NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (October 2020): Indicator have transferred Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K restoration" and offers three seamlessly-branched versions of the film; with the original overture, without the overture, and with the alternative ending (the latter 12-minute long 'alt-ending' you can also view separately). The image quality is excellent - a supportive bitrate for all three of the 2.5 hour-ish versions. The Technicolor is transferred impressively showing vibrancy and depth in the colors - notable reds, purples and outdoor green foliage. The 4K-restoration really gives this a jaw-dropping 1080P appearance exporting consistent film textures, sublime contrast and looking highly impressive in-motion.

NOTE: We have added 56 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator give the option of a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround  (the film did have a 6-track theatrical audio for 70 mm 'Blowup' prints) or a lossless 2.0 channel - both 24-bit and both in the original English language. Huge in Sweet Charity is the film's score by Cy Coleman (Father Goose, The Art of Love) with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Numbers are often performed with Fosse-esque choreography including Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now, There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This, The Rhythm of Life, Sweet Charity etc. - performed by the likes of Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly, John McMartin, Sammy Davis Jr. etc.. The music is fabulous in the lossless. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Indicator Blu-ray offers a new commentary with film historians Lee Gambin, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Cara Mitchell - all separately taking the baton for a few roughly 10-minute+ segments. It's excellent and really works well - Lee is always well-prepared on the production, I loved hearing from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (Fosse's film links to Nights of Cabiria themes and similarities along with other Fellini, Neil Simon etc.) and Cara Mitchell gives valuable input on Fosse's dance numbers and choreography as well as his early life influences. They discuss Ben Vereen, Sammy Davis Jr., Chita Rivera, Stubby Kaye, Barbara Bouchet and the long films allows them to cover an incredible amount of information - yet they still export at a rapid pace. This is worth revisiting multiple times as there is so much here. There are many more extras on Indicator's Blu-ray. We get a 'John Player Lecture' with Shirley MacLaine from 1971 - an archival audio recording of the celebrated actor in conversation with Sheridan Morley at the National Film Theatre, London playing to the film. Audio quality is imperfect. From Stage to Screen: A Director's Dilemma is an original 1969 promotional film featuring interview material with Bob Fosse and rare behind-the-scenes footage. It runs 9-minutes. The Art of Exaggeration is also from 1969 - an original promotional film profiling the work of famed costume designer Edith Head, running 7.5 minutes. We get a new 1 1/4 hour interview with Sonja Haney conducted exclusively for this Indicator edition by Lee Gambin on May 26th, 2020. With thanks to Cara Mitchell. Now and Then: Sammy Davis Jr was conducted by Bernard Braden on June 21st, 1968. Conceived in 1967, Now and Then was the brainchild of Canadian broadcaster Braden. The idea was to capture leading personalities of the day talking about their lives and hopes for the future and, later, to revisit each subject to assess how things had turned out. Although never completed, Braden conducted more than 330 interviews between September 1967 and June 1968, amassing almost 110 hours of historically valuable footage. Indicator include a 17-minute Super 8 version of Sweet Charity. In the days before home video formats, cut-down Super 8 versions of popular films were produced for audiences to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. The included Super 8 presentation was released as part of the 'Universal Eight' series, reducing Sweet Charity to an eighth of its theatrical running time, and includes just three musical numbers and one love interest. There are image galleries of publicity and promotional materials, an original theatrical trailer and the package has a limited edition (3,000 copies) exclusive 80-page book with new essays by Pamela Hutchinson and Bill Rosenfield, Neil Simon on Sweet Charity, archival press coverage of the film's release including an interview with Shirley MacLaine, extracts from the pressbook, Federico Fellini on Sweet Charity, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits. There is also a limited edition exclusive double-sided poster  

Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity is an exceptional musical blending in Fellini's Nights of Cabiria and Fosse's delightful choreography. It's warm and funny, looking gorgeous in Indicator's 4-K restored HD presentation. The Indicator Blu-ray offers the fabulous commentary and is overloaded with wonderful supplements. Another definitive package from them and a strong recommendation from us!

Gary Tooze