Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Harold Arlen
by Don McGlynn
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Actor: Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Tony BennettDirector: Don McGlynn
Editor: Don McGlynn
Producer: Don McGlynn
Editor: Christian Moltke-Leth
Producer: Joe Lauro
Producer: Myron Meisel
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 70 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-07-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Winstar
DVD Reviews of Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Harold Arlen
DVD Review: fine portrait of a very special man
Summary: 5 Stars
Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Harold Arlen gives us a fascinating portrait of a genius who should have been more of a household name when he was living; and he still deserves far more recognition than he gets today. Harold wrote so many songs I couldn't list them all here even if I tried. Some of his better known songs come from The Wizard Of Oz and films like Stormy Weather; but he also composed the music for incomparable tunes including "Blues In The Night;" Get Happy;" "Last Night When We Were Young;" "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" and so much more. In this documentary, we get rarely seen interview footage with Arlen from what was probably the 1960s; and we see him working in a recording studio with Tony Bennett in 1963. There's marvelous color footage of Barbra Streisand singing Arlen's "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" from a television show in 1966 and there are several very rare black and white clips of Harold Arlen singing and playing the piano on televised "specials" back in the 1950s.
The documentary benefits from the interviews we get from stars and the people who knew Harold much more intimately. I enjoyed the commentary by the incredible Fayard Nicholas, who danced with his brother as The Nicholas Brothers; Fayard remembers Harold Arlen fondly and he recalls having so much fun dancing with Pearl Bailey to one of Arlen's tunes in a big show. There's some good commentary by Harold's son Sam and his sister-in-law; they tell us so much more about this sensitive, caring man who could seemingly pull a tune out of his hat within 30 minutes at the most. It's incredible.
Moreover, the documentary takes some time to explore the basic timeline of Harold Arlen's life. We learn that he was born Hyman Arluck and that his family lived in an African-American neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. The Arlucks befriended many families there and Harold learned about music both from them and his father's work as a cantor in a Jewish synagogue. Hyman changed his name to Harold Arlen; and he arrived in New York in the late 1920s after playing in a couple of bands in the Buffalo area. In addition, the documentary takes its time to tell the meaningful tale of Arlen's romance with and marriage to a young, beautiful model named Anya; things weren't always easy for them as the film will explain to you. However, the footage of Harold and Anya is terrific.
Why isn't Harold Arlen better remembered? The documentary goes into that; and I think you'll gain much insight about that from watching this DVD video. It may well seem that I've given it all away; but I truly haven't. We get much more commentary from people I haven't even mentioned here; and the film covers Harold Arlen's life all the way until his passing. Even if I had told you everything you'll see on this DVD, the emotional impact of watching would still remain enormous and memorable.
I highly recommend this documentary for fans of Harold Arlen; and people just discovering his artistry will find this DVD to be an indispensable education about just how special and talented he truly was.
Thank you, Harold Arlen! We will never forget you!
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