That's Entertainment!: The Masters Behind the Musicals (2004 Video) User Reviews

Informative and Entertaining Documentary of How the Great MGM Musicals Were Made

[vayla · 8/10 · 26 February 2006]

Included in the 2004 DVD "That's Entertainment: Treasures from the Vault." This documentary shows why MGM was known as the studio that made the finest motion picture musicals in the world. MGM hired the best people in the business -- producers, directors, choreographers, orchestra leaders, and even vocal coaches to train and mold the actors and actresses hired to perform in the films. MGM spared no expense in making great musicals, and they nurtured young talent both behind and in front of the screen. Through interviews with some of the stars and many of the behind-the-screen Masters themselves, we see just how talented and hard-working these people were and how it all came together to create these classic movies that are still so beloved by so many.

MGM Musicals doc.

[Mozjoukine · 28 June 2007]

This is the documentary we had to have commenting the Metro musicals with interviews of survivors, clips and an analysis of the contributions of the key personnel - Roger Edens is one of the people to get a nod among the usually marginalized.

The film shows a lot of work, drawing on clips from features and short films and picking out the behind scenes personnel when they ventured into the shot - usually as dancers. They attempt to analyze the difference between the producer units.

Of all the many interviewees, Andre Previn is the most scathing and the most entertaining.All the participants seem to have considered opinions.

The montaged numbers must have been a lot of work but don't really contribute.

The Masters Behind the Musicals is a fine extra on the That's Entertainment, Part II DVD

[tavm · 10/10 · 17 June 2010]

This is a great documentary of the many behind-the-scenes people associated with the many great M-G-M musicals during that studio's Golden Age from the '30s through the '50s. Not only do you hear about Arthur Freed but also Jack Cummings and Joe Pasternak. Not just Vincente Minnelli but also Charles Walters and George Sidney. Busby Berkeley gets talked about plenty here but so does Robert Alton and Hermes Pan and Michael Kidd. Plus there's Kay Thompson, Roger Edens, Conrad Salinger, Herbert Stohart, Andre Previn, Saul Chaplin, Stanley Donen, Lennie Hayton, and many, many, more that I'm sure I forgot to mention. Anyway, that's a definite recommendation for The Masters Behind the Musicals which is an extra on the That's Entertainment, Part II HD DVD.

Some overdue thanks to everyone...but Busby Berkeley.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 23 June 2012]

"The Masters Behind the Musicals" is a very interesting documentary as well as a case of some overdue thanks. Let me explain....on the Bonus Disc for "That's Entertainment Part II" you'll find this documentary. However, instead of a tribute to the movie stars like I expected, it was a nice little tribute to the behind the scenes people who were responsible for MGM's greatest musicals. Various stars of Hollywood's golden age as well as various musical directors and producers narrate the film and it's a loving salute to these people.

One aspect of the film was very interesting. While narrators were very effusive in their praise of these people, one case was very much the opposite. I have read about what a horrible fascist Busby Berkeley was and the film confirms this, as Ann Miller recounts how hateful he was towards his actors! So, the film appears to be a tribute to everyone BUT Berkeley! For fans of Hollywood's Golden Age, it's well worth seeing--and a must for obsessive fans like me!