Frank Sinatra - The Golden Years Collection (Some Came Running / The Man with the Golden Arm / The Tender Trap / None but the Brave / Marriage on the Rocks)
Warner Home Video DVD Release Date: May 13, 2008
Cast:
By Justin Russo
Frank Sinatra is beyond legendary, more than an idol. Like few of his
contemporaries, Sinatra defines a movement. He is the true spirit of cool, like
Bogart and Brando, the original hipster. Frank Sinatra is a rare figure in
cultural history, bridging music and jazz with films and television. His career
spanned 60 years though his legacy is immortal. Warner Home Video is honoring
Sinatra on the 10th anniversary of his passing with three box sets chronicling
Sinatra's filmic rise.
Sinatra was born in Hoboken in 1915 and began his singing career in 1935. He
first started with Harry James until joining Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra in 1939.
The pairing was legendary and with his performances at the Paramount Theater in
1942, Sinatra mania began. The 1940s brought about bobby-soxers and in 1941
Sinatra capitalized on his success with his first film. Sinatra's star kept
rising with numerous musical releases, three highly rewarding musicals with Gene
Kelly (together in the Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly
Collection), and several comedic pictures (Frank Sinatra: The
Early Years). As the '50s approached, Sinatra's popularity began
declining. With his tumultuous marriage to rising legend Ava Gardner, Sinatra
turned to parties and drinking, desperately trying to recover his flagging film
career. Luck struck when his tireless campaign for the role of Angelo Maggio in
From Here to Eternity won Sinatra a Best Supporting Actor
Oscar. His legend was cemented.
The Golden Years set follows Frank Sinatra and his cinematic
glory after regaining the limelight. Pre-Rat Pack, though some films included
feature members of his clan, Sinatra grew as a dramatic actor and took on such
challenging roles as a heroin addict and several GIs. His charm and comedic
timing also improved as documented in the collection (though for another great
role see The Manchurian Candidate). Of the three sets, this is
the most rewarding dramatically and the most diverse (The
Sinatra/Kelly set is most enjoyable). As standard with all
Warner collections, a decent amount of extra features are also
included. Warner Home Video does a wonderful job of presenting Sinatra
at his most memorable and with all three sets honoring one of history's finest
characters.
THE FILMS:
The Man With The Golden Arm (Otto
Preminger Films 1955- 119 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Eleanor
Parker, and Kim Novak
Director: Otto Preminger
Frankie Machine is a
skilled card dealer and one-time heroin addict. When he returns home from jail,
he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction.
This film was the first to realistically portray drug addiction on film,
famously going against the strict Production Code by depicting such a taboo
subject. Being released without the MPAA's seal of approval, the film went on to
be a major success, garnering a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Sinatra.
Marriage On The Rocks (Warner Bros. 1965- 109
minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Dean Martin, Cesar Romero,
Nancy Sinatra, and Trini Lopez
Director: Jack Donohue
Ad-agency
president Dan Edwards who, when he goes to Mexico to celebrate his nineteenth
wedding anniversary, winds up getting divorced by mistake - whereupon his wife
Valerie marries his best friend Ernie Brewer by mistake.
None But The Brave (Warner Bros. 1965- 105 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, and Tommy Sands
Director: Frank
Sinatra
American and Japanese soldiers, stranded on a tiny Pacific
island during World War II, must make a temporary truce and cooperate to survive
various tribulations. Told through the eyes of the American and Japanese unit
commanders, who must deal with an atmosphere of growing distrust and tension
between their men. This was Sinatra's directorial debut.
Some Came Running (MGM 1958- 136 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine
Director:
Vincente Minelli
Dave Hirsch, a writer and army veteran, returns to
1948 Parkman, Indiana, his hometown. His prosperous brother introduces him to
Gwen French, a local teacher. But the more flamboyant Ginny has followed him to
Parkton, where he also meets gambler Bama Dillert. Dave must come to terms with
his roots and with his future.
