The Band Wagon (1953) Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was on the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of musicals but I have to admit that this one was actually pretty good. Indeed, what I enjoyed the most was that Fred Astaire was playing a different character than usual, some kind of washed-up insecure veteran actor, and this character was much more interesting and entertaining than what I have seen him doing in his other movies. I think it was also the first movie I saw starring Cyd Charisse and not only she was quite gorgeous but she was probably the best dancer I have ever seen in such a classic musical. Especially the scene called ‘Dancing In The Dark’ during she was dancing with Fred Astaire was just downright amazing and probably one of the best musical scenes I have seen. It’s unfortunate that, even though Astaire and Charisse were some incredible dancers, in my opinion, they didn’t have much chemistry together when they were not dancing. In fact, except for Fred Astaire’s character, none of the other characters involved were really interesting or entertaining. Finally, I couldn’t really make heads or tails of the musical-within-the-musical. Indeed, I wish they displayed at least a bit of Jeffrey Cordova’s version, explaining why it was such a flop. At least, the rehearsal did display that this musical was a disaster in the making. Even more bewildering was the new version. Sure, it became a hit but what the hell was it supposed to be about after all?!? Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Revisiting The Band Wagon only heightened some of my first and distinct impressions of the overall film. It is a series of glorious, isolated moments that rank among the best of the movie musical and MGM’s already hefty output during this era, but when strung together it does not add up to something truly great. The threadbare plot and hodgepodge ideas feel in search of a deeper function until the next big number comes along. It is all an explosion of color and the athletic, sexy things the human body can do in dance, which is sometimes more than enough.

The Band Wagon concerns a fallen movie star (Fred Astaire), displaced by changing tastes/times, looking for a career rebound and finding it in the ramshackle Broadway show presented to him by his two friends (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray as an in-joke Betty Comden and Adolph Green). What follows is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of putting on a show – writing process, assembling the creative talent, out-of-town tryouts, and finally, the big opening night. A persistent tone of wistfulness, if not downright melancholia, pervades over the whole enterprise as the ephemeral nature of “putting on a show” is highlighted again and again and again.

It makes sense that Astaire would take the lead in a film like this as contemporaries like Gene Kelly were too proletariat in comparison. The film needed a star who seemed self-possessed, and Astaire’s commitment to perfectionism was well-known at the time. Co-star Fabray said, “Fred rehearsed until he drove you crazy.” The results show as Astaire’s penchant for being a one-man whirling dervish is only underscored by the likes of “By Myself,” “Shine on Your Shoes,” and nearly stealing the show from his partners in “That’s Entertainment,” where the four performers practically show you their bruised, bloodied, and exhaustively rehearsed bodies and demand for our applause and love. They get them, oh boy do they get them.

Without a comparable leading lady, think the likes of Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, or Judy Garland, Astaire would come across as a strangely sexless, nearly asexual screen presence for a dancer. He was not a generous movie dancer, and he needed a strong partner to shore up his weakness or match his intensity. Cyd Charisse matches him when it comes to dancing but is inert at this point in her acting career. She is only halfway there as a sparring partner for Astaire, but a lot of the blame for that goes to MGM’s insistence on polishing out the native accent and charm of Charisse and making her into another transatlantic bombshell.

Forgiveness for her lack of sexual chemistry and inert acting abilities aside, she is a stellar dance partner for him. “Dancing in the Dark” is a romantic ballet between the two that finds Charisse throwing her body around in ways that merge the transcendent, the euphoric, and the erotic in mystical ways. This was the power of her as a dancer. We see the two of them matching in technical skill and expanding into something more and greater than their individual talents.

Then comes “Girl Hunt Ballet,” a bit of a goof on Gene Kelly’s dream ballets in his films. It is also one of the greatest pieces of musical filmmaking that Minnelli ever created. Charisse and Astaire roll through a staggering number of emotions through their bodily pantomimes, and the only comparable acting equivalent would be the torrent of verbiage that comes from performing Shakespeare. It is a highpoint for all involved with Astaire as film noir antihero, Charisse as the femme fatale, and some of the jazziest choreography I’ve ever seen. Charisse’s reveal of her red tasseled dress is filled with a carnality and grace that makes going to the movies a perfect excuse to watch beautiful people doing interesting things with their bodies.

Although, if you’re anything like me, you will have noticed that the various scenes for the Broadway show make absolutely no sense when strung together. (Yes, even factoring in the revue makeover.) They are merely a body of work that exist independently from each other to entertain us. (Seriously, what the hell is that “Triplets” number? I’ve seen the film twice and still am flabbergasted by it.) The connecting tissue is shambolic, but the final results, the stuff that lingers longest in the mind, is some the purest, best musical ephemera of the decade. That’s entertainment? Yeah, that’s entertainment. (La la la la la la.)

The Band Wagon is the film Fred Astaire’s career was culminating to: his best film in my view. Like Ninotchka with Greta Garbo or A Star Is Born with Judy Garland, this was the role he was born to play; one catered to his on-screen persona. Fred Astaire is Tony Hunter! An ageing hoofer who no longer is the star he once was. The Band Wagon contains little references to Astaire’s past: from Bill Bojangles Robinson to the opening credits feature an image of a top hat and cane, to the mentioning of a fictional movie “Swinging Down to Panama” perhaps a reference to Swing Time and Flying Down to Rio (although I do wish there could have been a little reference to Ginger Rogers herself in there).

The Band Wagon provides Astaire with some of the best musical numbers of his career. However, the film also allows him to showcase other avenues of his talent, such as his outburst scene over his dissatisfaction over rehearsals - a fine example of the acting prowess he possessed. While Ginger Rogers is obviously Astaire’s greatest partner Cyd Charisse is his most accomplished; could there be a more graceful figure?

Was I gullible that when I first watched The Band Wagon that the movie manipulated me into thinking the pretentious and egotistical stage director Jeffrey Cordova’s (Jack Buchanan) idea of a musical inspired by the Faust legend was a good idea? This isn’t the same old backstage musical plot; The Band Wagon is a thinking person’s musical. Likewise, Charisse’s Gabrielle Gerard has a mature subplot of her own involving her trying to deal with her dominating boyfriend and her feeling towards Tony; giving the film that extra mature edge.

Not only is there a great story, but there is also great comedy with a cast gels so well together. Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray as a bickering couple and their hysterical fanboy reactions to meeting Tony Hunter, to Jack Buchanan's over the top histrionics and his terrible ideas for a stage musical. My favourite moment in comedy in The Bandwagon is the scene in which Jeffrey Cordova manipulates Gabrielle’s boyfriend from being dead set against allowing her to be cast in his stage production to then begging him to allow her to be in the show. It’s like a Bugs Bunny-Yosemite Sam type moment but on a much more subtle level and made even more impressive by occurring in an uncut shot. Likewise, the sets in The Band Wagon have an astounding level of detail that scenes near the beginning of the film taking place on the street had me wondering where they sets or real-world locations.

Up until The Band Wagon, it was uncommon for a film musical to have a soundtrack entirely composed for it rather than having songs and compositions taken from other sources; which makes it all the more impressive that the entire soundtrack to The Bandwagon is superb. If I was to choose my three favourite musical numbers of all time, in terms of epic scope they would be The Broadway Melody Ballet from Singin’ In the Rain, The Lullaby of Broadway from Gold Diggers of 1935 and The Girl Hunt Ballet from The Band Wagon in all its 13-minute glory. Here noir meets musical, with Astaire at his most badass. His line delivery could be in an actual crime film itself, plus it inspired the music video for Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal. There’s also the Shine on Your Shoes number, one which I could watch again and again just to look at all those gizmos in the background and the genuine reactions on people’s faces at seeing Fred Astaire dance; while That’s Entertainment has become a semi-official anthem for Hollywood. Oh and there’s the Triplets number; one of the weirdest musical numbers ever filmed and they’re actually dancing on their knees!

The early to mid-1950’s where a phenomenal period for the musical genre. Hollywood produced some of its finest musicals in these years before television brought this era of film musicals to an end. Films like The Band Wagon elevated the genre to new heights. A Fred Astaire musical which has everything and more!