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Hello, Dolly! (1969) More at IMDbPro »

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88 comments in total

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22 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Somewhat overblown musical, but still excellent and entertaining, 20 January 2006

Author: DennisJOBrien from Virginia, United States

This film was certainly beautiful to look at and listen to. I was lucky to see it in 70 mm during its initial roadshow release. It was one of the few movies to have the negative actually filmed in 70 mm, rather than having the standard 35 mm merely blown up to 70 mm for the roadshow. "The Sound of Music" was another picture originally filmed in 70 mm, and we all know how beautiful the cinematography was in that. Sadly, the high cost of 70 mm has essentially ended the use of that type of film format.

"Hello, Dolly!" deserved the Oscars it won, such as musical direction, sound, and art direction-set design. About 15 years ago I stopped in the riverside village of Garrison, New York, to see where it was partially filmed. The real building that was adapted into Vandergelder's Hay & Feed was still there at the time, and "Vandergelder" was etched on the window pane from its use in the film. The bridge over the railway tracks is still there.

As much as I like the film as a whole, it does have some problems that could have been easily corrected. The early scene with Walter Matthau and Tommy Tune arguing over Ermengarde is overly dramatic and simply too theatrical. It might have been fine on Broadway, but the genre of cinema requires a bit of toning down. I blame this purely on Gene Kelly, the director, who should have known better. He is the one who is supposed to sense the pacing and delivery of lines. I get the impression he was trying to speed things up, knowing that there is a lot to fit into the picture. The screenplay was naturally required to closely follow the original material, but it could have been simplified a bit without sacrificing anything important. An example of this is the endless number of times that the audience is reminded that the main characters are going "to New York" by train. Once was enough.

Still, the music and choreography are superb, and carry the picture. Not everyone in it can sing as beautifully as Barbra Streisand, but it succeeds nonetheless. The number "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" is one of Hollywood's golden moments in terms of production quality. I have seen Carol Channing do the stage version and she was great, but I also feel that Barbra Streisand was perfectly adequate here. She can sing better than Ms. Channing and has real star quality.

If you visit the interesting Hudson River area of New York state, you will be warmly reminded of the scenic beauty in "Hello, Dolly!" Drop by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to take the public tour and you will see the magnificent setting where the final wedding scene was done, minus the church of course.

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22 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
I'd kinda like to see Barbra do this role now, 17 October 2003
Author: budikavlan from Irving, TX

The miscasting of Barbra Streisand is an interesting topic of discussion regarding this movie. She's way too young, as everyone else has said; despite slight changes to the script and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, it's silly to think that a woman in her mid twenties would have built up both the social contacts and worldly sangfroid that the character possesses. That said, however, she does about as well as anyone could ask playing a role she was 3 decades too young for. The animosity between Barbra and Walter Matthau is another problem--they have no chemistry together whatsoever. While his annoyance with her at the beginning is believable, the turnabout at the end comes across completely false. Fortunately, the movie has many other charms to make up for that central problem.

My favorite part of the movie, and the heart of the film, is the "courtship" of Cornelius & Irene and Barnaby & Minnie Fay. Michael Crawford and the late Danny Lockin are absolutely adorable as Cornelius and Barnaby. The "Dancing" and "Elegance" numbers and the dinner scene at the Harmonia Gardens are worth the price of admission alone. Barbra plays better with the rest of the cast too; she's more believable as a "woman of the world" when she's with the younger cast members. The production design is wonderful as well. While the movie was outrageously expensive for its time, just about every dollar is visible on screen. The claustrophobic musicals they've made since the Seventies really look deficient when compared to the wide-open dance scenes and crowd shots in classic musicals like this one.

All in all, Hello, Dolly has much to offer. It's not the best musical ever made by a long shot, but it's undeniably fun to watch. It would be fun to see Barbra play the role now that she's a more appropriate age for it. Unfortunately, she doesn't do musicals anymore. Maybe Tyne Daly would take the part.

