One advantage this enterprise has over the "That's Entertainment" films is that, although it was also produced by MGM, it doesn't focus exclusively on the work of that studio, which means we get to see dance on films made by other studios as well. The first part, hosted by Gene Kelly, is the most fascinating for me: some nice info on the early stages of the movie musical, a vintage promotional short, plus footage from a couple of Busby Berkeley films: the production numbers from "Dames", in particular, are some of the most amazing spectacles I have ever seen, and I am now thinking of buying a DVD box set of Berkeley films on the strength of these clips alone! The section hosted by Mikhail Baryshnikov is also interesting, as it contains rare archival footage of famous ballet (and not only) dancers. By the time we get to the (expected) MGM celebration, the clips are starting to feel like too much of the same thing (Fred Astaire was a phenomenal dancer, but isn't it a little excessive to include 6 numbers with him in a 100-minute film?). The film gets re-energized near the end, with clips from "Saturday Night Fever", "Fame" and "Flashdance" (giving the awesome Marine Jahan the credit she didn't get in the film itself). The very last clip certainly has to count as a cult moment: Gene Kelly "meets" Michael Jackson! *** out of 4.
Review of That's Dancing!
