Invitation to the Dance (1956) DVD - Region 1 US Import NTSC - Classic Movie for Dance Enthusiasts & Film Collectors

Well into the second half of my life, I'm only now seeing this movie for the first time, having purchased a copy of the VHS tape. What a treat! First, just to correct a few previous comments, this is not a musical: this is pure dance and theatre. There is no dialog and no singing. That's probably why it is so unknown in the US: it is art, not just entertainment. Unlike the ernest and generally capable endeavors of many of his contributors in Kelly's "mainstream" musicals, the cast in "Invitation" are all extraordinary pros. The creativity, precision and expressiveness of every one of these folks does Kelly justice and then some in a couple of cases, most notably Tamara Tourmanova as the vamp in the second number. I can't say which of the three pieces I like best: each is delightful and moving in its own way and compliment the others beautifully. The animation in the last number by Hanna and Barbera is, as many have pointed out, a pure delight. For my money, as much as I love "Fantasia," the subtlety and wit of the work here is superior. Integrating these numbers with Kelly's live action is a minor miracle for 1956. The music--Ibert for the first, a delightful original composition by Andre Previn for the second and a fantastic re-working of Rimsky-Korsakoff's "Scheherazade" for the "Sinbad" number--are all first-rate and transfer surprising well to VHS.Unfortunately, the only time this magnificent work has been released to the home consumer was in 1983 on VHS. Fortunately, I still have a VHS player, lucked into a tape in excellent condition here on Amazon and was able to transfer a copy to DVD to preserve it. But, it is VHS and the colors and clarity are not great--acceptable, but today's digital technology just shows up the deficiencies to a degree that most folks will find disappointing and some will find awful.Still, if you can find a very good copy of the tape, buy it and enjoy this miracle of the silver screen. You shouldn't deprive yourself of appreciating this just because of concerns about how it might look on your 42" LED TV. A film like this could never be made today--I just wish MGM would let Criterion have the catalog so they can remaster these in the format they deserve.