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Summary: Sublime Entertainment, Astaire and Rogers Make Screen Magic!
Review: Nobody can make you feel the way Astaire and Rogers make you feel just by singing and dancing. They could sing and dance better than anybody, but they have such a natural charm that we get lost in the moment and chemistry that sends sparks around like no other movie duo. This is arguably their best film, 'Top Hat' is their other masterpiece, but this is funnier, wittier and was directed by George Stevens, who also directed classics like 'Shane' and 'Giant'. The dance numbers are nothing short of brilliant and Astaire's 'Bojangles of Harlem' routine is pure cinematic gold, a priceless piece of screen entertainment. But this one also features a great story with romantic undertones and witty dialogue. Victor Moore is priceless in a comic performance that giggles and delights, Helen Broderick also manages to get some laughs. Great songs featuring 'A Fine Romance', 'Pick Yourself Up', 'The Way You Look Tonight' and the sexy 'Never Gonna Dance'. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!
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Summary: VIVA FRED AND GINGER!
Review: Of the ten films Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers made together, this is probably the best. It's everything a great musical should be: a man and a woman meet, fall in love, face several problems that nearly tear them apart, wind up happily ever after, and do it all to some great dances and songs. The fact that those songs was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, and that this film has one of the wittiest scripts i've ever seen, is just icing on the cake. Fred Astaire is in his prime as John "Lucky" Garnett. He dances like no one else can in great numbers like "Pick Yourself Up," "Never Gonna Dance," and "Bojangles of Harlem." In addition, his rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight" rules the world of love songs. While this is undoughtably Fred's movie, Rodgers is still fantastic as his love interest, Penny. She's probably the only one who can hold her own with Fred during dance numbers, and the chemistry between the two is irresistable. She also has amazing comic timing, as can be seen during the hysterical (Well, maybe for the 30's) "A Fine Romance." Quality support is given to our leading players by the supurb Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, and Eric Blore. This movie is a masterpiece, and should be seen by anyone who loves movies or musicals.
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Summary: Fred & Ginger At Their Very Best!
Review: Probably the best of their films together, Fred & Ginger are like magic every time they hit the dance floor. Their witty repartee is top notch and this movie is just plain old fun. Great for foul weather days when you're stuck inside and it brings back memories of when movies were not only fun but full of talented people! Highly recommended.
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Summary: Romance done up in Delightful Gossamer
Review: Romance done up in delightful gossamer, that's what this film is; and one you'll most assuredly enjoy if you are at all capivated by (seemingly) spontaneous song and/or dance numbers brought to life on celluloid. And who better to oblige us than Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers? You have, no doubt, read several (remarkably repetitive) summations of this film, above, so I'll forgo having another go at it; rather than tax your patience any more. I will say, however, that I am of the opinion that one ought to be familiar with the greatest popular expressions of our culture (in addition to history, literature, etc.) and for this reason alone, Swing Time is worth seeing as one of the finest musicals put on film. I particularly relish one number wherein Astaire dances to 3 representations of his---greatly exaggerated---shadow. It's just one of many visuals that will linger with you once you have had the pleasure of taking in this romantic spectacle. To the list of those that have set the standard for moving picture entertainment---Lillian Gish, Chaplin, Keaton, The Marx Brothers, Hitchcock, John Ford, Frank Capra, John Wayne, Orson Wells and on & on---do be prepared to add Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. After just watching Swing Time, I have done just that! Cheers!
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Summary: Those Trousers!
Review: Since I first saw the last ten minutes of this movie on AMC, I've always wanted to own it. Now that I have it and have seen the entire thing, I can write a review about Swingtime, the pinnacle of the Astaire/Rogers movies.
What I absolutely loved about this film is, of course, the dancing and the singing. Ginger's witty remarks and Fred's good-natured boyish charm stands out in this wonderful film.
Fred Astaire is John 'Lucky' Garnett, a performer about to be married. Through a dilemma with his trousers and a rousing game of dice, he shows up late for his marriage. His future father-in-law cuts him a deal: he will let Lucky marry his daughter for $25,000. Lucky sets off for New York with his pal Pop, a lucky quarter, a toothbrush, and the clothes on his back. On the street he meets Penny (Rogers), who ends up getting in trouble with a policeman and almost fired from her boss at the dancing academy because of Lucky. Lucky comes to the rescue however, and soon they are paired together as a dancing couple. They end up falling in love, but before they can waltz their way up to the altar, a few loose ends need to be taken care of, mainly Lucky's fiance and Penny's fiance. It ends superbly. This movie includes one of my favorite songs, 'Never Gonna Dance', sung by a yearning Lucky to a troubled Penny.
The dancing is to die for, the singing to be heard over and over again. Fred and Ginger were one of the few magnificent couples to spring out of the Hollywood scene and rarely is that seen now. I guarantee, this movie won't disappoint. Your daily musical intake will be remedied by Swingtime.
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Summary: Fred & Ginger--Always Gonna Dance!
