Meet Me in St. Louis Blu-ray review

            I suppose it is fitting that Liza Minnelli introduces this film on the Blu-ray, despite having little to say beyond some gushing over the film. She must love this movie, after all, because without it she may never have been born. Director Vincente Minnelli fell in love with star Judy Garland while making Meet Me in St. Louis, and their union result in Liza’s birth. It is not difficult to fall in love with Garland in this film, which is among her best. Her alterations to the classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” have stayed with us ever since, and it is impossible to get the title song out of your head for days after watching this classic.

            There isn’t much of a plot to Meet Me in St. Louis, which is essentially just the story of an average family living in St. Louis during the 1904 World Fair. Based on the autobiographical writings of The New Yorker writer Sally Benson, the film tells the story of the Smith family. They almost leave St. Louis, but an evening at the World Fair changes all of that. More than the world fair or St. Louis, the film is about family. The primary focuses are the two daughters and their romantic entanglements. Who can forget Garland’s love for “The Boy Next Door.”

            The Blu-ray book also comes with a four-song CD sampler and 40 pages of biographies, trivia and song sing-a-long song lyrics. The special features on the disc include the Liza Minnelli introduction, as well as an audio commentary track featuring biographer John Fricke along with Margaret O’Brien, composer Hugh Martin, screenwriter Irving Brecher and Barbara Freed-Saltzman. There is also an audio only radio broadcast, and the music-only feature for playback of the film.