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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Wedding Bells" )
directed
by Stanley Donen
USA 1951
Not, thankfully, a documentary about a couple with cotton wool in their mouths, but a lively Technicolor musical (produced by Arthur Freed), with Astaire and Powell as a brother-and-sister musical act who travel from America to London at the time of the Queen's wedding (then Princess Elizabeth, of course), and both find romance, he with a dancer, she with a lord. A pleasant enough score by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, helped out by Donen's stylish direction; best number is 'You're All the World to Me', with Astaire energetically dancing his way round the walls and ceiling of a hotel room. |
Poster
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Theatrical Release: March 8th, 1951
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DVD Comparison:
Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Warner - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Alpha and PAL screen captures.
1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC RIGHT
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DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Sanctuary Digital Region 0 - PAL |
Alpha Region 0 - NTSC |
Warner Region 1 ,2, 3, 4 - NTSC |
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Royal Wedding is also part of Warner's Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 2 (The Pirate / Words and Music / That's Dancing / The Belle of New York & Royal Wedding / That Midnight Kiss & The Toast of New Orleans) | ||
Runtime | 1:32:33 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:32:42 | 1:32:57 |
Video |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.54 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition)
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Bitrate:
Alpha
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Bitrate:
Warner
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Audio | Dolby Digital 2.0 |
Dolby Digital 2.0 |
Dolby Digital 1.0 |
Subtitles | English, None | None | English (SDH), English, French, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Sanctuary Digital Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters
20 |
Release Information: Studio: Alpha Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: February 19, 2002 Chapters 5 |
Release Information: Studio: Warner Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 27 |
Comments |
ADDITION: Warner (2-disc) Region
1,2,3,4 - NTSC - April 2010: Shamefully, we didn't update this comparison until
now (thanks Paul!) and it's a prime example of what happens when a great film
falls into the Public Domain - DVD production companies like Alpha and Sanctuary
have little concern or resources to give Royal Wedding its just due. I
don't need to comment on the image with the huge difference in the below screen
captures. Cropped too! Patience would truly have been rewarded in this case. Audio is as improved as the video and Warner have supplied some great extras including an interview with Donen, a classic cartoon, an, audio only, radio program and much more PLUS this set includes another Astaire film, "The Belle of New York" with the dancer working his magic on the rooftops. That second disc also have some viable supplements. If you want Royal Wedding - the best deal is to indulge in the Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 2 with 5 more films for double the price. I really miss that time when Warner was pumping out these vintage classic looking and sounding so good with decent supplements. Those days need to return!
*** ON THE ALPHA and SANCTUARY DVDs: I'm afraid we can't recommend either of these DVDs (Alpha / Sanctuary). They are both quite horrible. Looks like the picture on UK disc is zoomed and it still needs lots of improvement. It is as saturated an image as I can remember seeing. Until someone (Warner?) goes to restore original elements, we'll have to get by these terrible public domain prints. I would wait till a better edition comes out... or buy the VHS. |
DVD Menus
(Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region
0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
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Screen Captures
1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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1) Sanctuary Digital (Special Edition) - Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Alpha - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM
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The Warner 2-disc package contains both Royal Wedding and The Belle of New York
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Report Card:
Image: |
Warner |
Sound: |
Warner |
Extras: | Warner |
Menu: |
Warner |
DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Sanctuary Digital Region 0 - PAL |
Alpha Region 0 - NTSC |
Warner Region 1 ,2, 3, 4 - NTSC |
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Royal Wedding is also part of Warner's Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 2 (The Pirate / Words and Music / That's Dancing / The Belle of New York & Royal Wedding / That Midnight Kiss & The Toast of New Orleans) |