- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Video Codec: VC-1
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German Mono (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish Mono (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: G
- Discs: 1
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Release Date: February 2, 2010
- List Price: $28.99[amazon-product align=”right”]B001B51B9M[/amazon-product]
Best Buy:
Purchase The Music Man on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
More Screen Captures (16 Total)
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
The golden age of the Hollywood musical may have been in the 1940s, but that doesn’t keep 1962’s The Music Man from being just as entertaining as the best of the musicals from two decades earlier. Based on the Meredith Wilson stage musical of the same name, The Music Man stars Robert Preston, Shirley Jones and Buddy Hackett in a fun and memorable big screen musical.
It’s 1910 and traveling salesman and confidence man “Professor” Harold Hill (Preston) swings into River City, Iowa and turns the town upside down. He sets out convincing the townspeople that their youth are in trouble because of the new pool table and the only way to save them is to start a new youth orchestra. The problem is, Hill’s no bandleader and he’s ready leave town as soon as the instruments and uniforms arrive with the town’s money in his pocket. Meanwhile, he’s been charming the town’s skeptical librarian and piano teacher, Marian Paroo (Jones), who at first dislikes him, but once he wins the trust of her mother and little brother (played by a very young Ron Howard) she becomes smitten with the silver-tongued charlatan.
Preston puts forth a great amount of charisma and the chemistry between he and Jones is wonderful while Jones’ portrayal of Marian the Librarian is sugary sweet perfection. The Music Man is filled with memorable tunes, acrobatic lyrics and energetic dance routines. The cinematography, colorful period costumes, and wholesome family entertainment all add up to two hours of thoroughly enjoyable wholesome family entertainment. They don’t make them like this anymore.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The Music Man has been given a 1080p/24 VC-1 encoding of its 2.40:1 framing on this Blu-ray release from Warner. For a film from 1962, The Music Man’s source looks relatively clean. Source damage and flicker are minimal, film grain and color reproduction are stable and consistent throughout. There are periodic issues with moiré on some of the pinstriped period costumes, but other than that no artifacts were apparent. Shadow detail is strong and blacks are deep.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The soundtrack for The Music Man has been given a pleasant upgrade with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack that adds in a good amount of ambience in the surrounds and a nice amount of low frequencies. The soundstage across the front three speakers is wide and there is a good amount of directional activity across the front. Dialogue and vocals are clean and the musical score is dynamic with smooth high frequencies.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
There are very little supplements on The Music Man and what little is provided comes in the form of two features with Shirley Jones that viewers may find interesting
The supplements provided on this release are:
Behind the Story:
- Introduction by Shirley Jones (1.33:1; 480i/60; 0:02.00)
- Right Here in River City Vintage Featurette (1.33:1; 480i/60; 0:22.01) — Shirley Jones hosts this featurette exploring the film’s production.
Trailers:
- Theatrical Trailer (1.33:1; 480i/60)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
The Music Man is a must-see for anyone who loves musicals. Its memorable songs, energetic choreography and lavish costume designs offer wholesome fun for the whole family while Warner’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds excellent for a film from 1962. Recommended.
Best Buy:
Purchase The Music Man on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
