Kiss Me Kate

It’s almost a five-star cinematic masterpiece, but even if it doesn’t reach the lofty heights of, say, Top Hat, Kiss Me Kate is one hell of a fun ride. The show-within-a-show structure is entertaining, as is the way that the Shakespearean themes play out both in the musical version of The Taming of the Shrew and the backstage shenanigans of the actors playing the parts. One wishes that a director like Stanley Donen, George Cukor or Vincente Minnelli had gotten hold of the thing and managed to work their patented cinematic spectacle and auteur touch to the proceedings.

George Sidney’s direction is a little too lifeless for the wit and vibrancy on display in the songs and cast. There’s no wit or imagination in his direction, nothing but a lot of point-and-shoot. Donen could have brought a lot of life to “From This Moment On,” which is already a highlight for introducing the world at large to the choreography of Bob Fosse, Cukor could have dramatized “I Hate Men” far better, and Minnelli would have made “Too Darn Hot” a sensual number for Ann Miller. As they remain in the move, they’re quite good, but that is thanks to the performers involved and not their director.

And what a cast! I know I’ve been hard on Kathryn Grayson in past reviews, but she’s quite good here. Nothing amazing, but she finally manages to carry a scene with some skill and calms down her operatic singing enough to use a more “pop” voice. She sometimes dips too far into making a Cole Porter tune into a Giacomo Puccini scale-buster, but generally she’s quite effective here. Howard Keel is a handsome fellow, who looks lovely in a pair of tights, and he’s a big ham. This is actually quite perfect for both parts that he’s tasked with playing as the actor playing Petruchio and the role itself in the musical. But the film is stolen by Ann Miller, given something to do besides play the sex-crazed sidekick, and Tommy Rall, who is ridiculously handsome and a fantastic dancer. Their relationship dynamic has more erotic heat and better chemistry than the one between Grayson and Keel, and they get the larger portion of better dance numbers, for obvious reasons.

Flawed but filled with enough panache and energy for two films, Kiss Me Kate was a joy to watch. The musical numbers are great, the songs are fantastic, the performances are generally good across the board, and it’s only the too clean direction that holds the thing back from greatness. No matter, it may be a shelf away from the best of the best, but it’s still a damn fine choice.