A classic

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.