Little Shop of Horrors (DVD)

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. :-)

I’ve always loved this movie and was glad we could find it to buy so we could refresh before seeing it on Broadway! Catchy songs, and a great cast! Lots of laughs.

Best comedy ever, the plant is a classic.

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.

Movie was very good

This version of "Little Shop of Horrors" is a musical that is set in the 1950s. It stars Rick Moranis as Seymour, Steve Martin as the crazy dentist, Bill Murray as the pain-loving patient (he was hilarious in this film!), and several other stars, plus a 3 black female group who sings doo-wop songs in the background. Also stars Levi Stubbs as the voice of the talking man-eating plant in the movie. I was surprised that Rick Moranis sang really well in this movie! Ellen Green's character, who's the love interest of Seymour and dated the crazy dentist, has a very annoying voice....almost too squeaky. I can understand why people said her voice drove them up the wall! LOL My favorite scene was with the crazy dentist named Orin (Steve Martin) and the pain-loving patient (Bill Murray)...when Bill looks like he really enjoyed the experience and his facial expressions in the dental chair made me laugh. I also like the scene where Bill was telling this young patient that just had a contraption stuck on his face around the mouth area that he is "very very lucky" and this poor kid's in pain. I have a couple of favorite tunes in this movie too. It's good to watch for a rainy day, if you are really interested in musicals and humor mixed together. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because of Ellen Green's character, although she did well, her voice kind of ruin the scenes because it was so squeaky.

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！

The DVD menu looks really cool with all those vines. Now I've finally got the theatrical cut of the movie in my collection.

An absolute classic, I lost my original dvd and so happy I found this one.

awesome movie.my 13 year old granddaughter dressed as Seymore with Audrey for Halloween