Review: SWING TIME tells the story of John 'Lucky' Garnett (Fred Astaire), a brilliant dancer by profession, a truly fortunate gambler by instinct. When his marriage plans to Margaret Watson (Betty Furness) are temporarily foiled, he hops a train to New York with his sidekick Pop Everett (Victor Moore), hoping to earn enough money to satisfy his future father-in-law. What he finds there, however, is inevitably true love with Penny Carroll (Ginger Rogers), a sweetheart of a dance instructress who falls quickly for Lucky's charm and fast feet. Although Lucky feels guilty about his fiancee back home, he finds it difficult to deny his growing attraction to Penny.It isn't really difficult to figure out how the story ends--it wouldn't be a Astaire/Rogers romantic-comedy-slash-musical if Lucky and Penny didn't end up together. But what makes this stand apart from TOP HAT, and in fact stand *proud* while doing so, is how that inevitable love story is told simply and effectively, and most importantly, in a credible fashion. While watching TOP HAT, I was too busy holding my breath at the sheer technical finesse involved in the dance sequences to really care that neither the characters nor their relationship with each other was very well-developed. Plot? What plot? It just really did not seem to matter with that film; what mattered was that we were treated to a gorgeously-choreographed song/dance sequence practically every other minute. (Which still does not make it a bad film, just a slightly uneven one that relies on the charm of its leads to succeed.) SWING TIME certainly has its own faults, most notably repeating the reaction Ginger Rogers's character has to a perceived wrinkle in her relationship with the Astaire character--that is, impulsively marrying (or nearly marrying) the nearest person who happens to be male and who has a crush on her. The ending, especially Ricky Romero's response to Penny's decision between himself and Lucky, really makes one wonder whether the screenwriter for the film decided to clock out early when writing the last few minutes. But this is no less a problem in TOP HAT; for some reason, Rogers's character in both films always winds up nearly-married to someone other than Astaire, and the film must then take the time to regain the ground that has been lost through this 'plot twist'. (For me, this is almost salvaged in SWING TIME when Lucky and Penny finally serenade each other with a delightful blend of two of the best songs featured in the film, 'A Fine Romance' and 'The Way You Look Tonight'.) This minor flaw aside, SWING TIME itself is delightful--it's much more a romantic comedy than it is a musical, whereas I think this is reversed with TOP HAT. You can't help but warm to the relationship between Penny and Lucky, particularly when she complains about the state of their 'Fine Romance'--decidely one of my favourite songs in the film (tough competition, considering the fabulous Jerome Kern score!), and a lovely touch that it is actually Rogers's character doing the pursuing for once. This number, sung amidst whirling snow, recalls my favourite song in TOP HAT, in which Jerry is asking Dale, 'Isn't This A Lovely Day?' while they're caught in a storm. The musical numbers are not compromised, however--the dance Astaire and Rogers perform to 'Pick Yourself Up' is fantastic, as is what appears to be their last dance together when Lucky tells Penny that he's 'Never Gonna Dance' without her again. As with Astaire's black-face solo in 'Bojangles...', the dance sequences are truly amazing to watch, but happily, not the focus of the entire film. In fact, they are somewhat more low-key and understated than those in TOP HAT--far less sweeping and dramatic dances, and more believable ones that fit perfectly with the story and the characters. SWING TIME is without a doubt one of the best movie musicals I've ever seen, and to date, my favourite Fred/Ginger film. It's one of those films that's almost a masterpiece without trying, and that's probably the best recommendation I could give it. Mandatory for Fred/Ginger fans, and for fans of the musical genre in general.
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Summary: sexiest moment on the stairs
Review: The "Never Gonna Dance" sequence begins with a conversation between Fred and Ginger with very few words but says plenty. The Dance itself sums up their romance, with a spectacular series of pireouttes at the end. All the dance sequences are great, but the beginning start a bit slow. Great film overall with great songs and dances.
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Summary: Tap Your Heels and Dance!
Review: The dancing in this film is absolutely superb. Fred and Ginger make it look so effortlessly! If you've never seen an Astaire-Rogers film, I suggest that you start out with this one. Great numbers such as "The Way You Look Tonight," "A Fine Romance," and the amazing "Never Gonna Dance" are featured in this film. For those of you who crave for more A-R movies, check out "The Gay Divorcee" and "Follow the Fleet." Even though I love all the films that they did together, these 3--"Swing Time," "The Gay Divorcee," and "Follow the Fleet," would be my top picks. Enjoy Fred & Ginger...their dancing...and the MUSIC! It's a real treat.
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Summary: Fred & Ginger...Classiest Hollywood Pair Ever
Review: They really are. Arguably the most successful male/female non- romantic-Hollywood-coupling-in-real-life. They accomplished the impossible. They made ballroom dancing look cool & sexy. No less an authority on coolness than Madonna has admired them. Ten times in less than a decade, Fred & Ginger made love on the dance floor. Astaire openly acknowledged the sexuality of their dances. As close as risque 2 unmarried people could get on a dance floor in the 1930's. Unlike Bogie & Bacal or Hepburn & Tracy; Fred & Ginger made it clear they were just friends and each had individual lives & careers long after these movies. These dance films were among each performers first movies. After the tremendous success of this series, both Astaire & Rogers could write their own tickets. Swing Time is Ginger's favorite of their collaberations and is the perfect one movie example of the Fred & Ginger magic.
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Summary: One of the Greatest Musicals of All Time
Review: This film, along with Singing in the Rain and Oliver!, is one of the greatest movie musicals I've ever seen. The film has the perfect blend of music, dancing and comedy I expect when watching a musical. In most musicals, there's usually one or two musical sequences that don't fit or don't match the rest of the material. Not in Swing Time. Altogether there are six musical sequences that are pure genius. The two finest of these are the final two: Bojangles of Harlem, which has Astaire dancing a musical tribute to one of the finest black entertainers of the all time, Bill Bojangles Robinson. This dance number goes right along side Gene Kelly's Singing in the Rain as the finest solo dance number in film history. Lastly, there's the final dance number between Astaire and Rogers, Never Gonna Dance. In my humble opinion, it's the best dancing they ever did together and an unusually touching moment in a film which is loaded with very good comedy. If you like music or dancing and you haven't seen this film, you need to place it as your top priority of films to see.
Also, it's a crime this movie isn't available yet on DVD. What are they waiting for?
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