By Steven Suskin
20 Apr 2008

Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 [Warner] are classic in the sense that they are old and they are authentically M-G-M. Most of the M-G-M classics, though, are already in circulation. This box gives us nine films on nine DVDs (including three two-disc cases), and the diehard movie musical fan is going to want them. But I must confess, there's little here that I'm especially keen to see. "Kismet" is, perhaps, the most interesting title; unfortunately, it is a not very good adaptation of the 1953 stage musical, even with Vincente Minnelli in the director's chair. Howard Keel ain't Alfred Drake, naturally enough; fortunately, we do have Dolores Gray to keep us watching. Bonus material includes the extended version of the "Rahadlakum" number, lest you've been dying to see that. They also give us the Oscar-nominated short, "The Battle of Gettysburg," which makes a pretty logical (?) pairing. The other two single discs are "Deep in My Heart," for those of you who are pining to see José Ferrer play Sigmund Romberg; and a hazily vague facsimile of the 1927 Vincent Youmans musical Hit the Deck, starring Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds. Janie also has her own two-disc package, with "Nancy Goes to Rio" and "Two Weeks with Love." (If you've always wanted to see that familiar Debbie Reynolds/Carleton Carpenter "Aba Daba Honeymoon" clip in context, here's your chance.) The final four "classic musicals" star Eleanor Powell: "Broadway Melody of 1936," with Jack Benny and Robert Taylor; "Broadway Melody of 1938," with Taylor once more plus — in small print — Sophie Tucker, Robert Benchley, and 15-year-old Judy Garland; "Born to Dance," with a Cole Porter score and Jimmy Stewart no less; and "Lady Be Good," which has little to do with the Gershwin show of the same title but does include Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's Oscar-winner "The Last Time I Saw Paris."

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On an entirely different note comes A Passage to India [Columbia], David Lean's masterful 1984 version of the novel by E.M. Forster. (The film was adapted, actually, from the stage version by Santha Rama Rau, which opened in the West End in 1960 and played Broadway in 1962.) Lean's final film is what you might well call sweeping, with the vast scenic panorama reflected by Maurice Jarre's Oscar-winning score. The occasion served to reunite Lean with Alec Guinness, of "Bridge Over the River Kwai," "Dr. Zhivago," "Great Expectations," "Oliver Twist" and "Lawrence of Arabia." That's some collection of performances in some collection of movies, although Guinness in India is somewhat out-of-place. More to the point is Dame Peggy Ashcroft (1907-91), who picked up an Oscar for her performance as Mrs. Moore. Ashcroft was one of the finest actresses of her day, although she only made two trips to Broadway. Those of you who have recently watched Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" — the film, that is — no doubt remember her wide-eyed performance as Margaret, the farmer's young wife. Judy Davis stars as the young woman on passage to India, and the whole makes for an evocative and memorable visit to that vast, mysterious world. The two-DVD set — celebrating Lean's 100th birthday — features the film in newly remastered splendor. Bonus features include commentary by the producer, profiles of both Forster and Lean, and other items.