Young turn-of-the-century married couple "Jim Dear" and "Darling," (which is the only way they refer to each other throughout the film) are celebrating Christmas when Jim Dear presents Darling with a hat box that contains a beautiful, pure-bred cocker spaniel puppy. Darling immediately nicknames her Lady and an idyllic new life begins for the puppy. For a while, Lady is the center of attention but when the couple have a baby, everything changes.
The couple then bring in their Aunt Sarah (voiced by Disney favorite Verna Felton) to baby-sit while they take a brief trip, and she brings along her pets: the two most evil cats to shed across the silver screen. In one of the film's most memorable sequences, Si and Am release themselves from their cat carrier and within minutes have wreaked havoc across the first floor, for which Lady naturally gets blamed. The next day Aunt Sarah takes Lady to the pet store to buy her a muzzle. The store owner has just fitted the device on her snout, when Lady breaks away and flees the store (whose front door has been stupidly left open). She makes it quite a distance away when she meets Tramp (whom she has encountered on one other occasion), a happy-go-lucky mutt who realizes her plight immediately and sets out to get the muzzle off her (which he accomplishes with the help of a beaver (voiced by Stan Freberg).
Taking Lady under his wing, Tramp takes it upon himself to show her all of the joys of freedom. But Aunt Sarah continues to pose a threat to the dogs as do other assorted villains such as the dogcatcher. Luckily, there’s a happy ending in store after many trials and tribulations.
Lady and the Tramp is a remarkably romantic movie, especially when you consider that it's about dogs. But the combination of a well thought out story and strong characterizations yield great results. Add to that the lovely songs by Miss Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke, and you have an irresistible, unforgettable love story. Lee also provides the voices of Darling, Peg, Si and Am (her duet with herself on "The Siamese Cat Song" is simply hilarious).
The new digital restoration of the film has resulted in a master source that is flawless, and a transfer that is simply stunning. Colors are eye-poppingly lush, with rich blacks and pure contrast. And the audio is equally strong, with full-bodied tone and deep bass.
As with the rest of the Platinum Editions, the supplemental disc is literally stuffed with extras, including deleted scenes, original storyboards, "Lady's Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp" – a lengthy documentary on the making of the film: along with this is hours of supplements, including games, music videos, and a "PuppyPedia" where you can learn about the breeds of the dogs featured in the film.
There is, unfortunately, one major disappointment: Lady and the Tramp made history as the first feature-length animated film to be shot in Cinemascope. At the time, there were not enough theaters equipped for the format to make the film very profitable. So, Disney shot the film both in the aspect ratio of 2.55:1, and simultaneously at Academy ratio. For some incomprehensible reason, Disney has included a Full Screen version of the film, but not the one that they actually shot in full screen. They have panned and scanned the film. Truly a pity (even though I think full screen editions of widescreen films on DVD have become superfluous).
Despite this, the 50th Anniversary release of Lady and the Tramp is not-to-be-missed.
For more information about Lady and the Tramp, visit Disney DVD & Video. To order Lady and the Tramp, go to TCM Shopping.
by Fred Hunter