The Tender Trap (MGM 1955- 111 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Celeste Holm, and David Wayne
Director: Charles Walters
Charlie Reader is a successful theater
agent. He is also successful with young ladies. One day Charlie's old friend Joe
who is married with three children visits. Joe falls in love with Charlie's girl
Sylvia while Charlie spends his time with young actress Julie.
SOUND + VISION:
Though only one of Sinatra's
musicals is included in the set, the sound and visuals of all the films is
remarkable. Tender Trap is the only feature remastered in Dolby
Digital 5.0, the audio being spectacular. All the other pictures included are
produced in Dolby 1.0. All films have subtitles in English, French, and
Portuguese; None But the Brave only in English. The visuals are
also wonderful, clear and crisp with few glitches.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
The box set's greatest
feature aside from the actual films is the box's design (and subsequent art on
the other two collections. On the set's cover is a photo of the Chairman from
the 1950s, framed in metallic gold that glimmers in the light. His signature and
film titles adorn the cover also. The back reads "Hipster. Hero. Hollywood Icon"
and contains snippets of all features. The actual films are in individual snap
cases, colored gold and containing the same signature and font that adorns the
box set cover. Quite beautifully done.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Man With The Golden Arm
- Shoot Up/ Shoot Out: The Story Behind The Man With The Golden Arm
(19:24) - This featurette takes the viewer behind the scenes of the
highly controversial film, showing Preminger's prowess and Sinatra's battle
against Brando for the dramatic role (Sinatra lost the part of Terry Malloy to
Brando in On The Waterfront).
- Theatrical Trailer (2:13)
Marriage On The Rocks
- Theatrical Trailer (3:36)
None But The Lonely Heart
- Theatrical Trailer (4:21)
Some Came Running
- The Story of Some Came Running (20:35) - This featurette goes
into detail the story and details of the film's production and background.
- Theatrical Trailer (3:50)
Watch on the Rhine
- Frank in the Fifties (15:56) - This short includes interviews
with Debbie Reynolds and film scholars and follows Frank's rise as "The Voice"
to "Chairman of the Board" over the course of a decade.
- Theatrical Trailer (2:29)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Frank Sinatra helped define
American popular music from the 30s through 50s alongside Bing Crosby, Peggy
Lee, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. From crooner with a bashful image
during his MGM days of the 1940s to his swinging troubled man in the
1950s to his Chairman of the Board and easy-going man of the 1960s, Sinatra left
his mark on both music and cinema, his musical self always matching the
characters he portrayed on film. Sinatra worked hard at being a star and always
remained influential as legends do.
Warner Bros. does a spectacular job at recording Sinatra's career in
three separate collections (other films have also been re-released with the same
signature insignia featured on the sets- i.e. High Society and
Ocean's 11). The films are all great choices though the
features are very limited. However, Sinatra's performances and characters are
worth owning.
In conjunction with the collections' release, Turner Classic Movies
is hosting a month-long tribute to Sinatra as their star of the month. Unlike
any other in the past, the marketing for Sinatra in May is tremendous and heavy.
Their website tcm.com offers biographies,
filmographies, and recipes for Sinatra cocktails and instructions for throwing a
swinging Sinatra bash. It is wonderful campaigning for both Sinatra and the
DVDs, all of which are prominently featured on the site and on sale. For any
Sinatra fan, it is worth exploring. For further Sinatra fun, pick up Capitol
Records releases that coincide with the sets including The Capitol
Years 4-disc CD set that includes his best LPs from the '50s or his
work with Tommy Dorsey from the '40s. Lastly any lover should pick up his
television specials, particularly his appearances with his musical soul mate and
female counterpart, Ella Fitzgerald. All in all, Warner Brothers (and
TCM) have delighted music and movie lovers alike with the
Golden Years Collection and its counterparts.
OVERALL MOVIE COLLECTION SCORE: B+
OVERALL SOUND + VISION SCORE: A
BOX SET PACKAGING/ LAYOUT SCORE: A
OVERALL SPECIAL FEATURES SCORE: C
OVERALL DVD SET SCORE: B+
(lack of many special
features but incredibly worth the reasonable $29.99)
