.
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed ChannelsATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-980M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (configured as tandem mid bass modules)
Mini DSP controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner