Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Disney’s crowning achievement is now a quarter century old. To celebrate, Disney has released an immaculate Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray and standard DVD, as well as a five-disc version that includes the 3D release of the film.

The 1991 DVD release included three versions of the film, the original theatrical release; the “special edition” with an added scene and song, “Human Again;” and the old “in-progress” version with its emphasis on the animation. This release substitutes a sing-along version for the in-progress version. The generous extras are all related to the music, which even more than the inspired animation, is what makes this film so loved across the generations, not that the animation is anything to be sneezed at. It took more than 600 animators, artists, and technicians three and a half years to complete the project. It was the first animated Disney feature scripted by a woman, Linda Woolverton. The style of illustration was inspired by French painters Fragonard and Boucher. The film marked the first time each animator was credited on screen specifically for the character he or she brought to life.

The best of the extras is “Menken & Friends: 25 Years of Musical Inspiration” in which composer Alan Menken is joined by Stephen Schwartz (Broadway’s Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame); Robert Lopez (Broadway’s Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, and Disney’s Frozen); Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen); and Lin-Manuel-Miranda (Broadway’s Hamilton and Disney’s upcoming Moana). Their giddy excitement is contagious.

The most disappointing is the heavily touted “sneak-peak” of the upcoming live version which is a minute-long promo with stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter‘s Hermione) and Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey‘s Matthew Crawley) at a table reading and a few straight-to-the-camera words from director Bill Condon.

Thirty years before Disney’s Beauty and the Beast eclipsed Jean Cocteau’s justly revered 1946 French film as the most popular screen version of the fairy tale to date, Joshua Logan did the same with his version of Harold Rome’s Fanny, itself based on Marcel Pagnol’s 1930s French trilogy of Marius, Fanny, and Cesar. While the magnificent new Shout! Factory Blu-ray release of Logan’s film is the definitive version of that work, its appreciation is enhanced with one’s knowledge of Rome’s musical and Pagnol’s celebrated masterpiece.

1931’s Marius, released in the U.S. in 1933, establishes the characters of colorful Marseilles bar owner Cesar; his friend, wealthy merchant Panisse; fishmonger Honorine; Cesar’s son Marius; and Honorine’s daughter Fanny. 1932’s Fanny, not released in the U.S. until 1948, centers on pregnant Fanny’s dilemma after Marius has abandoned her for the sea and her marriage of convenience to Panisse. 1933’s Cesar, also not released in the U.S. until 1948, centers on Cesario, Fanny’s son named after his godfather, and the return of Marius as Panisse lies dying.

Rome’s 1954 Broadway musical condensed the story while adding one of the great scores of the day. Ezio Pinza as Cesar, Walter Slezak as Panisse, Florence Henderson as Fanny, and William Tabbert as Marius are all superb. Logan’s film gives those roles to Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier, Leslie Caron, and Horst Buchholz, respectively. Rome’s score is heard in background while many of the lyrics are incorporated into the dialogue, spoken instead of being sung. Jack Cardiff’s Oscar-nominated cinematography is on a level with his compositions for Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes.

Fans have been arguing for fifty-five years as to who gave the best performance in the film. The Golden Globes nominated Chevalier and Caron, while the Academy nominated Boyer. The film was also a Best Picture nominee, losing to another film version of a Broadway musical, albeit one that didn’t compromise its score. It was called West Side Story.

Olive Signature is releasing gorgeous 4K restorations of three of Republic Pictures’ greatest films which are now owned by Paramount. Newly released are High Noon and Johnny Guitar, with The Quiet Man due next month.

The releases of both the man-alone western, High Noon, and the female-centric western, Johnny Guitar, contain numerous extras including some overlapping on the Communist witch hunt. Carl Foreman, who wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kramer’s production of High Noon, starring Gary Cooper under Fred Zinnemann’s direction, was Kramer’s producing partner, bought out by Kramer as Foreman’s name became toxic in early 1950s Hollywood. Although most film historians believe blacklisted Ben Maddow wrote the screenplay for Johnny Guitar, neither Maddow nor credited screenwriter Philp Yordan ever acknowledged that to be the case.

Anton Yelchin who died in a freak auto accident in June, narrates one of the High Noon extras, “Oscars and Ulcers,” underscoring the fact that he was one of the more astute young actors of his generation, in touch with an Old Hollywood that many of his contemporaries have no knowledge or understanding of.

While High Noon was immediately embraced by critics and audiences alike, Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar was met with scorn by most critics and ignored by most audiences in its initial release. European audiences, especially the French, loved the psychological western from the get-go. American critics and audiences today, concur with the latter assessment.

Joan Crawford’s portrayal of the seen-it-all saloon owner is one of her best. Sterling Hayden as the title character, a gunslinger masquerading as a guitar player, Scott Brady, Ben Cooper, John Carradine, Ward Bond, Paul Fix, and others in the supporting cast are all given their moments to shine. Mercedes McCambridge is easily Crawford’s equal as her nemesis, the personification of living evil. The film’s cinematography, production design, and costume design are all Oscar-worthy, but no Oscars or any other awards were given the film at the time.

One of British TV’s most venerable mystery series, Midsomer Murders, is now in its twentieth year even if the series’ numbering is only up to 19 for the current season.

Midsomer Murders: Set 18 is now available on Blu-ray and standard DVD. This one includes six ninety-minute-plus episodes in which there are multiple murders with the killer difficult to guess.

This week’s new releases include Blu-ray upgrades of Dekalog and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.