Ah, Lassie, Transport Me to Brigadoon!

I recently introduced my children to the wonders of Brigadoon, the 1954 Vincent Minnelli musical starring Gene Kelly and Van Johnson as two Americans who stumble upon the village of Brigadoon when lost in the mountains of Scotland. There, the two encounter Cyd Charisse and other locals who awaken every 100 years to go about their business.

The lovely Lerner score and book is packed with gems, from tender ballads (“Waiting for My Dearie,” “Almost Like Being in Love,” “Come to Me, Bend to Me”) to rousing, toe-tapping numbers (“Go Home With Bonnie Jean” and “The Chase”).

My girls loved the pageantry and dancing, sitting silent and enthralled by the bright colors and swirling skirts.

Our copy of Brigadoon is on an obsolete format called laserdisc, and is letterboxed, which allows the viewer to see all the nuances of the filmmakers vision. However, my girls are used to watching full screen cartoon movies, so this format can be disconcerting to their eyes. My eldest commented, “Why isn’t the movie on all of the screen?” when it first started. After a while, though, even she was transported to that mystical city of Brigadoon.

Next up: Million Dollar Mermaid.