Little Shop of Horrors (DVD)

Everything about this movie musical works! The casting is perfect, the plant looks and moves great, the songs are catchy and memorable AND I actually care about what happens to the characters. I know I've never mentioned that in my other reviews (maybe I have but I really can't remember right now) but, and maybe this has been said before, but me, as the viewer, invest a lot of emotion and care when I see all of the characters sing about wanting to passionately get out of Skid Row or Audrey's dream of being with Seymour or the two leads pronounce their love for each other. It's all done with great energy and passion! And maybe that's why the test audiences responded negatively to the original ending and I can see that. You so want to see these characters together but Seymour's subconscious greedy ambitions leads to his and Audrey's ultimate downfall and Audrey II's achievement of global conquest. Now I've seen the original ending, loved every minute of it (Audrey's heart-wrenching reprise of Somewhere That's Green I think is what did it for me) and have been quite puzzled as to why audiences would've found that depressing. And I know this has been said before but it represents, albeit in an over the top manner, what happens when we give in to temptation. But I must admit, even with liking the original ending, that the filmed ending works for me as well. The characters get a good payoff and, judging from the surviving Audrey II bud, a little foreboding that the plants might succeed anyway. Well that's what I get from it. Rick Moranis is perfect as Seymour, ably portraying the nervousness he feels when he goes to kill Steve Martin and (as previously mentioned) his yearning to leave Skid Row is very believeable. I only wish that the full rendition of The Meek Shall Inherit was present instead of being completely glossed over. His solo really adds to Seymour's dilemma of either killing the plant or continue with his success just so Audrey would stay with him. Ellen Greene, reprising her role from the Off-Broadway production, is, again, perfection as the ditzy yet vocally powerful Audrey. Her rendition of Somewhere That's Green brings a tear to my eye almost everytime. And Levi Stubbs as the always hungry Audrey II is the real show-stopper! I especially love it when he sings Suppertime; the piano matched with his vocals as he tempts Seymour to kill Mushnik is both menacing and suspenseful. The rest of the cast is brilliant; Vincent Gardenia as greedy Mushnik (though kind of sad that his musical numbers were cut, but maybe that was done to make him a less sympathetic character in the end), Steve Martin plays the dentist perfectly and his song is very memorable. The celebrity cameos don't seem gratuitous at all and actually add to the story in their small way. And the Greek chorus fit so well into the story that they're musical numbers don't feel jarring or confusing at all (unlike the continuous jumping back and forth of musical sequence, story, musical sequence in Chicago).

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS started as a black and white cult film in 1960, then an off Broadway musical and finally we got this magical musical color film version LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS in 1986. The film is in no way dated and is more glorious than ever on this brilliant blu ray release. The film when first made had the darker ending that was the same as the off Broadway version. Screening audiences did not like it at all so a new theatrical version was made. The film was first released on dvd in 1998 and no dvd version compares in any way to this brilliant blu ray. The Director's Cut with the original ending was contained on the 1998 dvd release but it was in black and white and in no way appeared the way it was truly intended. Here, for the very first time, we get both the theatrical and original Director's Cut version shown in the exact same quality. What a treat for fans of the film and this blu ray should certainly earn the film many new fans. The video here is superb with excellent black/white ratio and colors that are vibrant and pop when need be and tone down when called for. The film needs to go from the slime of Skid Row to the glamour and glitz of the clothing of the story telling trio and the transition is seamless. Clarity is superb and flesh tones are realistic and clean. Close ups have crisp detail as does every detail of clothing, background and scenery. The plant itself is glorious and looks realistic and colorful. This film really does go all over the place with dark and bright, dull colors and vibrant colors and all scenes look amazing. The grain has not been changed at all either so the film looks exactly as it was meant to. Audio is also excellent. The songs and score here are excellent and all speakers are utilized with the DTS 5.1 audio track. Dialogue is crisp and clear throughout and the music blends in perfectly. Rick Moranis shines as the nerdy Seymour and Ellen Greene is glorious reprising her off Broadway performance as Audrey. Their duet on SUDDENLY SEYMOUR is a definite highlight of the film. Steve Martin and Bill Murray both have superb cameos. The story of a nerdy flower shop worker who discovers a strange and unusual plant that totally changes his life is original, wacky, witty and totally effective. This Director's Cut version comes in a great digibook with info on the cast, the making of the film and tons of color pictures. There is also a personal message from Frank Oz. This film was an all time favorite of mine when it came out and here on blu ray it far surpasses any expectations I had. It makes sense the stage version ending which worked great in the theater wasn't as effective in the film but finally the Director's Cut is seen as intended, in its entirety with the same respect as the theatrical version. This blu ray far surpasses any dvd version of the film released before. If you are a fan this is indeed a must buy. Blu ray makes this film sparkle and shine with great video and audio. Highly recommend.

