"The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection" is one of those boxed sets that, if you're a serious movie fan at all, is a must own. With a few notable exceptions, the classics in this beautifully-packaged 12-disc set are arguably the greatest musicals ever made. They're the kind of timeless movies that even people who say they hate musicals have to admit are pretty damned good. They've also been totally restored to their original splendor; they look like brand new films, and sound better than they ever did even in theaters. Best of all, each individual film is accompanied by enough extras to keep fans busy pretty much forever.

The box is a bit misleading, but in a good way; this collection actually includes nine films, not six. As per the title of this set, eight of them are based on classic Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musicals, adapted for the screen and released by 20th Century Fox at a time when the popularity of lavish Hollywood musicals was in its heyday. Both the 1945 & 1962 versions of "State Fair" are included on two separate discs, offering a wonderfully opportunity for comparison. Two discs are also dedicated to 1958's marvelously entertaining "South Pacific", the original theatrical cut, and the expanded 'Road Show' version, which runs 14 minutes longer. The "Carousel" discs not only contain the original 1956 classic, but also the little see 1934 French film, "Liliom," which was the original inspiration. It's a given that 1965's "The Sound Of Music" is included, though I personally think it's the biggest chore to endure. Maybe because it's the sappiest, or maybe because, of all these films, it ingratiated itself on our pop culture more than the others. After all, until "The Godfather" came along seven years later, it was the biggest box office hit of all time. It was also one of the last truly successful big-budget Hollywood musicals, marking the end of an era as popular tastes shifted to edgier fare like "Bonnie & Clyde" & "Easy Rider." Of all the films, my personal favorite remains 1956's "The King And I". It has the best story, best dialogue, and of course, features a terrific, career-defining performance by Yul Brynner. Even after 50 years, the film has lost none of its ability to charm its audience.

Both the picture and sound quality of these remastered films is pretty close to perfect. All films have are rendered in anamorphic widescreen (with varying aspect ratios) to present them, more or less, as they originally appeared in theaters. The colors are vibrant, lines are sharp, and black tones are as accurate as can be expected for movies that are mostly 50 years old (or older). Each film is also rendered in 5.0 Dolby Digital, and one could easily argue that they've never sounded better, even in their original theatrical releases.

Each film is absolutely loaded with supplemental material, informative, sentimental and downright goofy. For the most part, if you're a fan of any or all of these films, there is enough to keep you enthralled for hours on end. All films include commentaries, either by film historians or surviving cast and crew members. In addition are tons of making-of featurettes & full-blown documentaries for each movie, both of the vintage variety, as well as some newly produced. Some discs also include excerpts from the original stage productions, and in the case of "The King And I" & "State Fair," pilots for actual TV series based on the films (the former including an obviously slumming Yul Brynner). There is also an additional 'karaoke' option for each film. Also included are the usual assortment of photo galleries and original trailers. Yes, I could go into detail about all the other extras included in this set, but it would probably take me as long as it would to actually go through them.

When we think of classic movie musicals, for the most part, these are the movies which come-to-mind, ranking this beautifully restored set as essential to any collection as Universal's "Alfred Hitchcock Collection" and Paramount's "Godfather Trilogy." Like those other sets, the films here are timeless, and just as entertaining now as they were when originally released. Very highly recommended.