This is a promotional film that was made for the release of "That's Entertainment" and is included on the bonus disc for this feature film. And, like any promotional film, it's meant to drum up excitement for the upcoming film--so there are no huge surprises. In addition to many contemporary clips of stars talking about MGM in 1974, there are lots of clips of classic MGM films--sort of like a mini version of "That's Entertainment"--a taste of what the feature film is like.
One thing surprised me about this featurette is the quality of the print. It was highly degraded and scratchy--but fortunately the film on disc 1 was restored and much more watchable. I also thought it was ironic how MGM talked about their great past and how they were celebrating it--and only a few years later sold off all their props and costumes for next to nothing! A but hypocritical, huh?
By the way, one thing they said repeatedly during this film is that 'MGM created the musical'. Well, they didn't. In the early days of talkies, Warner Brothers was at least as active in making musicals and made some of the very best ones in the late 20s and early 30s (along with MGM). The difference is that soon Warner lost interest in this genre and MGM was the premier musical studio of the late 30s on in regard to musicals. Just wanted to set the record straight.
One thing surprised me about this featurette is the quality of the print. It was highly degraded and scratchy--but fortunately the film on disc 1 was restored and much more watchable. I also thought it was ironic how MGM talked about their great past and how they were celebrating it--and only a few years later sold off all their props and costumes for next to nothing! A but hypocritical, huh?
By the way, one thing they said repeatedly during this film is that 'MGM created the musical'. Well, they didn't. In the early days of talkies, Warner Brothers was at least as active in making musicals and made some of the very best ones in the late 20s and early 30s (along with MGM). The difference is that soon Warner lost interest in this genre and MGM was the premier musical studio of the late 30s on in regard to musicals. Just wanted to set the record straight.