For those who don't like to read lengthy reviews, here's a one-word summation of my feelings about this release: WOW! Like many long-time fans of the movie, I'd been reading about the "lost" ending for many years. I kicked myself for not picking up the briefly-released 1998 DVD with the original footage included (the disc was quickly pulled off the shelf by Warner Bros., with second-hand copies becoming highly sought-after and VERY expensive collectibles). Over the years, I resigned myself to the possibility that I might never see it. And to be truthful, I was perfectly happy with the theatrical version, so I forgot about it. Well, Warner has finally done both the fans AND filmmakers a big favor in offering up this lovingly restored release of the cult favorite. And because the Director's Cut version probably won't be to everyone's taste (more on that in a minute), you even get your choice of viewing it or the original theatrical version (SPOILERS AHEAD). There's a brief featurette in which director Frank Oz discusses the changes, and praises the until-now lost special effects-filled finale supervised by Richard Conway, a very affable guy who seems delighted that his work can be seen at last. The package itself is very attractive, with a 36-page glossy hardcover book filled with great pictures and trivia about both versions of the film. For those who haven't seen the film in its original form until now, it's quite a revelation (again, SPOILERS and this is your last warning!). As promised by the studio, the final 20 or so minutes craft a MUCH darker finale. Having seen a stage production of the play in 1999, I can confirm that the ending mirrors it very effectively (although, as Oz points out, the deceased characters can't come back and take a bow at the end of a motion picture). And while I can understand why mainstream audiences in 1986 balked at the shocking, downbeat resolution, I think the ensuing 26 years of various real-life AND cinematic horrors have probably numbed most of us to the invetiable on-screen mayhem. It DOES place the film more firmly in the "horror" category than before, and I think that's a good thing. The "good guys" don't always have to win to make a story worthwhile or entertaining. As for Conway's contributions, they are very well-done in b-movie monster fashion. And they are blissfully free of modern CGI tampering (take THAT, Lucas and Spielberg). As for the transfer, it's not quite up to modern hi-def film resolution, but it's perfectly fine for a movie of this vintage. I played it on my 60" plasma with 5.1 surround sound, and was very satisfied with A/V quality. If you're a fan of the movie at all, this is really a no-brainer. And if you go into the altered version with an open mind, you may be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy it. It does change the tone of the film considerably, but again, I don't think it's a bad thing at all. Go on and pick this one up, it's Blu-ray done right. :-)

Great movie.

An absolute classic in my opinion. Rick moranis absolutely nailed the role, and it was fun to watch him sing. I think this movie has a great mixture of music, comedy, and drama. They kept with the original plot nicely, but changed things to make it fun and exciting. Well some of the cinematography and animatronics are a bit dated, it's still a fun movie for kids and adults alike.

Fans of Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street will see a very familiar creative streak and aesthetic in this wild, eccentric 1986 sci-fi/musical/horror. Though very different from his previous films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, Frank Oz (when not voicing Kermit or planting cellophane bags of Angel Dust on Dan Aykroyd) does seem right at home and the perfect choice to direct this movie of a giant hungry plant gone mad. Nerdy florist Seymore Krelborn (Rick Moranis) encourages his boss to display a bizarre new plant, the Audrey II, in the shop window in order to entice more customers into their failing business. The plan works, and as Audrey II grows larger so does their fame. But Audrey demands to be fed, and blood and human meat are at the top of the preferred menu, as so, in a sort-of botanist version of Hellraiser Seymore arranges to keep Audrey II fed with people who deserve to die. Little does he know that Audrey II actually has plans for world domination and is merely using him as a naive puppet. Many musical numbers and cameos later (from John Candy, Bill Murray, and Steve Martin) the film forks into two different endings, depending on what version your watching. The theatrical cut, which I never really liked, gives us a happy ending that was shot merely to appease a fickle test audience (insert groans and rolling eyes here) while the extended ending of Frank Oz's director's cut is more epic, darker, crazier, and feels like a more natural homage to creature features of the 1950s such as Godzilla or Creature from the Black Lagoon. I can't believe this ending was ditched and not seen for over 25 years. Little Shop of Horrors deserves and enduring popularity and if you watch it I insist on the director's cut. The Blu-ray sports a lovely 1.78:1 1080p picture with DTS HD-MA sound. A commentary is included, which branches according to what ending the viewer chooses. A 10-minute retrospective documentary on the DC ending, and a vintage documentary are also on there, along with an outtake reel and two trailers. The Digibook is very nice and contains much more text than is usual for these packages, as well as an insert from Oz himself detailing the DC a little bit more.

