Playboy Presents Rita (Documentary with Trouble in Texas Bonus Disc)
by Elaina Archer, Robert N. Bradbury
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Actor: Eduardo Cansino, Kim Basinger, Rita Hayworth, Robert Board, Tex RitterDirector: Elaina Archer, Robert N. Bradbury
Producer: Elaina Archer
Writer: Elaina Archer
Producer: Edward Finney
Producer: Hugh M. Hefner
Writer: Lindsley Parsons
Writer: Robert Emmett Tansey
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown; English (Unknown), Unknown
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 144 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-15
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Playboy Home Video
DVD Reviews of Playboy Presents Rita (Documentary with Trouble in Texas Bonus Disc)
DVD Review: Too slow
Summary: 2 Stars
It took far too long to receive this order. I inquired if this order had shipped and sender told me yes. When I received it, the order was actually shipped two days after the email was received. Total of 14 days to receive. Not anxious to place another order with sender. Item was in good condition once received though.DVD Review: Required viewing (and owning) for Hayworth fans
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful and lengthy portrait of my favorite movie star of the 1940s. All the colors of the legendary Hayworth's life - her humble beginnings, her difficulty living up to her bombshell image, her troubled marriages, and her sad descent into madness - they're all here and they all add up to a remarkable woman. You'll be saddened as you see that disappointment and heartbreak plagued Rita her entire life, but you'll see the important contributions she made to film and to popular culture.
I do not agree at all with the reviewer who said that this program was poorly written and quickly and haphazardly thrown together. On the contrary, there is home video footage of Rita and her family, and interviews with a few of those who worked with her. There are even edited/deleted interview takes; Juanita Moore's recollection of how some of Rita's costars and crew saw her as just "Mexican" is most interesting. And to address the issue that the reviewer had with contemporary personalities participating in the documentary, I think it's wonderful that today's actresses recognize the trails that Rita blazed.
WARNING: Anyone who knows about the final few years of Rita's life may not be shocked at the details, but all will be heartbroken. If you are a fan, brace yourself because the details of her final days are absolutely devastating.
Overall, this is a superb addition to any classic film fan's DVD library. To my knowledge, it is the only documentary of Ms. Hayworth's life that is available, so on this laurel alone it is invaluable. But it is so much more than that; it's an unforgettable, poignant peek into the life of a remarkable cinema icon.
DVD Review: Dancing Bombshell
Summary: 4 Stars
Rita Hayworth was one of the most glamorous movie starlets of the golden age of Hollywood. This documentary explores her life career, and sad battle with Alzheimer's. Kim Basinger and clips of Hayworth's own voice narrate the documentary which is divided into sections: Becoming Rita, Hollywood Princess, Leaving the Goddess, and A Life Forgotten. It opens with a clip of The Shawshank Redemption where two men discuss how beautiful and seductive Hayworth was in Gilda, her most famous film. It proceeds to explain her life, her beginning as a dancer and transition to a star, her multiple marriages and children, her shyness, and later her deconstruction. There are interviews with family like her daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan and cousin Theresa Cansino to friends like Bob Schiffer and Ann Miller to co-workers like Eli Wallach and Tab Hunter to famous fans like Nicole Kidman. There are clips from countless films like Only Angels Have Wings, You'll Never Get Rich, Cover Girl, The Lady From Shanghai, Fire Down Below, Separate Tables, and The Story on Page One. This documentary is less concerned with stories and the personality of Hayworth; it is very factual. However, one does begin to empathize with Hayworth's troubles.
The western film Trouble in Texas starring Rita and Tex Ritter is included on a second disk. It is one of Hayworth's lesser films which is easily available in low-quality forms. This version has a better picture, but it is a strange choice to be paired with a documentary. Perhaps Gilda would have been a better choice.
DVD Review: A fine but pricey DVD for the Rita-Hayworth fan
Summary: 5 Stars
?The noir film Gilda (1946) immortalized Rita Hayworth (1918-87), born Rita Cansino, a fabulous dancer and a very good actress who died tragically of Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 69. Narrated by Kim Basinger, and using much archival footage, this excellent TV documentary was first broadcast in the U.S. on 9 Sep. 2003 and is only 58 minutes, not 81 as stated by Amazon. The extras are decent, although the interview footage is mostly repetitious of what actually appears in the documentary. Playboy Home Video issued the DVD--the 4-page insert shows Rita's famous pin-up as a gatefold.
The bonus disk is Trouble in Texas (1937) starring singing cowboy Tex Ritter and Rita Hayworth in her 15th film. The western is only 63 minutes, not 86 stated on the case. The quality of the film on the DVD is only fair, with many dropouts and scratches, blown-out highlights, low contrast, and poor sound (volume has to be turned up considerably). The movie itself is reviewed elsewhere on Amazon's site (another DVD issue as well as on video). The film is only so-so, but is highlighted by Rita's dancing as well as a concluding speeding wagon with impressive stunt work by Yakima Canutt. Perhaps as a kid in the fifties you saw on TV his famous falling-between-the-horses stunt.
This DVD is somewhat pricey and comes in an oversize case but is essential for fans of Rita Hayworth.
DVD Review: The Original Love Goddess!
Summary: 5 Stars
In my opinion, Rita Hayworth is one of the most, if not THE MOST, glamorous woman to grace the silver screen. It is gratifying to see her life explored on a dvd that looks at her skills as an actress, shows the troubled life she led, and the discusses the end of her life and the disease that stole her mind and memories. The dvd talks to people she knew, such as Ann Miller, as well as the likes of Nicole Kidman, who was influenced by her work. Princess Yasmin Kahn also speaks about her mother as we follow her life as a dancing partner with her father, through her years as Columbia Pictures' biggest star to her later years when she yearned to be known more as an actress and less as a star. This set contains two dvds, one being a rarer seen movie Rita starred in called, "Trouble in Texas". If you want to see really classic Rita, however, get her films, "Blood and Sand", "The Lady from Shanghai" and "Gilda", her most famous role. This is an nice addition to any Hayworth fan's collection. I hope that this dvd will introduce the beautiful Rita to a newer generation of fans.
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