Official Synopsis:
Through the years, Frank Sinatra did it his way. And to set the record straight, he collaborated in the making of this remarkable move of his life, featuring his own vocals and some astonishing personal revelations. With Philip Casnoff in the title role, Sinatra covers more than 50 years, beginning with a spirited boyhood in Hoboken and ending with the 1974 return from retirement of the man whose voice captivates generations. More than two dozen Sinatra standards grace this lavish production, and most are from master recordings by the Chairman of the Board himself.

  
Our Take:
I take issue with any DVD that calls itself a “Special Edition” yet doesn’t include any bonus material, but that’s where my complaints with Sinatra: The Miniseries end. Made with input and cooperation from The Chairman of the Board himself, Sinatra is a terrific biopic with a generous running time that never slows down or becomes dull. It reminds me a lot of another biopic miniseries I raved about last year, Elvis: The Miniseries. Sinatra gets a lot of the same things right: it doesn’t sugarcoat the material (Franks’ womanizing is explored in depth), the lead actor captures the essence of Sinatra perfectly, and the music is all taken from master recordings of Sinatra himself. So while there’s a lot of lip-synching throughout, the film also boasts a genuine soundtrack of Sinatra tunes.

Philip Casnoff (and what happened to that guy?) is terrific as Sinatra, turning in a great performance on the whole as well as really capturing the feel of portraying the singer. He’s ably supported by before-they-were-famous Gina Gershon and Marcia Gay Harden, as well as a number of other recognizable character actors. The whole production manages to evoke the feel of the time period, even though it clearly isn’t some mega-budgeted production. Airing as a miniseries, the pacing remains surprisingly tight, and I never felt the usual “When is this going to be over?” drag. This isn’t a movie I went into expecting much from, but I got sucked into it almost immediately.

My complaint comes from the aforementioned lack of extra features. Just because this is the first time this miniseries is available on DVD doesn’t make it a “Special Edition.” The film is spread over two discs, which makes sense given its running time, but the film is all there is.

Sinatra: The Miniseries is one of those biopics that’s good enough to be interesting and entertaining even to people who aren’t Sinatra fans. While I would have liked to have seen more bonus materials on the DVD, I’m glad I watched Sinatra as it gave me a new perspective on the legendary entertainer.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A-
DVD: C+

- Mike Spring

Editor