When the bombs are going off why isn't there limbs flying off, fires everywhere, men being crushed to death by falling walls, rubble?
And the Hospital, the dead in shallow albeit frozen graves? Also why are they having a concert when there is a battle going on?
Hmmm...to make a movie...
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WTF? You do realize this was made in 1954 not 2011, right?! Go watch SAW III if you want to see body parts flying everywhere, NOT a musical from the 50s...
The flying, bloody body parts, spilling intestines, and brains flowing from bashed-in skulls were all eliminated from the movie when Michael Curtiz was brought in to replace the original director, the forgotten Scandinavian genius Soren Noregaard, who wanted to a darker, more unsettling version reflecting his own experiences in the Resistance.
In Noregaard's version, the Danny Kaye version would lose his forearm entirely, and have in its place a hook that would repeatedly injure his dancing partners. Also, the figure of Death would challenge Gen. Waverly to a game of horseshoes, and win. "I'll be back," he says, and returns at the end of the movie when Waverly drops dead during the "Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army" number. As everyone sings a mournful, "in memoriam" version of "White Christmas," we see Death conducting Waverly's soul to Hell. We never learn why, but Death intimates it has something to do with the granddaughter.
Obviously Curtiz had to re-shoot a lot of the footage, and it's a wonder the movie we know today is as good as it is.
Bilwick LOL, very funny. I love this movie....but Im sure I would have loved Soren's even better
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Oh my God. THIS VERSION NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
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Great stuff! I did a spit-take and ruined my keyboard!
Folks, if you think this was good, you should see what he did with some of the episodes of "Leave It To Beaver."
I think he was the same guy who reviewed "LITB: The Lost Episodes", especially the "Race Riot" episode...when Mayfield High arranges for a black family to move onto the Cleavers' block, so one of the sons can play in the big basketball game against Shaker Heights.
Rod Serling copied the rock-throwing scene in one of his classic "Twilight Zone" episodes, the one where aliens cut the power and send suburbanites into a tizzy...and they turn on each other. Only in LITB, it's the residents of Pine Street. I'll never forget that image of Wally, Eddie, and Lumpy choking and gagging from the tear gas, after the cops arrive.
HONK if you love Jesus...
TXT if you want to meet Him...
@ all
I admit that at first I missed this part. In fact it is evidently essential. Is a White Christmas indeed a dream in a world that is a continuous battefield (and even more so, at that time)? Should not we all try to transform the generals into hotel managers? And help them, like Hope and Kaye, to succeed in their new employment? We'll follow the old man wherever he wants to go ... as long as it is to the ski resort? I must definitely see the film once more.
I always felt that the big weakness for the scene in Europe during WWII was that it clearly was filmed on a sound stage.It had an artificial look to it that was only accentuated by the stage that was set up for the performance by Bing & Danny.Its a shame they didn't spend the money on a few days of location filming outdoors.
shareIt's a musical. A happy movie. I think the sound stage beginning works for this type of movie.
shareThe opening isn't realistic. So is the closing, and all the scenes in between.
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Please put some dashes above your sig line so I won't think it's part of your dumb post.
It may look a little soundstagey, but I love Bing's performance of White Christmas at the beginning of the film, it may be the best he ever did it. The setting allows us to be reminded of why White Christmas was such a hugely successful song, and Bing sings it in such a simple and natural way (not that Bing ever sang any other way.) to the plain accompaniment of the music box. Its just lovely.
It is not our abilities that show who we truly are...it is our choices
I like the soundstage setting. This whole film works. One of the best Christmas films of all time.
Battleground with Van Johnson was about as realistic as I want to see a war film.
While I liked Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, etc., sometimes you really don't need a lot of blood and guts to portray the hardships of war.
Conquer your fear, and I promise you, you will conquer death.
The opening isn't realistic? Well, sure, that's true. But have you seen the rest of the movie? This isn't exactly a docudrama we're talking about here.
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