Stars & Stripes Forever [Blu-ray + DVD]

The DVD set was in great condition,very clear and a great addition to my collection.Would use them again and would recommend this Seller in the future.

This movie is a terrific tribute to the great John Philip Sousa. It begins with Sousa's march, "Semper Fidelis," which is played over the Fox Searchlight logo (in lieu of the usual 20th Century-Fox fanfare) and opening credits, and closes with the title track, "Stars And Stripes Forever." Clifton Webb does a marvelous job as Sousa, veteran actress Ruth Hussey plays his wife Jennie, a young Robert Wagner plays Willie Little, who plays the Sousaphone in the band (and was the Sousaphone's inventor in the film, although in real life, the instrument was invented by Sousa himself), and Debra Paget plays burlesque performer Lily Becker, who falls in love with and later marries Willie, but they keep the marriage a secret from Sousa, who does not like band members touring with their wives. Later, we find out that Sousa's wife knew about it from the beginning, and so did Sousa himself, though to save face, he pretended not to know.There are several Sousa marches in the film, along with one non-Sousa number, "Springtime In New York," which gives Debra Paget a chance to show off her considerable singing and dancing talents.Bonus features, aside from the usual Spanish and English audio tracks, and Spanish, English, and French subtitles, include a brief history of 20th Century-Fox musicals, leading up to STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER; a mini-documentary about Sousa's musical contributions; original U.S. and U.K. trailers, and the alternate U.K. title sequence, where the film was issued, for unknown reasons, under the title  Marching Along , the Sousa autobiography on which the film was based. In addition, there are also galleries of press clippings, promotional materials from the film, and still photos. The packaging is somewhat misleading; the bonus features are listed as being exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, but are on the DVD as well. The DVD has the film in Standard Definition; the Blu-ray in High Definition.2017 UPDATE: Now that I have my  Sony Multi Zone Region Free Blu Ray Player , I watched the Blu-ray version of this movie, and it is even better (in High Definition) than the Standard Definition DVD. The sound quality - DTS Master Audio Mono - is significantly better as well. The Blu-ray disc has the same bonus features as the DVD.An excellent five-star movie.

I will begin by saying those determined to rate films and books based on current social standards may find things to dislike in this film. I would recommend they just not bother.Those willing to accept it for what it is—a 60-year-old musical based on the biography of the man who is still considered the March King—Stars & Stripes Forever is delightful. And there are subtle moments that reveal a social consciousness that wasn't exactly acceptable during the period in which it was made, moments I never noticed before and which made watching it for the first time in decades gave it added depth.Is it also full of pro-US propaganda? Of course. It is what it is—a post-war movie meant to appeal to people who felt they'd help save the world, and that the US was the greatest country on earth. But mostly, it's about the music, and about people who love creating it, and about love and family and doing what you love.And that music is glorious.

This movie is not ENTIRELY historically accurate but it does a pretty good job all things considered. The music is great, especially if you are a marine like my brother and had to march to John Philip Souza's military marches! We first say this film when we were little kids and the lively music stayed with us. The old VHS our parents used to record this movie (back when they aired good movies on tv, (yeah kids that's right I'm "old") finally wore down and we had a very difficult time finding a replacement! It works just as advertised and is worth every penny.

I've always loved this movie, but hadn't thought about it in a while. When my sister asked me what one movie I could watch multiple times without tiring of it, this is the one that came to mind. As I told her, the music is great, the characters and actors and wonderful to watch, and there's nothing in it that makes me want to fast forward. Rare, indeed. That prompted me to look again to see if it was available on DVD. I was so glad to see that it finally is.This movie is fun and stirring, with great music and some really good vignettes. I especially enjoyed the Atlanta scene. Unlike another reviewer, I enjoyed the Robert Wagner/Debra Paget sub-plot. Both - especially Wagner - were charming. But who thought up those names? Willie and Lily Little? Really? Since they were not actual characters in real life, I would have thought that names less silly could have been used. But that's just a minor complaint.Clifton Webb was never better and Ruth Hussey was perfect as his wife. I

I remember watching this show when I was young and loving it, saw it again on TV and decided I wanted in my growing library of good, solid movies that I like to watch over and over again.Of course, I was in band in school and genuinely loved music; I took part in the pep band so played a lot of marches at a lot of games and in a lot of parades...so let's see, was I going to enjoy the music? Hmmmm...OF Course! But hearing the music again while watching John Philip Sousa's life unfold was very special and inspirational.The movie wasn't as exciting to the younger members of my family but then, they didn't get up and leave either and when the music played, the little ones got up to "march".I would definitely recommend the movie to others...if you love marches, have fond memories of high school bands, then you're going to love this show. If you like shows that you can watch with your whole family that aren't gory and mean-spirited, then you're going to love this show; if you just love the old-style movies...well, you're just going to love this show!

I do not know how it is done but this dvd of an old film in Blu-ray is absolutely excellent. The quality and clarity of the film with super sound reproduction is something to be believed and added to the enjoyment of watching. Well done to however it is produced! I look forward to some more.

if you like marching music, then this is the movie for you

Im sure it was called Marching along when I first saw it, the Blu-ray made the picture quality stunning, the mono soundtrack was also excellent

An enjoyable movie to watch and listen to. Clifton Webb portrays John Philip Sousa as sympathetically as the screenplay allows him to do. Well worth seeing and hearing.

OK