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16 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
possibly the last great Hollywood musical, 8 January 2005

Author: grumpy-3 from london

perfectly directed by the wonderful and legendary gene kelly, with a note perfect cast. i was 20 years old when i first saw this film, beforehand, i had no desire to see it as i really did not like streisand. but having seen all the new releases that week, a friend pushed and shoved my into the theatre to see this. after the film we came out floating and dancing and singing, i have since seen it countless times, many times in glorious 70mm. the songs the dances the amazing sets and productions, all have gained in stature and enjoyment. yet again the public and quite a few critics got it so wrong, the film alas sank at the box office, and killed off an uplifting genre. sad also to see junk like chicago get kudos and box office, a film that is so cynical, tuneless and full of noise and empty bombast. performed by people who cannot sing or dance.bring back the old style Hollywood musical i say

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A Classic not be missed!, 7 December 2006

Author: musicalphan1216 from United States

This generation (I'm ashamed to say MY generation) just doesn't seem to appreciate a good musical, much less one that came out when our parents were young-ens, heaven forbid! It will be a sad day when these classic films are forgotten, but fortunately, they are all being remastered and re-released on DVD for this generation to enjoy if only they would give them a chance.

I bought the special edition of 'Hello, Dolly' because I adore musicals, especially those from the 50s and 60s when Hollywood really knew how to do it right! The top 3 billings were all people I had heard off... Streisand may not be the easiest person to love, but her voice is astounding... Who could forget Walter Matthau in 'Dennis the Menace', a film slightly more known to my age group... and last but certainly not least, Michael Crawford, a voice I had been listening to since age 3. I grew up listening to his solo albums as well as the original cast recording of 'Phantom.' I will say, he was my main incentive for seeing this film.

'Dolly' is musically and visually stunning. All the principle cast members sing on their own, always a bonus, and the songs are accompanied by some of the most entertaining and memorable dance numbers next to 'A Chorus Line.' One could expect no less since this film is directed by the infamous Gene Kelly. Need I say more? 'Hello Dolly' is by far my favorite of the classics, and believe me, I've seen them all. Sure, you can complain that Barbra was too young to play Miss Dolly Levi, but the woman has talent, you can't deny it no-matter how you feel towards her as a human being. She can sing and she can act, why settle for for someone who fails to meet the former and resort to dubbing? That's the one flaw in 'My Fair Lady.' Matthau is astounding as always, and I have already stated how much I love Crawford. He is just so positively adorable in the role of Cornelius Hackl! Understanably, his gorgeous tenor isn't nearly as developed at age 27 as it was at age 44 when 'Phantom' opened in London, but it's pleasant none-the-less, and his acting is superb as always, flawlessly hiding his lovely accent behind the mousy but sweet demeanor of a Yonkers store clerk.

I love 'Hello, Dolly!' and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the classics. It's funny, uplifting, and heartwarming... what more could a person want in a movie? Don't miss this movie, you're never too young to enjoy the classics.

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16 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
You all are wearing me out., 28 February 2003
Author: ballywhooo from Memphis, TN

Perhaps... just perhaps... Gene Kelly INTENTIONALLY cast Barbara Streisand as a younger, more sexual Dolly rather than the older version because he thought it would make more money... obviously wrong, but nonetheless an interesting strategy. I don't remember much of that time (late 60's) but I do remember seeing the movie with my mother at a drive-in way back then, and then catching a commercial-ridden version on a local TV station in the 80's after I had significantly fallen in love with Babs by way of Yentl. I believe, if I remember correctly, that Rudy's line at the Harmonia Gardens says that Dolly has not made an appearance there in over 2 years (not 20, not 40, not 50)... Let's assume that Ephraim died some 2 years ago and Dolly in despair cut herself out of her old life. Even at 27 (Babs age at the time), she could have been widowed at 25, which at the turn of the century would have been about 7 years of marriage for most ladies... How long did she have to have been married to qualify as "experienced". She purposefully picks on Horace because she has decided not to look for another "love of her life," but rather has chosen to affect someone who is bound to spend his life alone (like she has been facing) and make something more of his life than he alone could have done. Remember she even says in her prayer to Ephraim "Oh it won't be a marriage in the sense that we had one..." Get off the "She's too young" kick and look at the movie for what it is... a big, splashy, excellent produced bit of Americana. Movie musicals will never be this audaciously classy and clever ever again.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Put on your Sunday Clothes, 30 October 2007

Author: Martin Bradley (MOscarbradley@aol.com) from Derry, Ireland

This gargantuan musical was the last of its kind. It's like a dinosaur ear-marked for extinction and yet it's highly entertaining. Parts of it are terrible, (mostly those scenes in which Babs doesn't appear), and Gene Kelly's direction is never as light on its feet as his dancing used to be but when the aforementioned Miss Striesand is on screen, the movie soars. Critics complained that at 27 she was much too young for the part of Dolly Levi but she's a bona-fide star, so what the heck; her Dolly is ageless and as musical-comedy performances go this is one of the best.

