"ESTHER WILLIAMS: VOLUME 2"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Own it on DVD October 6 Official WB Shop Studio: TCM/Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The second volume of Esther Williams’ classic films are presented on this six-disc DVD set, including some films that haven’t been available on DVD yet. Featuring a variety of settings – from the Mexican desert to the beaches of Tahiti, Esther Williams stars in a set of romances and adventure, presented by Turner Classic Movies’ Spotlight Collection.
WHAT I LIKED
Although I am a huge movie fan, I’m not one of those people who adore the films of the 40s and 50s. Sure, some are spectacular, but having been born in 1971, I have a greater affinity for more recent films. Still, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciated these movies for what they are.
Rather than being hard-hitting dramas or gritty tales, the films of Esther Williams have a certain lightness to them that build off the classic movie musicals of yesteryear. Also, as much as Williams is known as a swimmer, she didn’t just engage in water ballet on the screen. She acted – and rather well – in films that often told a solid love story.
Included in this collection is “Thrill of a Romance” which finds Williams in a love triangle with Van Johnson, “Fiesta” her major non-aquatic feature, “This Time for Keeps” in which a bathing beauty falls for an ex-GI,’ “Pagan Love Songs” in which Williams’ character finds a reason to stay in a tropical paradise, “Million Dollar Mermaid” her well-known biopic of Annette Kellerman and “Easy to Love” which re-teams her with Van Johnson as her aquashow boss/possible lover.
If you want to be transported back to a simpler time (at least a simpler time seen through the movie lens) with a unique actress whose niche audience grew larger than anyone might have ever predicted, this is a collection that can help you tap into that nostalgia.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Not being a huge fan of this era of films (unless you’re talking about the Universal monster movies), I did tend to get a little bored with these movies. I can definitely see where the appeal lies for many of Williams’ fans. However, long musical diversions, like the ones we see in “Thrill of Romance” just aren’t my cup of tea.
DVD FEATURES
Each movie is pressed on its own DVD and includes a cartoon and classic theatrical short subjects. These short subjects cover a bizarre range of topics (including the workings of a barber shop and the tragedy of losing one-room schoolhouses), but they are fascinating to watch to see what was being released along with the major features of the day.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Esther Williams fans and anyone who doesn’t think they make movies like they used to.
