Ziegfeld Follies | Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer

Ziegfeld Follies | Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer | Glorious Technicolor Musical Numbers and Comedy Skits

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Ziegfeld Follies

	Ziegfeld Follies Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer MGM (Warner), 1995 average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This 1946 film celebrates the life, career, and showmanship of the late Florenz Ziegfeld, perhaps the most famous and influential Broadway producer in the early decades of the 20th century. The film, ostensibly directed by Vincente Minnelli, takes an unusual form. We open in Heaven, at the home of the late Ziegfeld (played by William Powell, who also played him in The Great Ziegfeld), who thinks back on his life and wonders what kind of show he would put on with the talent of today (meaning 1946). What follows is an elaborately staged revue, similar to the blend of cheesecake, music, and comedy that made up the Ziegfeld Follies--but with the stars of that moment (plus actual Ziegfeld veteran Fanny Brice). The most welcome presence is Fred Astaire, who appears in three numbers--including the only dance number ever filmed that paired Astaire with Gene Kelly at the height of their powers. The contrast is fascinating. Otherwise, you get a number of musical scenes, the best of which features Lena Horne (singing "Love"), the worst Judy Garland (in "An Interview"). And there's plenty of other stuff: everything from an Esther Williams water ballet to an excerpt of La Traviata to a variety of broadly acted vaudeville skits featuring actors Keenan Wynn, Edward Arnold, Fanny Brice, and Hume Cronyn. --Marshall Fine

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Ziegfeld Follies

If Florenz Ziegfeld had made movies, he could not have made a better job than this fabulous M.G.M. musical. Great stars, fantastic production numbers make this a classic. You might have guessed, I loved every magical second. Pete Johnson

Glorious Technicolor Musical Numbers and Comedy Skits

Director Vincente Minnelli (one of the most artistic directors of the 40's/50's/60's) pulls out all the stops with an all star cast in this sparkling package of glamour and fun. Fans of classic musicals, comedy, and vaudeville will eat this up.
Every sequence is not great, but the ones that are truly shine. And thanks to DVD you can hit the Skip/Next button on your remote if Red Skelton isn't your cup of tea. This film is a wide spectrum, from the sublime and gorgeous to the weird and garish.

The rich, vibrant colors pop out and gleam, but not in a phony way. Technicolor is great stuff.

It always amazes me, when watching movies like this, at how long some of the takes last. Nowadays the cameras roll briefly and there's plenty of post production work, but back in the 1940's you had long and complicated sequences where there weren't many edits or cuts. Things had to be perfect. It's astonishing. I kept wondering how many rehearsals Lucille Ball had to endure, as well as Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. Probably not as many as I'd expect; these were professional, talented stars in their element. This was a golden age, and seeing a movie like this makes me wish I could have been there to witness all the glitz and wonder.

Judy Garland's funny number ("Interview", or as I call it, The Safety Pin number) is a real hoot. A star is hamming it up to the hilt for a bunch of male reporters and interviewers. Whether her comedic timing is her own gift here or Minnelli's directing of her, it really works. (I wonder if there was one particular starlet they were spoofing here, or just all of them at that time.)

And you get Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dancing and singing together... it doesn't get much better.

I love the fact that you get two vintage MGM cartoons in the bonus features: Tom and Jerry in "Solid Serenade", and the great Tex Avery's manic "The Hick Chick". A nice touch!

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Far Better than it Looks

After seeing this movie I think that MGM put their money into it with a bet on just one thing: William Powell, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Red Skelton, Lena Horne, and Fanny Brice are great with whatever act they're in, no matter what it is. The rest fill in the minutes, and if they're good, good.

MGM was right. The songs and lyrics didn't stand out as extraordinary, the scenery was laughable at times, and the stories in the dance numbers were downright banal. There are exceptions, but it's the stars that saved this picture from being another "'Till the Clouds Roll By." For example, Judy's number (with a wit that counts as one of those exceptions) isn't the best display of her talent, but somehow I couldn't help watching it with a big grin on my face. (Does the expression "Just stand there" ring a bell to the Garland fans?) The timing, music and rhythm allow the description of her "next film" to provide the biggest laugh of the show. Astaire's dance act with Gene Kelly is a perfect way to stop the show.

This is the perfect kind of DVD to own rather than rent. There's no story that'll lose its effect over time. There are only good (and occasionally terrific) acts to watch over and over again.

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Ziegfeld Follies

I am a huge musical fan and some of my favorite stars ever are in this movie, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Ziegfeld Follies is just a conglomeration of musical numbers, comedies and anything else they wanted to put in. I did like Judy Garland's number (I give her 5 stars) and Cyd Charisse's ballet. That was the best part of the whole movie. But if you want to see the stars at their best - just rent one of their movies. They shine far better!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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