Lucy & Desi – A Home Movie (1993/MPI DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound:
C+ Extras: B- Main Program: B
Lucille
Ball and Desi Arnaz are still together in people’s minds, even though they are
not with us anymore and divorced by the early-1960s. Besides the immortalizing success of I Love Lucy (reviewed elsewhere on this
site), they just had a special priceless chemistry that made them unbeatable. Produced by Lucy Arnaz, Lucy & Desi – A Home Movie (1993) unearths some very rare and
personal items, facts, footage and stories (in interviews with insiders among
others) about the rise and success of their relationship and how it changed
media forever.
They
became movie moguls when they bought RKO from Howard Hughes (therefore making
Lucy the first woman to own a studio) and turned it into the Desilu Studios,
fought off suggestions that they were communists, brought energy to TV that
made it come to life in a way that kept them miles ahead of any competitors,
became a phenomenon that remains so to this day (even though I Love Lucy was itself inspired by
Lucy’s hit radio comedy show) and we see plenty of the behind-the-scenes
confirming that all the magic and chemistry was for real and the truth.
This runs
108 minutes and it could have gone on for hours, but they had to cut
somewhere. It is a great program I saw
years ago and it has actually appreciated in value because it was done right in
the first place. It is great to see it
on DVD.
The 1.33 X 1 image is a mix of old and new analog
videotape, plus all the filmed footage of Lucy & Desi from home movies to
their 35mm filmed programs (including commercials) throughout. There can be aliasing errors, but it is a
good presentation and the Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is newer monophonic sound,
but not bad for its age.
Extras are the biggest surprise on this set. Lucy Arnaz & Desi Arnaz Jr. do an on camera interview,
there are almost 21 minutes of outtakes from the main program, we get an
excellent selection of TV ads Lucy & Desi made for Westinghouse that run
almost 13 minutes and are very elaborate, there is a promo for the Here’s Lucy set MPI issued (the
separate seasons are also on their way), a stills section and two great clips
of the couple on two of the greatest game shows of all time: What’s My Line and
I’ve Got A Secret. This is a must-own DVD
for fans, a must-see for everyone, very entertaining and belongs on the shelf
with all the Lucy TV series and films.
- Nicholas Sheffo