The Jerry Herman score is decidedly old-fashioned Broadway. Sondheim may be the greater composer but Herman gave us tunes we could hum and the production numbers here are terrific, in particular the title song which gives us Striesand, high-kicking waiters and Louis Armstrong. Purists will always prefer the Joseph Anthony version of Thornton Wilder's original play "The Matchmaker" but this is no disgrace, so put on your Sunday clothes and let's have a whale of a time.

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11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Worth a look!, 5 October 2000

Author: johnm_001 from USA

While some of the cast of "Hello, Dolly! leaves something to be desired, its sets, costumes, general production values, and choreography cannot be beat. Striesand is miscast, but nobody can fault her for that. She gives it her all, and frankly, I prefer her performance in this film, over her inexplicable star-making turn in "Funny Girl". Lots of money was spent on making this film, and every cent of it can be seen in the finished product. The film is leaps and bounds over almost everything made today. Every musical number is first-rate. This film should ONLY be seen in WIDESCREEN. To view a cropped video tape would be silly, since you would be seeing only half the film. "Hello, Dolly! is lots of fun, and a true testimony to the lost art of fine film-making.

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9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Hello Dolly a fun film, 26 January 1999

Author: Rebecca Russell (rm_russell@hotmail.com) from Canada

Hello Dolly is really a fun film, it's based on Thorton Wilders "The Matchmaker" And thats just what Dolly is, She interferes with peoples lives for a living. From this ensues a lot of toe tapping music and enthusiastic energy. I really love this film, and I think it's one of the great musicals and people can't help but be swept up by it. It's brassy and loud but a great film to see. Barbra Streisand is not my favorite actress, but she brings vitality and loud mouth approch to the role that is pretty funny. My favorite characters are Cornelius Hackl and Baraby Tucker, they make a good comedy team (one tall, one short). I love the way they get nervous when first entering Miss Malloy's Hat shop. I enjoyed every minute of the movie. If you're in the mood for a good old fashioned musical with great energy, go for Hello Dolly.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Does NOT need to be remade!, 18 October 2007

Author: Clothes-Off from United States

I cannot imagine anyone seeing this film in the present without any preconceived notions finding it anything but a delight. Sure, those "in the know" are aware that Carol Channing could have and should have played the role, but that was 38 years ago. Looking at the film at face value, it is clear Gene Kelly knew how to play to Barbra Streisand's strengths, and you can completely forget how young she is.

Aside from the leads, you can see that even the extras are at the top of their game. I defy anyone to find a single person in the stellar "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" number that isn't giving 110%. I kept looking cracks in the shiny armor of this film and could find none (other than the hokeyness of the local yokel voice Michael Crawford uses for his character).

This film definitely deserved its Best Picture Oscar nomination, and hopefully the upcoming 40th anniversary will be publicized so that it can be introduced to a new generation who will be able to watch it without knowing of all the behind-the-scenes casting and shooting baggage.

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable!! (despite the criticism), 15 July 2003
Author: dvdboulet from Washington, DC, USA

Some dislike this film for all its faults and others enjoy it in spite or *because* of them. Barbra may technically be "too young" to convey the state character of a widow who is wise with years, but this does not weaken her performance or her effectiveness in the role. Rather, Barbra redefines "Dolly" in her own unique way. The same way that one cannot imagine the Wizard of Oz without Judy Garland, I cannot imagine this film without Barbra. Her zeal brings a rich, dynamic power and energy to the role that takes the engaged viewer on a roller-coaster ride (the same zany energy she brings to "What's Up Doc" comes through in Dolly with abundance). At times she's brassy, then pushy, then sensitive. Maneuvering through all these personas with ease and agility, Barb's acting is as spot-on as her equally wide-ranging singing.

The rest of the cast works to create a fun-filled ensemble with plenty of camp (Walter Matthau forms the perfect "annoyed" compliment to Dolly's character), yet the strong comedic tone of this film manages to leave plenty of tender moments undisturbed. Once scene in particular...with Streisand sitting in the park after the "Dancing" number, never fails to draw a tear or two no matter how often I watch this film.

Visually the sets, costuming, and color are a feast for the eyes. Fox spent millions making this film and it shows. Fox's new Region 1 DVD has a reference WS 16x9 anamorphic transfer from a new print that pretty much sets the benchmark of image quality. Those of you with large-screen HDTV screen or projection systems will be amazed at the image detail and purity. This DVD comes as close to capturing the beauty of film as any disc to date. Those of you who love those big-budget musicals owe it to yourselves to give this film a try.

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