Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) - May 19, 2020

[Scottie]

https://www.criterion.com/films/29633-dance-girl-dance

[tama]

Honestly the only release I'm interested in this month.

[bonehica]

This one intrigues me. Probably will blind buy it during the July B&N sale.

[ilenewoodsfan99]

It's odd. I was thinking about how this didn't have a Blu Ray yet, and here it is! Will definitely pick this one up.

[silverlakephil]

This interests me, a film & Director I have not yet had privy to. Thanks Criterion for releasing films that would otherwise I've never been aware of.

[Zepfanman]

Fantastic news! This is a gem of a film. Looking forward to seeing what Criterion does to restore it. Details from the website:

Dorothy Arzner, the sole woman to work as a director in the Hollywood studio system of the 1930s and early ’40s, brings a subversive feminist sensibility to this juicily entertaining backstage melodrama. A behind-the-footlights look at friendship, jealousy, and ambition in the ruthless world of show business, Dance, Girl, Dance follows the intertwining fates of two chorus girls: a starry-eyed dancer (Maureen O’Hara) who dreams of making it as a ballerina and the brassy gold digger (a scene-stealing Lucille Ball) who becomes her rival both on the stage and in love. The rare Hollywood film of the era to deal seriously with issues of female artistic struggle and self-actualization, Arzner’s film is a rich, fascinating statement from an auteur decades ahead of her time.

FILM INFO
United States
1940
90 minutes
Black & White
1.37:1
English
Spine #1028

SPECIAL FEATURES
New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New introduction by critic B. Ruby Rich
New selected-scene commentary featuring film historian Cari Beauchamp
PLUS: An essay by critic Sheila O’Malley
New cover by Jody Hewgill

[Britnasty]

Of all the Criterion announcements we got, this was the one I was the most excited for.

The DVD we have is so subpar so a 4K restoration greatly excites me.

[exzachary]

Louis Hayward gets second billing on all the posters but doesn’t even get credited on the cover?

[BucketheadPikes]

Watched my dvd of this film & PQ is better than "subpar." It's not great, but it's better than below average & good enough for me, so this new blu will be an easy pass. It's just not a film I'll revisit enough to double dip on. I'm sure the film will end up looking better on the new blu though, but I doubt that a 4K restoration is going to make the projection shots in this film less obvious. I wouldn't call this film a "gem" & being something of a feminist cult classic doesn't make this decent film a great masterpiece, & yes, I Love Lucy. She was talented & strikingly beautiful. And, for all the feminist sentiment that is lauded at the film, in the end Judy

[Show spoiler]seems most at ease in the embrace of a comforting & influential male impresario.

Worth a watch, but I would much rather have a Warner Archive or Criterion blu of the superior Stage Door (1937).

[AaronJ]

I admit that I hadn't heard of this film before these announcements. Now I feel embarassed to admit such a thing. I should have heard of what sounds like an interesting film, but more to the point a film with both Maureen O'Hara and Lucille Ball -- I mean, come on. Hell, I'd pay to for this disc if it were Maureen and Lucy drinking coffee and talking about ... well, anything.

I'm really, really looking forward to this.

[waldo lydecker]

I’m still a little concerned about the artist (s) creating covers where the stars don’t resemble themselves...Here we have “Claudette Colbert” and “Ayn Rand” front and center...And the cover for upcoming “The Lady Eve”...Well, don’t get me started...!!! For a group renowned for providing a film presentation as good as day one, why not incorporate some original poster and lobby card art into the equation...???

[McCrutchy]

Here is an extremely interesting article from Criterion about the restoration--and I believe I am using the word fairly, here-of the film Dance, Girl, Dance, one which I believe will also be of interest to fans of WB films in general:

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...nce-in-nitrate

Obviously, I will have to pick this up during the next sale.

[theater dreamer]

I would much rather Criterion save the money they spend on custom covers-many of which are uninspiring, with some being downright dreadful-and put that money back into producing booklets again for every release.

Every time I see the words “an illustrated leaflet”, my colon clenches.

Originally Posted by waldo lydecker

I’m still a little concerned about the artist (s) creating covers where the stars don’t resemble themselves...Here we have “Claudette Colbert” and “Ayn Rand” front and center...And the cover for upcoming “The Lady Eve”...Well, don’t get me started...!!! For a group renowned for providing a film presentation as good as day one, why not incorporate some original poster and lobby card art into the equation...???