Oct 312012
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (Remastered Deluxe Edition)
- Thisic and much-loved Peanuts story centers on the romantic yearnings of that eternally hapless hero, Charlie Brown. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Lucy tries to get Schroeder to give her a card, Sally chases after Linus, and poor Charlie Brown dreams of getting just one valentine. Even Snoopy’s mailbox is stuffed with those red heart-shaped cards–doesn’t ANYONE love Charlie Brown?
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown – Fall in love with Peanuts! It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and the Peanuts crowd knows what that means: candy, flowers and, as one round-headed kid hopes, maybe even a card from that little red-haired girl! The world is a heart-shaped box of happiness in this classic featuring Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and more Peanuts favorites. The good times begin with a certain big-nosed beagle playing Cupid and don’t stop until Charlie Brown opens his mailbox one last
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“She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not”,
This Peanuts DVD includes three love-related specials. The title feature, “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” is the first of the three cartoons on the disc. This special aired on television in 1975 and was nominated for an Emmy. Mostly based around Schultz’s original strips, the main story follows Charlie Brown as he survives Valentine’s Day. The cartoon begins with Snoopy dancing around as cupid and trying to hit Charlie Brown and missing every single time. Charlie Brown faithfully checks his mailbox hoping to get a Valentine and brings a briefcase to school to carry home all the cards he plans to receive. Meanwhile, Linus has a crush on his teacher and buys her an expensive box of chocolates as a gift that Sally believes is for her.
The second special on the disc is “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown”. The school year is quickly approaching the end of the year and Charlie Brown finds himself head over heals in love with the cute little red-haired girl in his class. He fights to overcome his shyness to speak with the girl before the school year ends because after that, he won’t be able to see her until the fall.
The third and final special on the DVD is “It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown”. This time it’s October and the school is gearing up for the big homecoming game and dance. During the homecoming parade, Charlie Brown is informed by Linus that he’s going to be the queen’s escort at the dance and he will have to kiss her on the cheek. The Queen is none other than the little red-haired girl and Charlie Brown finds himself more nervous than he’s ever been before. Of course, before the homecoming dance there’s the big homecoming football game.
In addition to a few trailers, BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN also includes a featurette documentary, “Unlucky in Love: An Unrequited Love Story.” I really enjoyed this documentary. It includes interviews with Jean Schulz, Charles’ widow; his son Craig; Stephan Pastis the creator of “Pearls Before Swine”, and several others. They talk about the reoccurring theme of unrequited love that appears in “Peanuts”, who the real little red-haired girl was, and why “Peanuts” remains relevant.
BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN is a must-own DVD for any “Peanuts” fan.
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|Unrequited Love is in the Air,
Peanuts once again hits DVD with this collection of three animated specials focusing on love.
The disc starts off with “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown,” which first aired in 1975. Valentine’s Day is coming, and the gang’s getting excited. Charlie Brown is hoping for lots of Valentines this year. Linus has a crush on his teacher and buys her a box of chocolate which Sally thinks is for her. And in the middle of all this, Snoopy puts on a special Pawpet Theater show involving love. Frankly, I found this story to be a little depressing, even for Peanuts and was surprised that The Little Red Haired Girl didn’t even get mentioned.
Next comes 1967′s “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown.” It’s two days before school lets out for the summer, and Charlie Brown is trying to work up the nerve to talk to The Little Red Haired Girl. This is affecting every aspect of his life, leading to some embarrassing moments and potentially the worst last school day ever. This short was filled with the humor and warmth I usually associate with Peanuts.
The final selection is “It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown,” from 1977. Charlie Brown is shocked to learn that part of his duties during Homecoming is to dance with the Homecoming Queen after kissing her. And the queen is none other then The Little Red Haired Girl, whose name we learn is Heather. But first, he must do his job as punter in the homecoming football game. This would be easy, except guess who’s holding the football! This sweet story brought a smile to my face with the ending.
As with other Peanuts DVD’s the three programs are the heart and sole of the disc. There is a computer game for another movie, and that’s all. Still, the programs are ultimately what I bought it for. The picture is clear and sharp. The sound seems to have a bit of a problem, but only on the first show and only when Linus and Sally are speaking. Other wise, the sound is fine in all three.
This disc will appeal to Peanuts fans of all ages. While the first program may not have as happy an ending as usual, the other two make up for it big time. I’d never seen these programs before buying the disc, but I intend to watch them for years to come.
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|Another great Peanuts holiday outing,
“Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” is a worthy addition to the Peanuts pantheon of prime-time holiday specials. Guess how many valentines Charlie Brown Receives? (The painful in-class distribution of cards rings true to my own childhood experience. In my kids’ classes, they now require them to bring valentines cards for everyone, probably to avoid the tragi-comic scene that Charles endures so charmingly.) Even funnier is Linus’s pining for his teacher, and Sally’s mis-reading of the gift-buying by her “sweet babboo.” As with all of the best Peanuts videos, this one works on (at least) two levels: Plenty of kid-friendly humor and hijinx, as well as wry dialogue for the more sophisticated viewers. Buy it with confidence.
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