In 1982, Broadway released a play called "Little Shop of Horrors," that had audiences applauding for more. In 1984, Roger Corman legend decided to take the worst idea ever of making "Little Shop of Horrors" into a movie in less than two days! Becoming the best known movie as the worse film in recent history. A couple years later, in 1986, "Little Shop of Horrors" become a movie musical phenomenon. Turning this worse idea into one of the greatest things that could possibly happen in cinema history. A movie musical that could surely having you getting up on your feet and dancing to the music. (I know that is what I did when I just *had* to go out and by the soundtrack from the motion picture!) The new impoved camera angles and music makes you really feel something for the characters and makes you want to watch it over and over again. I haven't been able to stop watching since I first ordered from Amazon.com! I know I've watched it more than ten times at least, I can't really remember now, I lost count after the fourth time viewing the DVD, and have gotten most of the songs memorized. My personal favorite song is the new one that was included in the film that wasn't in the original Broadway show called, "Mean Green Mother From Outerspace." It just has a really feel good hard rock beat to it. Loved it, loved it, loved it! Also, other stand out songs that I should mention is: "Little Shop of Horrors," "Skid Row (Downtown)," "Dentist!," "Suddenly Seymour," and "Suppertime." Wonderfully sung songs that would have getting up off your feet and singing along with the music. So, having this worst idea in cinema history, is now the greatest thing t o happen in cinema history. The most remarkable scene that is remembered mostly is the Steve Martin character, the dentist. He does a hilarious appearence as the demented dentist, really putting feeling into his character so that when his death scene comes up, you don't really need to feel sorry for the character. Which I was glad that the bastard died in the first place, because he was just getting on my nervers. Yet, Steve delievers that perfectly to the audience. Also, the backup singers did a tremdous job in the film, I might would like to point out. Without them, we would just have a story about a singing plant, a daring hero, a sweet girl, and a demented dentist. But these gals really can sing and light up the picture, even in a dark moment in the picture. So, regardless if this a musical, "Little Shop of Horrors" is a great film everyone should see over and over again.

Loved watching this again, it really took us back. Our little Grandaughter has developed quite a liking for anything about Little shop of horrors

As a movie fanatic I can't believe I had never heard of this directors cut before! The edited theatrical version was all I had ever known and must admit I always hated the ending with the white picket fence and the googly kids! It never seemed to fit with the overall tone of the rest of the film, but still I never suspected foul play and always assumed this was the way the movie intended to be! As a child I absolutely adored this movie, as I'm sure anyone considering purchasing this will have also done, the songs have stayed in my head well into adulthood and although I'm not particularly a fan of musicals this one is superb, the songs are fantastic and catchy and the performances are second to none. Rewatching it in blu ray was quite the experience, I watched it with my children who enjoyed it very much and like I did as a child they loved the funky voice of Audrey the plant and enjoyed the "feed me" song. The dentist scenes and song and watching Steve Martins take on this character will always be my favourite parts of the film by far- I just love the comedic value of the sadistic dentist with a penchant for rock and roll and how stylistic his every move is- he's in full swing here and it's awesome. The sound is excellent, the picture is superb- obviously there is still the odd amount of grain here and there but overall it is a worthwhile transfer and they have done a great job at bringing it up to a higher definition standard. I watched it on a 65" tv and it looked great. As for the directors cut and the "New ending" although it is not New but in fact the original intended ending- it made more sense, there was sadness and yes disappointment, but I feel it shouldn't have gone any other way really. I won't give out any spoilers about the ending but yes there was special effects that it was a shame to cut out as clearly a lot of effort had gone into them! Even my children thought it looked impressive and that's going by today's standards of CGI that they are used to so for them to appreciate what went into the ending really speaks volumes in my view- as a lot of the time they are tarnished by an over reliance on CGI and 3D type effects so it was a welcome change to see them actually enjoying and appreciating something that they don't often see, something that would be considered "dated" and "not good enough" by most who are used to seeing the type of visuals we are used to today. If you are considering buying this directors cut then I strongly advice you to just go for it! If you love the movie then you are in for a treat, the overall presentation of the blu ray is well thought out and you feel you are getting your money's worth, the disc itself comes in a nice book style case with a book part at the front that obviously has info and facts, some trivia and stills from the movie. You can also watch the theatrical cut from the main menu so you have a choice of both versions. I do feel the directors cut ending could have comfortably ended a few minutes earlier than it did as it does tend to feel a bit dragged- you get the idea and that is all that's needed in my opinion, it doesn't need to go on and on but it was fun to watch none the less. Thanks for reading my review and if your hesitating just go for it, £20 well spent I think, I am glad to have it in my collection alongside other classics and greats:)

