Rating: 
Summary: A truly great musical!
Review: I highly recommend this musical. I'd give it, a ten if I could.
The dances that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers do together are fantastic! They don't make them like this anymore. I highly recommend it! What a treat!
Rating:
Summary: it's the tops!
Review: I love the way Fred Astaire disturbs the snooty men's club by hoofing it up at the beginning of this wonderful film. This may not be extremely high-brow, but it sure is entertaining. Despite it's predictable plot, it is full of energy. The dancing is amazing. I hit the rewind button a record number of times with this one. Fred Astaire is the man!
Rating: 
Summary: Charming Escape
Review: I would never have picked up this movie if it hadn't been for the touching scene in THE GREEN MILE when death row prisioner John Cofey requests a picture show on the eve of his execution and the warden selected TOP HAT. The "Cheek to Cheek" scene plays tenderly on the screen as tears stream down his face and he escapes into the wonderful romance of "angels dancing in heaven." Who cares if the plot is typical, predictable, and done a dozen plus times before?? No one could dance like Fred and Ginger and Top Hat proves that it's fun to "escape" now and then into the carefree and simple world and pure old fashioned entertainment of a 1930's picture show. Enjoy this gem. It will do your heart good!
Rating:
Summary: "Heaven, I'm in Heaven..."
Review: In my personal opinion, this is one of the best fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. The singing and dancing is fantastic and gives you the true essence of Astaire and Rogers. The plot is rather similar to "The Gay Divorcee" 1934, but it still keeps you interested. It is also humorous. 'Cheek to Cheek' or the "feathers" number as some people call it is brilliant and beautiful, as is "Isn't This A Lovely Day to Be Caught In The Rain?", "No Strings", "Top Hat", and "The Piccolino". A must see for any musical or Fred and Ginger fan.
Rating:
Summary: Fred and Ginger's Best!
Review: It has often been deliberated and discussed which of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' films is the best. Usually, it ends up with either "Top Hat" or "Swing Time" taking the honours--and rightly so. These are both prime examples of great musicals, with witty and crisp scripts, toe-tapping songs, and knockout dance numbers. But, good as it is, "Swing Time" can't even hold a candle to "Top Hat." The fact is, "Top Hat" is one of those rare cinematic phenomenons--a great musical. Yes, there are many good ones ("Swing Time," for example, or "The Music Man" or "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" or "On the Town") which have many great elements, but they just don't blend together in the same way this film does. The dance numbers, as usual, have almost nothing whatsoever to do with the thin plotline, but they seem to fit so naturally into the story (take, for example, the title song--what has that got to do with anything? Sure, it matches the mood of the story at that point, and the few lyrics have obvious tie-ins with story up to that point, but there is no reason at all why this song should have been included. Yet, it works, and it works to the extent that it has become Astaire's trademark). And the cast is obviously having a ball. Of course Fred and Ginger are no Laurence Olivier, but that doesn't matter. They have such a great script to work with and such natural chemistry that they work admirably both as actors and dancers. And the supporting cast is even better, headed by a never-better Edward Everett Horton and a hilarious little fellow named Erik Blore (who probably never would have been discovered if it weren't for his working with Fred and Ginger in both this and "Swing Time"). Eric Rhodes also does a fine job playing Ginger's employer (and, later, husband), giving the perfect amount of self-absorption without overdoing it. The art deco wonderland also adds greatly to the light-heartedness of the story, though it really has nothing to do with this being a great film. But, the main difference between this film and, say, "Swing Time," is the overall joy of it. You get the feeling as you watch it, that the whole crew was smiling, laughing, and tapping their feet along with Astaire and Rogers--right down to the last gaffer
Rating:
Summary: Loveliest day of all!
