Absolutely one of the best original film musicals of all time.
The cast -- you can't really beat Astaire and Rodgers for a dance team. Their chemistry is perfect in both a romantic and a comedic sense. Their dancing in this film is inspired, as usual. Astaire's character is slightly more aggressive and assertive than some of his more nebbish personifications. Edward Everet Horton gets the most laughs of the supporting cast as Fred's stressed-out producer, who amusingly disapproves of Fred's new career in "wild" jazz music and wants him to stick to ballet. Thankfully we're spared the torture of any prolonged attempts by Fred Astaire to depict himself realistically as a ballet artist.
The story -- a pretty standard issue thing, which might seem flimsy to some modern audiences but provides all the necessary stimulus in terms of absurd and uncomfortable comic situations for our stars. Fred plays Russian dancer Petrov while Rodgers portrays cabaret star Linda Keene. He tries to woo her with an elaborate act as a pretentious nobleman, and she doesn't seem to warm up to him upon learning she was put upon. Petrov manipulates events so that they end up on the same ocean liner (amazing how many musical comedies after Anita Loos' play ended up set on ocean liners), but word gets out that the pair are secretly married. A situation very similar to "Gay Divorcée" ensues in which they must be married in order to be divorced and do away with the rumor.
The film -- excellent sets and photography, far above the average for RKO but about normal for the A/R series. This one like some of the others has a heavy emphasis on deco stylings, particularly in the segments set at sea.
The music -- saving the best for last, this is really George and Ira's film as much as it is Fred and Ginger's, for me anyway. Some of their most enduring hits came out of this one. "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "They All Laughed" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" are popular for good reasons -- they have excellent lyrics and catchy themes. The lyrics emphasize the attitude Fred's character has in the films -- no matter how ridiculous he makes himself appear to other characters (and the audience), his absolute conviction in his love and his dignity carry him through life. This film also has a slew of somewhat lesser known but high quality Gershwin tunes, most notably "Slap that Bass" which receives full treatment with a synchronized introduction that ties the song's rhythm to the mechanical movements of the ship. With its extreme deco stylings, it's the closest thing to a musical version of "Metropolis" that you'd ever want to see. "Walking the Dog" is an interesting little musical interlude written for the film by Gershwin and arranged by RR Bennett which has sometimes been performed in symphonic settings since the 1980s.
All in all, probably one of the top musicals of all time, and certainly one of the best of the 1930s with many exemplary qualities it shares with the best 1930s Broadway product.
The cast -- you can't really beat Astaire and Rodgers for a dance team. Their chemistry is perfect in both a romantic and a comedic sense. Their dancing in this film is inspired, as usual. Astaire's character is slightly more aggressive and assertive than some of his more nebbish personifications. Edward Everet Horton gets the most laughs of the supporting cast as Fred's stressed-out producer, who amusingly disapproves of Fred's new career in "wild" jazz music and wants him to stick to ballet. Thankfully we're spared the torture of any prolonged attempts by Fred Astaire to depict himself realistically as a ballet artist.
The story -- a pretty standard issue thing, which might seem flimsy to some modern audiences but provides all the necessary stimulus in terms of absurd and uncomfortable comic situations for our stars. Fred plays Russian dancer Petrov while Rodgers portrays cabaret star Linda Keene. He tries to woo her with an elaborate act as a pretentious nobleman, and she doesn't seem to warm up to him upon learning she was put upon. Petrov manipulates events so that they end up on the same ocean liner (amazing how many musical comedies after Anita Loos' play ended up set on ocean liners), but word gets out that the pair are secretly married. A situation very similar to "Gay Divorcée" ensues in which they must be married in order to be divorced and do away with the rumor.
The film -- excellent sets and photography, far above the average for RKO but about normal for the A/R series. This one like some of the others has a heavy emphasis on deco stylings, particularly in the segments set at sea.
The music -- saving the best for last, this is really George and Ira's film as much as it is Fred and Ginger's, for me anyway. Some of their most enduring hits came out of this one. "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "They All Laughed" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" are popular for good reasons -- they have excellent lyrics and catchy themes. The lyrics emphasize the attitude Fred's character has in the films -- no matter how ridiculous he makes himself appear to other characters (and the audience), his absolute conviction in his love and his dignity carry him through life. This film also has a slew of somewhat lesser known but high quality Gershwin tunes, most notably "Slap that Bass" which receives full treatment with a synchronized introduction that ties the song's rhythm to the mechanical movements of the ship. With its extreme deco stylings, it's the closest thing to a musical version of "Metropolis" that you'd ever want to see. "Walking the Dog" is an interesting little musical interlude written for the film by Gershwin and arranged by RR Bennett which has sometimes been performed in symphonic settings since the 1980s.
All in all, probably one of the top musicals of all time, and certainly one of the best of the 1930s with many exemplary qualities it shares with the best 1930s Broadway product.