The Great Gabbo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Great Gabbo Blu-ray Movie Review

The Great Gabbo is an entertaining and engaging classic musical. The musical is one of the most peculiar and unique musicals of the time period (with a compelling story and some fascinating song and dance numbers). Adapted from the original story by Ben Hecht, The Great Gabbo stars Erich von Stroheim in the title role. Co-starring Betty Compson as Gabbo’s own ingenue. Fans of classic musicals should take note.

The Great Gabbo (Erich von Stroheim) is an egomaniacal ventriloquist who is determined to be the star of every show he performs in. The Great Gabbo has a companion with ingenue (Betty Compson) but their rocky and complex relationship is increasingly strained by his ego and determination to be the central star of each performance. Causing commotion behind the scenes, Gabbo’s attitude towards his ingenue causes her to drift away from him and from the show itself.

Yet The Great Gabbo remains determined to be a star player and he will stop at nothing to see his name in lights – moving on to new shows without his former companion. Full of rage and often only able to talk to himself through his dummy, The Great Gabbo might be nearing the end of his top-spot with a dwindling audience for his ventriloquism. Will the lights start to fade out for The Great Gabbo and his day in the spotlight?

The Great Gabbo is a fantastic showcase for the talents of Erich von Stroheim. Von Stroheim delivers a first-rate performance here and the role is a perfect match for the performer and his talents. This is a complicated role and one that required a lot of subtle nuances as an actor.

The role showcases a wide acting range with complex emotions. Though the character of The Great Gabbo is often foolhardy, stubborn, and egomaniacal, there is a sense of longing and frustrating – a sense of wanting to do something special – that makes the character stand out. Erich von Stroheim perfectly taps in to this about the character. Often too headstrong for his own good, The Great Gabbo gets himself in to trouble by acting out with his dummy and the ego of the character can sometimes get in his way.

The musical element of The Great Gabbo is exhilarating. The production has a wonderful selection of musical numbers. The film includes the popular selection “Caught in a Web” – a piece showcasing a spider-in-a-web concept with the performers engaging with an outstanding production design. The results are certainly noteworthy and manage to cast a deep spell. The filmmaking showcases dazzling showgirls in a variety of song and dance numbers and there is a gleeful sense of energy to these dance routines. These sequences make the musical all the more rewarding.

The choreography by Maurice L. Kusell (Puttin’ on the Ritz, Be Yourself!) brings forth the best from the dancers. A good musical with song-and-dance routines requires excellent choreography in order to be successful. The Great Gabbo understands the importance of this playbook. The choreographer did an outstanding job with the dance sequences and the dancers tap their way to delivering a mesmerizing show.

The music composed by Lynn Cowan (Ladies Must Love, Let’s Talk It Over) and collaborators Paul Titsworth, Donald McNamee, and King Zany delivers a fun sense of wonder. The songs are well highlighted throughout the film. The music certainly provides a beautiful backdrop to the entire production. Featuring arrangements by Howard Jackson (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Torchy Runs for Mayor), The Great Gabbo has a soundtrack bursting with energy.

The art direction by Robert E. Lee (The Warning, Fashion Madness) adds something special to the filmmaking. The art direction is certainly creative and bursting with creativity. The stage scenery showcases a wild and vibrant aesthetic. The art direction certainly helps to usher in a more fun, noteworthy, and memorable production.

Featuring costumes by André-ani (The Understanding Heart, The Flaming Forest), The Great Gabbo has wondrous looking costume designs and gowns. The costuming for The Great Gabbo himself feels well selected and appropriate for his mannerisms and sense of ego. The dancers in the musical are also showcased with beautiful gowns and costumes. The results enhance the free-spirit of the musical sequences.

The black and white cinematography by Ira H. Morgan (Modern Times, Fury of the Congo) is beautiful and casts a spell of its own. The cinematography feels like a perfect match for the quirks of the film. Considering the balance of dark and light elements in the production (with The Great Gabbo in a constant struggle with his own ego), the cinematography reflects these aspects perfectly. A solid element of the filmmaking.

The screenplay by Hugh Herbert (Sh! The Octopus, The Black Cat) features exceptional dialogue and character development. Herbert has a lot of fun with the concept and plays up the egomaniacal elements of the tale. The story is darker than many musicals are and the results are unique for approaching the material this way (while also highlighting the ventriloquist elements).

Directed by James Cruze (The Duke Steps Out, She Got What She Wanted), with uncredited direction by star Erich von Stroheim, The Great Gabbo is an exhilarating experience. The Great Gabbo is a fantastic musical and there are plenty of great things about this production. The song and dance sequences mesmerize and the pace and rhythm of the filmmaking soars as well. The filmmaking capably observes the central protagonist. Fans of classic musicals shouldn’t miss The Great Gabbo.

The Great Gabbo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The Great Gabbo is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.34:1 full frame. The presentation is impressive on the release. This is a solid looking high-definition presentation and there is a lot to appreciate here.

Distributor Kino Lorber did a solid job with the presentation. Unfortunately, the print for The Great Gabbo isn't flawless, and isn't a new 4K restoration or something of a similar nature. This print does exhibit some thin scratches and occasional dirt. It is not a pristine restoration but a solid looking high definition encode.

The Great Gabbo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes an uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono soundtrack. The audio quality on the release is reasonably good sounding. The track is certainly not without its flaws, though – the track makes the dialogue easy to understand but there are some drawbacks to the source. This is not a flawless audio remastering. There are moments of crackle and hiss on the track and it was not as lovingly restored as some classic films. Nonetheless, despite some imperfections and a more limited fidelity range, it still is a track that sounded reasonably good given the age and condition of the materials utilized for the Blu-ray presentation.

The Great Gabbo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Richard Barrios (author of A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film)

The Great Gabbo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Great Gabbo is an entertaining classic musical. The film features a superb star performance by actor Erich von Stroheim. The film has a wonderful assortment of production merits – including the fantastic choreography of Maurice L. Kusell. With a solid script and excellent directing, The Great Gabbo is well worth seeing and is an underseen gem.

The Blu-ray release features a solid video and audio presentation. Despite not being as lovingly restored as some classic films on the Blu-ray format, The Great Gabbo still looks and sounds reasonably good. A pleasing presentation despite some imperfections. The release is well worth consideration. Highly recommended.