I am on my way to bed.
What a night. I watched:
The Sound of Music
Hello, Dolly!
Cabaret
Funny Girl
White Christmas
The real pleasure of it all was to see them in fantastic color and widescreen splendor on my new TV.
"The Sound of Music" is dazzling. The location shots are stunning and the entire film seems to have a depth I've not seen in previous viewings. Of course, the "plasma" picture helps a great deal and the 37-inch screen really opens the picture up for me.
"Hello, Dolly!" is amazingly vibrant in its use of colors. The reds are dazzling, and the musical numbers seem to explode off the screen. I'm deeply appreciative of what the new technology offers.
"Cabaret" was widescreen, but not anamorphic and not a digital master. It's still brilliant to watch, but it suffers in comparison to older and newer films that have been mastered for HDTV viewings.
"Funny Girl" is awesome. Still packs an emotional wallop for me. And the colors are incredible. I've not seen so much detail in this film...ever. Probably never noticed it in the theater.
"White Christmas" is both anamorphic and digital, but it seems a bit the worse for wear and tear. The colors seemed a bit muted and the visuals were a tad grainy. I think Paramount could do better with it.
I'd have watched another musical but my eyes just don't want to stay open any longer.