7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Saddled with piano-playing parrots, one-legged tap dancers and stuttering ventriloquists, Danny Rose (Allen) is the all-time loser of show-biz agents -- until a sudden nostalgia craze lands his top act, scheming crooner Lou Canova, a coveted gig at the Waldorf. But when Lou refuses to go on unless Danny escorts Lou's Mafia-moll mistress Tina (Farrow) to the concert, the stage is soon set for disaster. Taken with Tina, taken in by Lou, and even taken hostage by gangsters, Danny embarks on a hilarious and bittersweet adventure in his desperate bid to ensure that the show does go on...before it's curtains for more than his career!
Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte, Sandy Baron, Frank RenzulliRomance | 100% |
Dark humor | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
What does an agent do? Even those of us who have worked in some niche professions that require “representation” sometimes ask that very question, especially when we see a chunk of every paycheck going to pay someone else for so- called “professional services”. While Woody Allen’s 1984 farce Broadway Danny Rose purports to be about a theatrical agent, few who have actually dealt with this ilk would probably recognize the nurturing, hands on, if neurotic and tic filled, individual that Allen portrays as the titular Danny Rose. Like most Allen heroes, Danny is a basically decent chap who is nonetheless seemingly consigned to being a hapless sad sack, representing C-list (if even that) talent like a woman who “plays” wine glasses or a couple who make balloon animals. Early in the film Danny laments seeing acts he has fostered go big time, at which point they drop his representation like a veritable hot potato, and so the foundation is already laid for what is probably going to occur when Danny starts representing a one hit wonder from the 1950s named Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte). Though he’s married, Canova has been cavorting with a petulant but attractive woman named Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow), and when Danny lines up what could be Lou’s biggest break in years (maybe decades), Lou insists that Tina be there for an all important audition. That sets up the central conceit of Broadway Danny Rose, where Danny finds himself ensconced with some very nasty mobster types due to Tina's involvement with a mafioso ex-boyfriend. Danny is an archetypal example of what might be charitably referred to in Yiddish as a shlemiel, i.e., a guy who’s almost genetically incapable of being effective in any meaningful way. Oddly, though, Danny is also (to use another Yiddish term) a mensch, a sweet natured Everyman who really does have the best of intentions, never more evident than when he attempts to help any of his clients. It’s this unusual dialectic that gives the character of Danny Rose, and indeed Broadway Danny Rose itself, much of its inherent charm.
Broadway Danny Rose is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. I have to wonder if this may be an older master, for while contrast is quite strong and the image suitably organic, there are some minor niggling problems that might bother more persnickety videophiles. There's minor but still quite noticeable flicker throughout the presentation at times, oddly more so in the brightly lit sequences than the dark ones. Grain, while most certainly present, is also somewhat variable, changing from merely heavy to downright chunky at times (at least a couple of these instances can be attributed to Allen's use of stock footage, which may have been sourced from smaller formats). Blacks are suitably dark and gray scale is decently modulated, but a lot of Broadway Danny Rose looks rather dark, though frequent Allen collaborator cinematographer Gordon Willis often liked to push the envelope in this regard. Fine detail is commendable in close-ups, revealing the natty textures of several of the costumes and the almost plastic quality of Tina's huge blonde wig.
Broadway Danny Rose's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track is a bit narrow sounding, but is nicely full bodied most of the time. There were a couple of instances during Lou's musical numbers when I thought I heard some very minor distortion in the midrange, but after toggling between the soundtrack and the isolated effects and music track, I'm somewhat ambivalent that it may just be weirdly mixed crowd noises intruding on the musical elements. One way or the other, dialogue is always clean and clear (even when the actors are speaking in their "chipmunk" voices).
Broadway Danny Rose is certainly one of the better films from this era of Allen's filmography. It's routinely laugh out loud funny, but there's also a notable sense of schmaltz (in a good way) that informs this sweet and ultimately endearing outing. While all the performances have the typical Allen patina, Farrow is a real revelation in a role that one would not immediately intuit she was capable of playing so well. Despite some minor fluctuations in video and audio quality, Broadway Danny Rose comes Highly recommended.
1982
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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The Woody Allen Collection
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The Woody Allen Collection
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The Woody Allen Collection
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Extended Edition
2010