Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie Review

OK!

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 11, 2014

Note: This film is also available as part of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection.

Most theater geeks and fans of Glee could probably correctly pair Strouse with Adams, Bock with Harnick, Adler with Ross, Kander with Ebb, and Maltby with Shire, but even the relatively unwashed masses would have no problem recognizing the vaunted partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein. These two titans of the Broadway musical achieved their renown though a combination of both incredibly artistry, providing the Great American Songbook with untold treasures from their musicals, and fairly rare business acumen, which preserved their creative control over their properties but, due at least in part to their role as producers as well as composer-lyricist-librettist, above the title billing which is usually reserved for the acting talent. Rodgers and Hammerstein had each had their own individual successes prior to teaming with each other, Rodgers most notably with Lorenz Hart and Hammerstein with Jerome Kern, but together they seemed almost ideally suited to remaking the American musical in their own sophisticated yet homespun combined images. From the 1943 premiere of Oklahoma! on Broadway through 1960’s stage version of The Sound of Music, Rodgers and Hammerstein enjoyed an almost unparalleled string of successes (despite occasional lackluster outings like Allegro or Pipe Dream), with several of their shows still acclaimed as unmatched masterpieces to this day. Because Rodgers and Hammerstein were so hands on in the curating of their properties, it actually took over a decade for the first of their immense hits to even make it to the screen, but 1955 proved to be a stellar year for the team on the silver screen, with not just that show, Oklahoma!, appearing in not one but two formats (and versions), but their follow up Broadway smash Carousel also lighting up the screen with some of the same cast as Oklahoma!. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals are all models of expert plotting and precise characterizations, and they all benefit from the somewhat sardonic but mellifluous genius of Richard Rodgers, one which acted as a sort of slightly bittersweet gin to Oscar Hammerstein’s effervescent tonic.

Oklahoma! rewrote all the rules of what a musical was “supposed” to be, without a big production number opening the show and with an intimate story that didn’t reek of glamour or polish and which was further pushed into unexplored territory with the addition of several ballet sequences staged by Agnes de Mille. While Fred Zinnemann’s film version (actually versions—more about that in a minute) may seem awfully quaint and old fashioned to today’s quick cut addicted eyes, in its own way, it, too, was at least an update if not an outright revolution of expected film musical traditions. Zinnemann smartly chose to film several key sequences on location (in Arizona, not Oklahoma), something that gives the film a wide open spaces ambience that plays perfectly into the frankly pedestrian tale of cowboy Curly (Gordon MacRae) courting high strung and haughty Laurey (Shirley Jones).

What has long fascinated cineastes about Oklahoma! is that it was filmed twice, once for a 70mm Todd- AO roadshow version and again for 35mm wide release in CinemaScope. For years only the CinemaScope version was widely seen, and in fact it was only in 2014 that a newly restored Todd-AO print was screened theatrically. That restoration is assumed to be the source for the Todd-AO version presented in this set (the Todd-AO version is on one Blu-ray disc, while the CinemaScope version is on a second disc). By most accounts, Zinnemann and his team shot the Todd-AO scenes first each day, and on the location sequences there is definitely a measurable difference in things like light, shadow and even actor energy between the Todd-AO and CinemaScope iterations. Watching the two versions one right after the other is a fun exercise in paying attention to minutiae like an errant white butterfly that buzzes Shirley Jones at different moments in the opening scene. Zinnemann occasionally frames things slightly differently for the two formats as well, making them decidedly different viewing experiences, at least at times.

Zinnemann and his team very smartly play with the built-in fantasy and dreamlike aspects of the musical, whether that be Laurey pining away for that awesome surrey with the fringe on the top, or, later, her actual dream which reveals and almost Freudian subtext of emotions swirling around Curly and scary farmhand Jud (Rod Steiger). Like many of Rodgers and Hammerstein's shows, there's more happening just beneath the placid surface and catchy tunes than some might glean at first glance.

Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What a difference a few years can make. When Oklahoma!'s 50th Anniversary DVD set was released, fans were over the moon at being able to finally see the long hidden away Todd-AO version—until they saw it, anyway. The Todd- AO rendering of the film on DVD was inexplicably soft and mushy looking, so much so that fans saw it as a crushing disappointment. Now several years later, it's going to be the CinemaScope version—the one that most people grew up with, either theatrically or on television—that comes out the worse for wear. The Todd-AO version of Oklahoma! is presented in 2.20:1 and 1080i at 30 fps (the Todd-AO norm). Unusual frame rates have been the bane of silent film aficionado Blu-ray collectors for years, as various labels have chosen either interlaced presentations to deal with them or repeated random frames to allow for a progressive presentation. For those who are interested, there's a bit more information on this anomaly in the video section of my Intolerance Blu-ray review. Despite the perhaps debatable perceived shortocmings of an interlaced presentation, this is a stunning new visual experience, one with beautifully saturated and accurate looking color and most of the time a razor sharp image that reveals abundant fine detail. The depth of field on the Todd-AO version is absolutely incredible. There are some very minor contrast fluctuations which lead to a slightly murky look in some interior shots, but this is by and large a revelatory experience that will certainly delight longtime Oklahoma! fans. The palette here is generally beautifully rendered, with only some outdoor greens occasionally looking slightly washed out. Both the location and studio work offer a stable image and often immaculate clarity and precision.

The film's CinemaScope rendering, in 2.55:1 and 1080p courtesy of the AVC codec, probably would have gotten higher marks if it didn't pale in comparison to the Todd-AO version. The elements here are in slightly less pristine shape (or have not undergone the extensive restoration that the Todd-AO elements did). There's quite noticeable flicker at times that's especially apparent in the bright outdoor daytime scenes, where registers in the sky vary quite a bit. The CinemaScope rendering is also quite a bit more grainy than the Todd-AO version, and is also relatively softer. Colors look like they've faded minimally but still noticeably, with reds tipping toward orange some of the time and flesh tones just ever so slightly on the brown side.

Neither version is beset with any egregious compression artifacts, and neither looks to have been digitally manipulated in any over aggressive fashion.

Note: Screenshots 1-10 are from the Todd-AO version. Screenshots 11-19 are from the CinemaScope version.

Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Todd-AO version of Oklahoma! is graced with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, while the CinemaScope version is presented with a DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 mix. My hunch is most fans are going to prefer the Todd-AO version simply by dint of the video quality alone, but the 7.1 mix does offer greater depth and even spatial nuance than the 4.0 mix accompanying the CinemaScope version does. The big, brassy orchestrations a top flight team provided the film comes through spectacularly clearly on the 7.1 mix, but are incrementally though noticeably muddier in the 4.0 accounting. There's some great directionality at play here even in dialogue scenes, where the sound mixing clearly has the voices of actors at the edge of the frame coming out of the appropriate side channels. The score easily fills all of the surrounds in both mixes, with both dialogue and singing sounding clean and clear.

Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the supplements from the 50th Anniversary DVD set have been ported over to this Blu-ray release:

Disc One (Todd-AO Version)

• Film Restoration is a pop up text that informs the viewer that due to the 30 fps rate of this version, this is in 1080i.


• Feature Commentary by Shirley Jones and Nick Redman.


• Play Film with Sing Along


• Music Machine


• Sing-Along


• CinemaScope vs. Todd-AO (480i; 12:06) is an interesting look at the two formats and the two versions of Oklahoma!.


• The Miracle of Todd-AO (480i; 11:41) is a vintage short touting the process.


• The March of Todd-AO (480i; 17:00). Hey, after miracles, what else is there left to do?


• Vintage Stage Excerpts include:

  "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" performed by Gordon MacRae (480i; 2:57)

  "People Will Say We're in Love" performed by Gordon MacRae and Florence Henderson (480i; 2:26)

• Still Galleries include Behind the Scenes Gallery and Lobby Cards and One Sheets


• Theatrical Teaser (480i; 1:07)


• Theatrical Trailer (480i; 3:27)

Disc Two (CinemaScope Version)

• Feature Commentary by Ted Chapin and Hugh Fordin


• Play Film with Sing Along


• Music Machine


• Sing-Along

Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some revolutionaries like to call attention to themselves, but Oklahoma! defies expectation (or at least what used to be expectation) quietly, building a dreamlike quality that seems, not so coincidentally, a uniquely American dream. Cynics may decry the musical as corny or hokum or just seriously uncool, but Oklahoma! has a freshness and immediacy that is instantly tangible and remarkably multi-disciplinary. Fred Zinnemann's film is a brilliant piece of craft in its own right, blending fantastic location work with some very unusual studio set pieces. Seeing the restored Todd-AO version of this film is like getting a blast of that Oklahoma wind sweeping down the plain right in your face —it's like a wake-up call to see this great film with new eyes and ears. If this were coming out on its own, this would get a no holds barred "Highly recommended" from me. I recommend checking the reviews of the other films in the Rodgers and Hammerstein collection before making an informed decision, especially considering the fact that Oklahoma! will reportedly receive a standalone release later this year.