The life and career of celebrated composer Sigmund Romberg served as the basis for Deep in My Heart, the last of MGM’s all-star musical bio-pics. The irrepressible Jose Ferrer (then at the height of his success after acclaimed performances in Moulin Rouge and Cyrano de Bergerac) gives a winning performance as the legendary Romberg, supported by lovely Merle Oberon and the charming Metropolitan Opera legend Helen Traubel (making her film debut).

Directed by Stanley Donen (Charade, The Grass Is Greener), the film’s real drawing card is a dazzling array of Metro musical talents performing more than 20 Romberg melodies drawn from the prolific composer’s catalog of over 2000 songs. Highlights include Gene Kelly’s only on-screen appearance with his younger brother Fred, who happily hoof and romp in the I Love to Go Swimmin’ with Wimmen number; Jane Powell and Vic Damone’s enchanting duet from Maytime; Ann Miller’s jazz-age Charleston send-up of Elinor Glyn called “It”; and Ferrer’s on-screen duet with his then-wife, the beguiling Rosemary Clooney, who appropriately sing “Mr. and Mrs.”. However, the film’s most arresting and unforgettable sequence is a breath-taking pas-de-deux called One Alone, which features a dance sequence between Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell that somehow flew over the heads of the screen censors of the era. The dance between these two masterful artists brims with a subtle-but-unmistakable eroticism (all through implication) that continues to surprise audiences, even by today’s standards.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive brought Deep in My Heart to Blu-Ray with a fabulous 1080p master transfer in 1.75:1 when it was released in 2015 remastered from a 2K scan of the Interpositive. Warner Archive has always been up to the challenge of of handling complicated releases, and the work they do with Eastmancolor stock is very rewarding. The colors are radiant with the myriad of costumes and production design that permeate the screen.

The preservation of the natural film grain allows the picture to open up without major intrusions such as softness or other source-related peccadillos. The film is majestic with no serious instances of damage or dirt detected here. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues do not arise as an issue in this transfer. The frame is bursting with detail and clarity that you can observe for texture on every surface. Highlights stay strong during the runtime and black levels are primarily deep and stable. Warner Archive knocked it out of the park with this early release.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.0 Master Audio track that brings the buoyancy you hope for from a musical biopic. There is no obvious age-related wear and tear to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping for a clean listening experience. Dialogue comes through crisply and clearly with no elements stealing focus from the conversations. The more active moments are handled well and give the track a bit of character. Musical moments are the standout element, and the numbers hold up with unwavering fidelity even in the upper registers. Warner Archive has provided a disc that is pretty excellent. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.Special Features

Strauss Fantasy: A ten-minute medley of arrangements performed by the MGM Orchestra.

Farm of Tomorrow: A six-and-a-half-minute unrestored Tex Avery cartoon that takes a look a technological advances on a farm.

Dance My Darling Outtake (3:05)

Girlies of the Cabaret Outtake (1:16)

One Kiss/Lover Come Back To Me Audio Outtake (7:21)

Theatrical Trailer (4:35)

Final Thoughts

Deep in My Heart is a pretty appealing entry into the musical biopic subgenre thanks to its strong roster of guest appearances ready to show up and remind you why this artist was worthy of spotlighting. The movie stars make the most of their time on screen even if the narrative itself is not reinventing the wheel. We have found other such artist biopics that have spoken to us more, but this one is perfectly entertaining. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a first-rate A/V presentation and some cool special features. If you generally enjoy this flavor of musical, this works well enough. Recommended

Deep in My Heart can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.