Review: Like most Astaire-Rogers musicals, this one has a ridiculous plot.It's the old mistaken identity routine! Ginger Rogers mistakes Fred Astaire for her best friend's husband and thus is shocked when Fred makes a pass (or several passes) at her. How is it possible that Ginger has never met her best friend's husband? The story makes it clear these two have been married for some time. Most Astaire-Rogers fans completely forget the silly plots and concentrate on the dancing. In this movie, you will not be disappointed in the routines, particularly the Isn't It a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain? number. No top hats, no tails, no marabou-trimmed gowns, just two people sheltering in a gazebo while a summer shower passes by. Ginger is in riding breeches while Astaire wears classy mid-afternoon tweeds. The number is simplicity itself, yet showcases the incredible talent of the two stars. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: One of my two all-time favorite films
Review: My favorite films list is somewhat fluid, with various flicks moving in and out of the top ten, top twenty-five, or top fifty at any given moment in time. But for several years, the top spot has been quite consistent, headed up by TOP HAT (14 viewings) and SEVEN SAMURAI (7 viewings). If you can forgive the film its mildly silly story, and a couple of inane plot devices (it seems impossible that Ginger could believe her best friend's husband was Fred Astaire instead of Edward Everett Horton for well over half the film), this film can enchant like no other. The magnificence of the movie lies not merely in the genius of Fred Astaire, but in a myriad of details that surrounds perfection with perfection. The cast is utterly beyond reproach. In fact, remove any one of the main supporting actors and the movie would have been perceptibly lessened. What a loss if Erik Rhodes had not been able to deliver such immortal lines as, "Never again will I let a woman wear my dresses" or "For the woman, the kiss; for the man, the sword." Edward Everett Horton, Helen Broderick, and Eric Blore round out a perfect cast. But what really delights--in addition to the extraordinary dance numbers--on constant reviewing is all the marvelous details. For instance, just before going onstage to perform his famous "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" number, Fred gets a telegram in which he learns that Dale Tremont (Ginger, whom he has been pursuing) will be in Venice. He frantically and excitedly makes arrangements to fly to Venice the second the show is over. He walks onstage, still holding the telegram in his hand, and begins singing, "I just got an invitation in the mail . . . " and taps the telegram with his cane before tossing it aside. Not a deep moment, but the movie is filled with delightful details like that. A piece of trivia #1: In their famous "Cheek to Cheek" dance, Ginger wore one of her most famous dresses, made of hundreds of feathers. Unfortunately, the dress constantly shed as she moved about. This necessitated retake after retake after retake, as shot after shot was ruined by feathers flying all over the place. This was especially problematic because Fred's trademark was always dance numbers filmmed in as few shots as possible, and preferably in only one. Finally, them managed to get a take in which only a few feathers floated about. But even now, if you watch carefully, you will see a few rogue feathers wafting around them as they dance. A piece of trivia #2: I once read that Venetian blinds (which apparently were not invented in Venice) are so-called because they appeared in the eerily white Venice of TOP HAT. (Ages ago, when I was trying to learn Danish, I learned that in Denmark, Danish Pastries are called Vienna Bread, so a lot of misinformation seems to swirl around Vienna.)
Rating:
Summary: A Dance-Filled dream of a musical!!
Review: That magic of Astaire and Ginger Rogers lives here, as dynamic and exciting to watch today as they were years ago. Charming and effervescent, the couple want so much to fall in love, but are restrained by a sense of honor - for she thinks that he is her best friend's husband! The plot swings as it thickens, while they sing and dance their way through their courtship, highlighted by the most picturesque aspects of the city of Venice. This movie is a singing, dancing, romancing, revelation, and a joy to recall for all of us. Stop the action to try a few of the steps and twirls yourself, or just sit back and enjoy. A treat among treats!...
Rating:
Summary: A Dance-Filled dream of a musical!!
Review: That magic of Astaire and Ginger Rogers lives here, as dynamic and exciting to watch today as they were years ago. Charming and effervescent, the couple want so much to fall in love, but are restrained by a sense of honor - for she thinks that he is her best friend's husband! The plot swings as it thickens, while they sing and dance their way through their courtship, highlighted by the most picturesque aspects of the city of Venice. This movie is a singing, dancing, romancing, revelation, and a joy to recall for all of us. Stop the action to try a few of the steps and twirls yourself, or just sit back and enjoy. A treat among treats!...
Rating:
Summary: wonderful--Fred and Ginger at their bests
Review: The best word to describe this movie would be simply WONDERFUL..cute plot, funny chracters and romance and of course dance.on of my favorite movies ever..:)i highly recommend it. Quote for all Fred and Ginger fans: "Ginger Rodgers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high-heels."dont know where its from but hey its fitting..
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