February 27, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Garland and Astaire star in holiday classic by Dennis Seuling Judy Garland made many films but only four great ones: “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Star Is Born,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and “Easter Parade.” The last is usually overshadowed by the other three, but is just as perfect a showcase for Garland. “Easter Parade” (Warner Home Video) was made by MGM in 1948. Garland was scheduled to co-star with Gene Kelly following their successful pairing in “The Pirate.” When Kelly was injured and couldn’t do the film, the studio coaxed Fred Astaire out of retirement, a casting coup that turned the movie into one of the best Technicolor musicals ever made. The story is a variation on Pygmalion, set in the show biz milieu. Don Hewes (Astaire) and Nadine Hale (Ann Miller) are a successful dance team. To retaliate when Nadine announces she has accepted an offer to star in her own show, Don claims he can pick any girl from the chorus to take her place. He selects Hannah Brown (Garland). Their working relationship is shaky at first as Don attempts to mold Hannah into another Nadine. Only when he allows Hannah’s personality to emerge does she shine, allowing the team to work its way to the top. The Irving Berlin score boasts two amazing solos by Astaire: “Drum Crazy,” set in a toy store as Astaire cavorts with assorted toys to persuade a little boy to give up a huge plush bunny, and “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” an elaborate production number in which Astaire dances in slow motion while his backup dancers perform at normal speed. “A Couple of Swells” features Don and Hannah in hobo costumes celebrating a carefree, work-free life. Miller has a fantastic tap solo, “Shakin’ the Blues Away.” “The Girl on the Magazine Cover” shows off women’s fashions, channeling elaborate Ziegfeld Follies extravaganzas. A montage of Garland and Astaire performing to snippets of early Berlin hits chronicles the rise to stardom of Hannah and Hewes. And Astaire and Garland sing the title number as they stroll down a Fifth Avenue crowded with hat-wearing fashion plates. The Blu-ray edition contains over five hours of extras, including commentary by Astaire’s daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie; the American Masters documentary “Judy Garland: By Myself;” the musical outtake “Mr. Monotony;” and two audio-only features, a radio promo and a 1951 “Screen Guild Theater” broadcast. “The Master” (Anchor Bay) is the story of Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a World War II veteran struggling to acclimate himself to a post-war world. When he meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), leader of a religious movement known as “The Cause,” Freddie is accepted and begins traveling with him along the East Coast to spread his teachings. Phoenix plays Freddie like an animal. He is crude, not too bright, acts on instinct, and satisfies his basic needs Fred Astaire and Judy Garland stroll down Fifth Avenue in ‘Easter Parade.’ ture. Special Blu-ray features include outtakes, an additional scene, a behind-the-scenes short, and “Let There Be Light,” a 1946 John Huston-directed documentary about World War II veterans. “Chasing Mavericks” (20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment) is about the upward climb to success in the sport of surfing. Jay Moriarty (Jonny Weston) has been thrilled by the power of waves on the Pacific coast since he was a kid. Surfing is his passion, but he knows that, at 15, he has a lot to learn about the sport. Conveniently, next-door neighbor Frosty (Gerard Butler) is also driven by the next big wave, and he becomes an unofficial mentor/trainer to Jay. Newcomer Weston avoids the cliché of being all wideeyed and tongue-tied as the apprentice learning from a master. He makes the relationship between Jay and Frosty work, and their bond holds the film together and keeps viewers involved. The film has some spectacular photography by Oliver Euclid of surfers suspended on gigantic waves with extraordinary grace and beauty. Stuntmen perform the more daring feats in the ocean, illustrating the raw fury of nature and the drive of surfers to embrace that fury. Bluray bonus features include audio commentary by director Michael Apted and screenwriter Jim Meenaghan, and (continued on Crossword page) with little emotion. He is the kind of rudderless creature Dodd targets as the ideal type to mold and draw into his cult. Hoffman is excellent as Dodd, and sweet-faced Amy Adams, as his wife and Number One disciple, plays against type as Dodd’s steely-eyed protector. The film is fascinating, but has little forward motion. The principal characters do their thing but, with the exception of Phoenix’s Freddie, change little. Even Freddie -- though he may have picked up a few pointers on civility -- is still much the same person viewers met at the beginning of the pic-