White Christmas (1954)***
This holiday staple features lots of fine singing and dancing, perhaps too much, as it gets a bit repetitive. However, if you are looking for classic holiday entertainment that will please a broad age range, this disc is a good choice. It is especially interesting when compared with its unofficial companion piece, Holiday Inn of 1942. Twelve years separate the films and it's clear that profound changes had begun to sweep America in the interim. Holiday Inn, for instance, has a hideous minstrel show number featuring Bing in black face. He even says "Who dat?" a few times. The idea that this was considered perfectly acceptable mainstream entertainment boggles the mind. The image of women was beginning to change as well. The female performers in White Christmas, Clooney and Drake, are professional entertainers and not all that interested in marrying and settling down, while in Holiday Inn, Marjorie Reynolds hopes her singing and dancing will help her land a husband. Speaking of Clooney, she kind of steals the movie with that amazing voice of hers. If a steel rod covered in honey could sing, it would sound like her.
Renee Fleming: Sacred Songs (2006) *****
A perfect holiday disc and one that will no doubt become a Christmas Eve tradition at our house. I don't know if there are plans to release this in blu-ray, but if so, I will be first in line.
I'll shut up and get out of the way so you can hear for yourself...
Renee Fleming...we salute you!