Page 14 - 2005-12

OH! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE
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A 50 ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE
TO RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEINS OKLAHOMA!
By Eric Scott

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20 Century Flop - Amnesia and Digital Transfer Problems
In a world where the film industry is on a collision course of self
destruction and catastrophe where the public are starved for
entertainment, crying out to Hollywood to "make better films"!
A beloved and cherished musical film classic is forgotten and
passed over. Earlier in the year this writer contacted the Fox
Home Entertainment hot line in Sydney to enquire if there was a
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serious intention on their part to release a special 50 birthday
edition of Oklahoma!. Totally alert and aware that this would be
another case of dealing with a meathead on a computer, I wasn’t
disappointed - "Oklahoma?" came the response, "Is that the
western with Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson?". Further inquiries to
Fox in the USA were also disappointing. No! There is no
intention to remember Oklahoma! in a special edition DVD. The
movie was released on DVD in Australia a few years ago, the
Fox offices down under received a huge backlash from angry
consumers asking why the disc was a full screen 4.3 pan and
scan version and where is the restored full length letterbox
edition released in the States? Fox told the author that all discs
are produced in America and there were technical problems with
Pal system region 4 digital transfers involving individual Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

The King and I was out of registration and the restored edition did not reach the retail shelves of Australia. Instead an inferior
blurred copy was dumped in our laps. What is Fox doing to rectify or amend all this - absolutely nothing! The future of Rodgers
and Hammerstein musicals released on DVD in this country is in suspended animation. At a crucial time when all of these
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classics will attain 50 birthday status The King and I, Carousel (2006), South Pacific (2008), Flower Drum Song (2011),
State Fair (1962 version - 2012) and The Sound of Music (2015) are a long way down the track. Perhaps by then Fox will
resolve all the mess, but is there any hope when the company can't tell Oklahoma! from Maverick?
The legendary studio MGM are running true to form, focused on the customer and remembering where their bread and butter
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came from, with a special two disc DVD celebrating the 50 anniversary of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It's competitor
Oklahoma! was a huge financial success and a winner on video, it remains a top rental and seller for Fox. Where is the
widescreen anniversary DVD and for that matter where are the heads of that studio? - In a galaxy far far away?

Dedication - Rodgers and
Hammerstein and Film Projectionists
Obviously this article is a trumpet
blower for Rodgers and
Hammerstein, but the writer would
also like to bang the big drum in
recognition of that unsung hero.
Concealed from the public eye,
without which the lights would never
dim, the curtain open or the movies
be presented on a big screen, and the
magic of cinema would cease to exist.
He is of course the film projectionist
or operator. Hidden away in the
projection room, he makes up the
program, maintains the equipment
and ensures the films are presented to
full potential in sound and picture
quality, as the director intended.
Amongst this forgotten but very important group of individuals are the men who showcased the Rodgers and Hammerstein
classic collection at the Dominion Theatre in London. Where South Pacific (1958) and The Sound of Music (1965)
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