The Unsinkable Molly Brown
A SPUNKY BACKWOODS GIRL IS DETERMINED TO BREAK INTO THE UPPER CRUST OF DENVER’S HIGH SOCIETY AND ALONG THE WAY SURVIVES THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC. THIS ENERGETIC VERSION OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL CONTAINS MANY MEREDITH WILSON SONGS AND LOTS OF GOOD NATURED FUN.Not only was Molly Brown unsinkable, so is the musical based on her amazing life. Released in 1964, The Unsinkable Molly Brown gave Debbie Reynolds one of her most memorable roles and earned her an Academy Award nomination (she lost to Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins). Paired with Harve Presnell, fresh from the Broadway version, Reynolds and Presnell sparkle as Molly and Johnny Brown, well-meaning but gauche nouveau millionaires who take on stuffy Denver society (who are loathe to admit that they are nouveau riche as well). During their Molly-guided quest for “respectability,” the pair learns that old adage–all the money in the world can’t buy happiness or contentment. From her beginnings as a foundling floating down the Colorado River to her fateful trip on the Titanic, Molly Brown aims upward, swearing “I Ain’t Down Yet.” Reynolds imbues her Molly with energy, determination, and poignancy. Molly feels every slight keenly and is convinced that more and bigger will make her place in society. Husband Johnny, who promised “I’ll Never Say No,” finds it harder and harder to keep his promise as he watches his wife’s single-mindedness bury her effervescent personality. In the songs by Meredith Willson (The Music Man), Presnell’s rich baritone soars on “Colorado, My Home” and begins a rousing “He’s My Friend,” while “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys” is a bawdy, catchy romp during which Reynolds shines–rollicking across the dance floor, she’s a red-headed dynamo in a gauzy green dress. –Dana Van Nest
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(out of 60 reviews)
Review by gobirds2 for The Unsinkable Molly Brown
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This marvelous show stopping film is based on the stage musical of the homespun backwoods girl at the turn of the last century from Meredith Willson and Richard Morris, but this is Debbie Reynolds’ movie all the way! Her energetic performance as Molly Brown deserved an Oscar and more. This is a big and bawdy old-fashioned musical the way they used to make them. Impressive Choreography by Peter Gennaro and Panavision Cinematography by Daniel Fapp are now captured anamorphically (2.35:1 aspect ratio) on this DVD and make this a real winner. Combined with Meredith Willson’s music remastered from the original magnetic multichannel audio into 5.1 discrete digital channels make for impressive viewing. The underrated Harve Presnell plays Johnny Brown. This guy could sing and dance! It was good to finally see him show up in a recent move in a pivital role in “Saving Private Ryan.” The DVD extras are not bad. I liked the costume documentary and the screen tests of Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell. These were very nostalgic. 1964 sure seems like a long time ago.
Review by Rick D. Barszcz for The Unsinkable Molly Brown
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This has got to be the most high energy movie and Broadway show ever produced. Debbie Reynolds as Molly is the most wonderful i’ve ever seen. Her incredible uplifing, very physical production numbers that she does is amazing. Handsome Harve Presnell as JJ with his great voice always gives me goose pimples.This basically semi, true story of Molly Brown, Hollywood/Broadway movie has excellent picture quality and the 5.1 Stereo Sound is awsome. The breath taking senary, great costumes, supporting cast will give you a night to pure pleasure and you’ll want to watch this again and again.
Review by Kelly for The Unsinkable Molly Brown
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Being a Colorado girl where Molly Brown hails from, this is a must see. As usual Debbie Reynolds is phenomenal, and you just sit in awe watching a woman with so much talent. She can sing, act, and dance, but the only debate is which she does better. One thing that I really liked was while taking dramatic license with the story; it was based on factual events. This is a must watch for anyone that enjoys a really good musical.
Review by gail powers for The Unsinkable Molly Brown
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When this movie originally came out, I wouldn’t have guessed that this would be one of the last great musicals out of Hollywood. Sad as that may be, I am eternally grateful that Debbie Reynolds was cast as Molly Brown. She is absolutely terrific. Of course, she’s always terrific and fortunately still going strong. And Harve Presnell…..this man would have been huge in the musical genre if MGM and its musicals hadn’t crashed and burned.
If you love the film musical as an art form, this is a must have for your collection. Remember, no one did them bigger or more consistently better than MGM.
Review by for The Unsinkable Molly Brown
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Debbie Reynolds gives the finest performance of her career in 1964′s THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN. It is widely believed by many that Reynolds was cheated out of a much-deserved Academy Award for Best Actress for this picture. 1964 was the year that the Academy and everyone in Hollywood was feuding and steaming over Jack Warner’s decision to cast Audrey Hepburn rather than Julie Andrews in the film version of MY FAIR LADY. Hepburn was not even nominated for her excellent performance in that film, which won eight Oscars, including “Best Picture.” But despite the fact that everyone believed that Reynolds gave the best performance that year, fellow nominee Julie Andrews won for her first film, MARY POPPINS, a fluffy role that just required the actors to sing well and stay out of the way of the Disney magical effects work. Audiences had already voted for Debbie with their box office dollars. THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN broke all attendance records everywhere it played, including a record breaking long run at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young even named their Gemini spacecraft the MOLLY BROWN in honor of their favorite film. Nearly forty years after the original release of the picture, in most part thanks to theatrical revivals and television showings, most people still associate the character of Molly Brown with Debbie Reynolds, despite the fact that the real Molly Brown was far from being the great beauty as portrayed by Reynolds. But Reynolds’ multi-layered performance captures the essence of what makes Molly such a well-remembered heroine and in the process sings and dances her way into our hearts. This picture still is great family entertainment and because it is a period piece the film ages well and that accounts for its appeal to this day.From a technical standpoint THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN on DVD is truly spectacular! How wonderful it is to hear the Meredith Wilson score in a Dolby Digital sound mix derived from the original multi channel discrete stereo sound. The bold, sharply etched and beautifully saturated Technicolor restored wide screen (2.35:1) image probably looks better than the inferior Metrocolor original. This movie looks and sounds better than the majority of today’s films. This disc is demonstration quality in both picture and sound and preserves for today’s audiences one of the greatest and most popular motion pictures of all time, a movie truly worthy to be called a CLASSIC.