Footlight Parade VHS

I wouldn't have known about this movie if it wasn't for my Cinema Studies class which showed this movie while we were learning about the Pre-Code era in Film. I absolutely loved this film, thanks to it's wonderful and beautifully done musical numbers(Honeymoon Hotel being my favorite but By A Waterfall is the stand out) and memorable performances from the whole cast. The film follows Chester Kent played by James Cagney(LOVE) who makes prologues(musical performances that shown along side films) and is given the task of creating 3 spectacular prologues in order to impress a higher up. Meanwhile a woman named Nan played by Joan Blondell helps Chester along the way as well as harboring feelings for him that go over his head. Also a woman named Bea played by Ruby Keeler wants to step out of her role as receptionist and return the stage and perform along side Scotty played by Dick Powell whom she's fallen for.I've been dying to get this movie on DVD but the only way to get it is used which for a film like this I didn't want to get it like that. Until I stumbled upon this new release on Blu-Ray! And I instantly bought it, and I was not disappointed. The film comes to us in its native form staying pure to its original look rather then giving it a terrible HD gloss. And the included extras while released previously on the DVD aren't anything new they are interesting watches for those who haven't seen them. But what I love personally was the inclusion of the Warner Brothers cartoons as one of the extras mentions that some songs from the film appeared in modified form in cartoons. And they are an absolute delight to watch, especially after you seen the movie and watch these and see what they did with the song. It's absolutely wonderful.And that's why I love this movie. I have a great love for old cartoons and watching movie like this is like watching a cartoon but in real life. It has an innocence and love that aren't in movies much anymore. You get the feeling that those who worked on this movie really were as talented as they looked and really cared about making a good film. And it absolutely warms my heart every time I watch it. It's movies like this that make me love movies for being able to tell great stories as well as making us the audience feel alive. While the film certainly has things in it that haven't aged well such as Yellowface during the Shanghai Lil number as well as black face though it's in the background and some racism, its important to understand that these films were products of their time, what happened was wrong then and its still wrong now, but removing it completely and acting like it never happened is like denying history, and having it where we can see will help us learn no to do it again.But despite that, I adore this movie and always love to put it on be swept away in the hustle and bustle of show business, the funny dialogue and the beautiful music. It's movies like this that are the reason I want to work in movies so I can create the magic that I felt in this film, and with that it comes with my high recommendation for you to give it a watch:)

(4-3/4 Stars) One of Warner's great Pre-Code musicals, starring Jimmy Cagney as a brash producer of live movie prologue entertainment, Joan Blondell as his wisecracking Right-Hand Woman (who is, naturally, secretly head-over-heels for him!), Dick Powell as his moneyman's musically-talented songwriter nephew - and wonder of wonders, Ruby Keeler actually funny as another, initially tightly-wrapped, office assistant! (Of all the elements in Warner's musicals of the period, Keeler is the one that ages the least well - her Just-Swell Small-Town Girl persona is really dull next to her snappier costars Blondell, Ginger Rogers, or Bebe Daniels, her singing is unmemorable, she has little chemistry with frequent love interest Dick Powell, and her...unusual style of tap-dancing comes off as clumsy and amateurish.) Pretty much everybody except Cagney had worked together several times in movie musicals by this point, and there's a repertory company's sense of ease to their playing off each other (yes, even Keeler - I did say she was good in this, after all!).The plot is some typical hogwash about Cagney's tireless fighting to get his Prologues finished on time in the teeth of a rival stealing his best ideas and a seeming inability to turn a profit (don't worry, it turns out it's not HIS fault at all!), while mistakenly falling for Blondell's backstabbing gold-digging pal from her chorus girl days - oh, and dealing with his moneyman's nepotistic spouse saddling him with relatives in mainly cushy jobs (Powell, the first relative thus saddled, quickly comes to take Cagney's side when he sees his cousins and uncles gumming up the works!). The de rigueur romance between him and Keeler is so perfunctory as to be barely noticeable - first few times they amusingly clash, then he asks her out so they can hash things out and stop clashing, and next time we seem them together they're a couple! Hugh Herbert (as another relative) has some funny bits as a blatantly hypocritical censor for Cagney's Prologues ("I was just showing the young lady what you can't show in Pittsburgh...!"), Herman Bing is a musical director forever on the verge of either quitting or having a nervous breakdown, and Cagney's not only great in the dialogue back&forths but his own dancing's got a weird nervous energy to it that's not something you normally see in a musical but works really well for his character.The climax, following a whirlwind resolution of numerous plot conflicts, is a series of three dance numbers staged by Busby Berkeley - ostensibly Prologues performed by the same company at three different movie palaces to secure a contract with a powerful theater owner over the course of one evening. The first two are pretty typical Powell/Keeler/Berkeley numbers and highly entertaining in their own right - but the final one, "Shanghai Lil", is both the most entertaining and most problematic, as it not only features Cagney finally getting to star in a dance number (another relative supposedly starring in the bit cracks under the strain, somehow tosses Cagney onto the stage in his place - and Cagney just goes for it!)... but also Keeler in jaw-dropping Yellowface and Faux-Asian Broken English as Shanghai Lil. I know they used to do that all the time (and indeed, in some form still does to this day), but I personally found it so offensive I'm not able to judge her performance in this number. (That's the reason for the quarter-star downtick.)If you can get past that, FOOTLIGHT PARADE is a triumph of Warner's Pre-Code Musicals, and comes highly recommended.

This classic Blu-ray has had a superb digital makeover..the picture quality overall is extremely good for a film made in 1933. I found the sound very good and clear for such an old film. Lots has been written about the film and if it is to your taste its well worth upgrading from the DVD. Most important of all to UK fans its REGION FREE. My copy came from the US in nine days from All My Music

This is one fast paced musical. The plot is silly but interesting for a bit of movie history about prologues, the musical numbers are great (By a Waterfall and Shanghai Lil are Busby Berkeley spectacle at its best) and the movie is stuffed full of good character actors. Watching James Cagney in this movie makes you wish he had made more musicals as he is as sharp and snappy a dancer as he is an actor. He and Joan Blondell get most of the good one liners and have very good chemistry. It is easy to see why they were teamed together so often.

Disc is damaged and will not play in any player. Very disappointed.

Great musical

This was a gift for my husband. He is abig fan of musicals, especially this pne. He absolutely loves it!