Meet Me in St Louis [DVD] [1944]

Thanks to a thorough restoration, this film has become one of the most vibrant DVDs available. Has 'Meet Me in St Louis' ever looked this good before? It's like new.

The songs include 'The Trolley Song', 'The Boy Next Door' and the heart-rending 'Have yourself a Merry Litle Christmas', all three sung by Judy Garland at her most relaxed. Her blossoming relationship with the director, Vincent Minnelli, created the perfect working environment for her to use her talents.

If it's one of your favourites, buy it now. In particular, the American 2-Disc version is worth buying for the extras. The print is the same on the UK edition, though, and either is essential to the musical lover.

With the exception of "The Wizard of Oz", this is the best Judy Garland film out there from a theatrical perspective. Vocally it is as powerful as "A Star is Born".

Judy is in amazing voice here and "The Trolley Song" truly comes to life when you see how Judy sings it. Similarly, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" is sung with the emotional depth of "Over the Rainbow".

From a directorial perspective this is a masterpiece, especially considering the time it was made. Vincente Minelli uses a rich palette to create a warm atmosphere and the integration of song is seamless and never forced.

Unmissable and unforgettable for anyone who has a heart.

There are a couple of things about this Blu-ray issue that I find quite surprising! Firstly, despite the fact that it has been available for about 8 months there has not been a single review of the Blu-ray version. Secondly, for such a popular film it is still not readily available in the UK. In the absence of any review of this high definition version I can understand why some people might be reluctant to stump up £20 or more to buy this import. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of getting hit for customs duty because the purchase price exceeds £18. Personally, I chose to buy the disc from Amazon.com - which could account for the purchase not being `verified'. I took this route because the American site markets a 2 disc version which is packaged as a quite elaborate presentation booklet. This looks more attractive than what is described here and furthermore the purchase was below the magic £18 mark which allows a duty free purchase. The second disc is an audio CD of the 4 most popular songs. I believe that the Blu-ray disc is the same as you are buying through the UK site.

Now I will get down to business and report on the Blu-ray version. In short it is absolutely fabulous! Warner Bros have pulled out all the stops to give us a wonderfully restored film. I watched the film through a JVC projector and the video quality is fabulous. The Technicolor palette is rich and luscious with wonderful reds. Over the years I have watched this film numerous times on the television but never with such a sharp colourful picture. The last time I watched the film it looked quite dowdy and washed-out and I gave up trying to look at it through my projector. The wonderful detail of the film was missing.

With this new Blu-ray version there is so much more to see and enjoy. The detail of Judy Garland's shining hair being just one example. OK, I accept the fact that this is not reference quality but there is a huge difference between the quality of this restoration and all earlier standard definition versions. You will not be disappointed!

Audio restoration is also very good and we are provided with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. For my money the vocal tracks were especially pleasing, especially when account is taken that this film is nearly 70 years old.

There are a number of extras which I have not had time to fully explore. There is an optional introductory commentary by Lisa Minnelli which is filmed in high definition. The menu system is modern with picture in picture chapters. I thoroughly recommend this fabulous restoration despite the fact that it is relatively expensive. This classic film deserves being treated like a Rolls Royce.