A few of my friends won't like that I embedded this clip because it's — shudder! — colorized. They think that movies should always be presented the way God and their makers intended.
And I don't strenuously disagree with that. I just think that colorizing some movies — when done well — shows those films more love than some of the lousy, splice-ridden black-and-white prints that we film buffs often forgive. And also, I don't know about God but I don't think most makers of vintage movies intended them to be shown on Beta, VHS, LaserDisc, DVD or Blu Ray on computers or home screens…all of which we gladly accept when that's the best way we have of seeing them at that moment.
Here is what may be my favorite all-time musical moment from a movie — the Cab Calloway/Nicholas Brothers number from Stormy Weather. It's colorized — well, I think — and I've never seen it look sharper. If someone did a thorough restoration from the original negative (which may not exist) with the loving care of the recent Laurel & Hardy restorations, I might prefer that but in this video, I found myself seeing faces and details I've never noticed in umpteen viewings of this sequence in monochrome. I just like it and I thought I'd share it with you…