PIC of the Week - Show Boat

PIC of the Week – Show Boat

Article series by Ray Schillaci

The Criterion Collection ushers in a grand entrance with a piece of cinematic history, the 1936 version of Edna Ferber’s Show Boat. There have been three cinematic versions: a silent one (believe it or not) made in 1929, the famed 1936 musical presentation, and the splashy MGM 1951 musical spectacle in color. The play itself premiered at the Ziegfeld Theater on Broadway in 1927 which was adapted from Ferber’s 1926 novel of the same name.

But for me, the 1936 version has it all: a melodramatic musical spanning forty years time, opening a serious eye to racism, life along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, the plight of gamblers, and the struggle of women abandoned by their husbands. The musical numbers are as rousing as they are bittersweet, with director James Whale at the helm to give the show a mighty heft as he did with Universal’s Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. Whale would see to it that this was no ordinary musical while at the same time being faithful to the original Broadway production by bringing on as many from the play as he could.

There are so many classic cinematic moments in this film, but the one that stands out the most, and affects our heart is Paul Robeson’s riverboat worker, Joe, singing his heart out with “Ol’ Man River”. You cannot help but get chills. No one could sing that song like Robeson. There are plenty of other great numbers, but that one ranks up there as one of the classic musical numbers ever put to film.

The story begins in the late 1880s with Magnolia Hawkes, played by Irene Dunne, who would go on to some very popular romantic comedies (The Awful Truth, Love Affair). Magnolia grows up on her father’s show boat that travels along the Mississippi River. She eventually meets a charming gambler, Gaylord Ravenal (gotta love that name) who sweeps Magnolia off her feet.

Allen Jones as Gaylord had already made a name for himself previously with the Marx Brothers’ hit A Night at the Opera. They marry, leave the show boat life, and settle in the exciting town of Chicago where they bring up their daughter and live off of Gaylord’s gambling winnings. Eventually, a losing streak will cause the family to break apart and force Magnolia to return to her father’s show boat.

Another show boat tale that plays parallel to Magnolia’s is the tormented life of the show boat star, Julie La Verne. Julie has a deep dark secret she’s been concealing, she’s part black and she’s been passing herself off as white. To make matters worse, she marries a white guy, knowing that her marriage would be deemed illegal if her secret is discovered. Imagine how many stories have been inspired by Edna Ferber’s original writings.

This is not your typical happy-go-lucky musical. But, it is a must see for film historians and people who can appreciate a great story. Is the film dated? Sure, but the themes are so relevant that it stands the test of time. The film itself is the best representation of Edna Ferber’s work. The cast is splendid with special kudos going out to Hattie McDaniel of Gone With the Wind fame.

Criterion has given this timeless classic a new digital transfer created in 4K resolution…”from a 35 mm safety fine-grain made from the original camera negative.” Now, does that mean there’s grain? Of course, but not as much as one would think. There are only a couple times that it really shows its age. But, gone are the nicks and scratches associated with so many films of this age. This film truly demonstrates the wonders of digital restoration with a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm fine grain. The remarkable part about all this is that there is very little distortion. Dialogue and musical numbers are very clear and distinct along with ambient sound. Is it the 4K dynamic sound some of us are getting use to? Absolutely not. But, it is a beautiful recreation of this classic film that puts a song in our hearts.

Once again, Criterion flexes its supplemental muscles with a bevy of bonuses demonstrating the importance of this film to historians. Aside from the insightful commentary, we get nearly four hours of supplemental materials. But, that commentary comes with a warning from me and others. There is an uncomfortable moment with historian Miles Kreuger that was recorded back in 1989 (that’s no excuse) introducing actress Irene Dunne’s “delightful blackface routine.” I would think with some careful editing the description we could have done without. Yes, so-called minstrel shows were popular from the 1830s until about 1910. Show Boat displays that in its depiction of the era. But, in my opinion, the commentary should have been produced with more sensitivity. With that being said, we are treated to…

• Remembering James Whale – featurette
• Recognizing Race in “Show Boat” – featurette
• Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist – documentary
• Show Boat – 1929 – the first version with added sound segments
• Two vintage radio adaptations