仕事が忙しいので、中々買い求めた作品をわ視聴、出来ません！ その為レビューの催促はストレスになります！！ ディスクユニオンは、店舗販売、ネット販売共にプラケース、商品も綺麗ですし、1商品にビニールカバーがして有り、価格も手頃で、1番信頼出来ます！ リトル・ショップ•オブ•ホラーズ(ディレクターバージョン)は、映画場面写真が満載でミュージカルファンには、嬉しいBlu-rayです！ 出来れば、ミュージカルナンバーを表示して欲しかった。この作品で、アラン•メンケン、ハワード•アッシュマンのデビューとなり、ワーナーの都合(スニークプレビューなどの判断で終わりの場面を違うバージョンで、作り替え、Blu-ray視聴者には嬉しい事ですが。)で、意思の疎通が出来ず、2人はディズニー移りリトル•マーメイド、美女と野獣、アラジンなど、ヒットを飛ばし、残念ながら、ハワードがエイズで亡くなり。アランが、数名の作詞者と共に、多くのディズニー作品を生み出しています。 この作品では、ワーナーには珍しく、初演舞台からエレン•グリーン(ステッピング・アウトなどにも出演、DVD .Hey,Mr.Producer! the musical World of Cameron Mackintoshでは、舞台版の3人娘や、シーモア役の方々も出ています。オリジナル•オフブロードウェイ CDは初演の見事さが伝わる１枚。)が出演しています！(その他には、くたばれ、ヤンキース！のグウェン•バードンぐらいで、舞台から、映画化されたミュージカル作品は、主演者の知名度だけで、ゴーストシンガーを駆使しても、舞台の素晴らしさを表現出来ませんでした。中にはフィニアンの虹のペトラ•クラーク(序曲〜プレリュード部は、絶品)、マイ•フェア•レディのオードリー・ヘップバーン((一部分は彼女の声、楽曲、今に見てろの前半部分など)他は、マーニ・ニクソン(王様と私のデボラ•カー、ウエスト•サイドのナタリー•ウッド、メリー•ポピンズの楽しい休日のガチョウなども、マーニ本人は、サウンド•オブ•ミュージックの修道女 シスター、ソフィア役で出演)が吹き替え。只、顔がどう見ても没落貴族出！)など素敵な作品も有ります。.. シーモア役のリック•モラレスは、彼の代表作で無難にこなしてます。(ストーリート•オブ•ファイヤーのマネージャー役、ミクロ•キッズのパパなどもハマり役) サディスト役、スティーブ・マーチンは、ビル•マーレイとの掛け合いが笑いを誘う。 ジョン•キャンディ(スプラッシュ、クール•ランニング)も出ていて、脇を手堅く固めている。 オープニングの3人娘のパンチの効いたハーモニーが物語に引き込んで離さなく、様々なミュージカルナンバーが飽きさせなく、あっと言う間にエンディングになる！！ オードリーⅡのマペットも縦横無尽に大暴れ！！！ 楽しく愉快で風刺がきいている物語！！ 又、改めて大きなスクリーンで観たい作品！

Great quality. I'm happy to get to watch this movie again after so long.

Buen producto llego en buen estado, gracias

As described, arrived the next day, exactlywhat i wanted