Natalie Wood Signature Collection [DVD] [2009] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Even though this is called a Signature Collection, the artwork I have seen doesn't indicate the same classic style that is present on the other Warner signature collections. The last one to be released was the Burt Lancaster Signature collection late in 2007. This set shall contain six films.

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961) - Directed by Elia Kazan stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty as young lovers during the 1920's who can't be together due to society's external pressures and the internal pressures of the girl's fragile mental state.

SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (1964)Directed by Richard Quine. Natalie Wood stars as Helen Gurley Brown. A writer at a tabloid magazine (Tony Curtis) wants to interview Miss Brown, but the only way he can do so is to masquerade as a patient.

INSIDE DAISY CLOVER (1965) Directed by Robert Mulligan. Set in the 1930's Daisy is a teenager who becomes a star against the odds. She has to find a way to deal with her newfound fame. Christopher Plummer plays the studio executive that controls Daisy's every move.

GYPSY (Deluxe Edition) (1962) Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Story of the burlesque queen includes a great performance by Rosalind Russell as her stage mother and Karl Malden as the agent/family friend. Gypsy is not the center of attention of the act or of the family until her sister - the real star up to that point - elopes at the ripe old age of 13. That younger sister is played by Ann Jillian.

BOMBERS B-52 (1957) - Directed by Gordon Douglas. Stars Karl Malden as Master Sergeant Chuck V. Brennan who has a strong dislike for hot-shot Colonel Jim Herlihy, the commanding officer of the 329th Bomber Squadron. When Herlihy takes a liking to Brennan's daughter (Natalie Wood) the dislike grows even more. Usually these kind of films have the enlisted man liking the officer's daughter. This reverses things a bit.

CASH MCCALL (1960)directed by Joseph Pevney. James Garner plays the title character - an entepreneur who has already had an affair with Natalie Wood's character. When they meet again it is when McCall is trying to buy her father's company.

Brainstorm, Natalie Wood's final film, shall be released separately. There is no word on extra features yet.

I wish these had been released as separate DVDs, but the most important thing is that this is the first time many of these films have been released on video in their original aspect ratios!

Since Amazon's listing can only handle one aspect ratio, the films are presented as follows, and all are anamorphic presentations:

Bombers B-52 - 2:35:1
Cash McCall - 1.85:1
Splendor in the Grass - 1.85:1
Gypsy - 2.35:1
Sex and the Single Girl - 1.85:1
Inside Daisy Clover - 2.35:1

Note that this is the first time Cash McCall has been seen in its original aspect ratio since its theatrical release; even Turner Classic Movies only has a pan & scan 1.33:1 copy.

Natalie Wood definitely deserves a tribute. This DVD box set, comprised of movies she made for Warner Brothers studio, is definitely a mixed bag. No one will argue that "Bombers B-52" or "Cash McCall" are especially memorable, or among Natalie's best work. That leaves us with two classics ("Splendor In The Grass" and "Gypsy"), one silly farce ("Sex And The Single Girl") and one oddity that is interesting and worthwhile ("Inside Daisy Clover").
"Splendor In The Grass" (1961) is easily the best film in this box set, and probably the quintessential Natalie Wood film. Deanie and Bud (Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty) are in love, but her mother (Audrey Christie) tells her that "nice girls don't enjoy sex." Deanie is confused, especially with the example of Bud's promiscuous and free-spirited sister Jenny (Barbara Loden) before her. Bud wants to stay on the family farm and marry Deanie, but his overbearing father (Pat Hingle) wants him to go to Harvard. Deanie's sexual repression leads to a dangerous suicide attempt at a waterfall (Natalie did the frightening swimming scene herself) and mental breakdown. Natalie, who received an Oscar nomination, is an appealing mixture of poignancy and strength, and Warren Beatty is quite impressive in his film debut. "Splendor" holds up extremely well. If you don't believe me, just watch the terrible TV remake from the 1980's with Melissa Gilbert, mis-cast and totally out of her depth, in Natalie's role. The original, with Natalie, is a classic. (5 Stars). 1961 was an excellent year, professionally, for Natalie. Following "Splendor," she gave another beautiful performance, as Maria in the Oscar winning smash mega-hit "West Side Story."

"Gypsy" (1962): After having her vocals dubbed by Marni Nixon in "West Side Story", Natalie's singing is all her own in this film version of the Broadway classic. Natalie is perfect as Louise Hovac, whether as a tomboy, dressed in baggy clothes with a page-boy haircut, or later, all woman, sexily stripping off as sophisticated Gypsy Rose Lee. Rosalind Russell is just fine (with vocal help from Lisa Kirk) as her ambitious, driven, and delusional, Mama Rose. I certainly did not miss the hideous Broadway hag known as Ethel Merman. (4 Stars out of 5).

"Sex And The Single Girl" (1964) Tony Curtis, working for a smutty tabloid magazine, is determined to prove that Natalie Wood, as "sexpert" Dr. Helen Brown, is actually (Gasp!) a virgin! Whether she is or not is never anwered.
This ridiculous sex farce soon runs out of steam and becomes a slapstick farce, with a wildly prolonged car chase on the freeway. (3 Stars Out of 5).

"Inside Daisy Clover" (1965) By age 26, Natalie Wood is too adult to be entirely convincing as a 15 year old "child singing star", but she does have the Hollywood credentials. The page boy haircut that worked so well in "Gypsy" does not work so well for "Daisy Clover." Daisy is supposed to be a singing sensation, in the mode of a teenage Judy Garland. Natalie's vocals are dubbed by another lady again. Marni Nixon's dubbing for Natalie in "West Side Story" was well-done. The dubbing for Natalie in "Daisy" (not Marni Nixon) is bad...well, honestly, awful!
Everything else about the film seems a bit off, too. Gavin Lambert's script veers wildly between macabre black comedy, satire, and melodrama. The best performances are given by Robert Redford as Wade Lewis, the "closeted" gay matinee idol who encourages Daisy's rebellious nature, marries her, and promptly abandons her; and an especially effective and creepy Christopher Plummer as "Prince Of Darkness" movie mogul Raymond Swan. In Natalie's best scene, she has an altogether too convincing and frightening nervous breakdown inside a recording booth. The overall film is uneven, but worthwhile and interesting, nevertheless.
(3 Stars Out of 5).