Shall We Dance

Rating:
Summary: The epitome of 'glorious black and white'
Review: What I want to know is... why couldn't they have been born now? They're funny, it's all in good taste, they dance and sing. What more can you ask for in a musical? I am a teenager and this is one of my favorite movies; tell that to Leonardo along with the fact that Titanic was an awful film. Fred and Ginger dance wonderfully, my favorite scene is when the butler is locked in jail and he has a spelling bee over the phone. I want to watch it all the time, and don't forget... it's in glorious black and white!

Rating:
Summary: Top-Notch Astaire & Rogers Musical!
Review: While not in the same league as 'Swing Time' or 'Top Hat', which are the duo's best musicals. This one still holds surprisingly well and is among their best. It was directed by Mark Sandrich, who also directed 'Top Hat'. The plot is almost as twisting, and the musical numbers are just as good. Astaire & Rogers were at their peak and seem more assured and more mature acting-wise. Ginger Rogers, in my opinion, is one of the cutest actresses of the silver screen. I've always been fascinated by her looks and in this particular film she seems the cutest, maybe because she was a bit older and a lot skinnier. But she's not only looks, she is the only one who can match Astaire in the dance floor. This is not an easy thing but she can do 'everything Astaire does backwards and in heels'. Astaire is also at his most charming and at the height of his dancing abilities. They also took two of the funniest supporting players of the Astaire & Rogers films; Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore. They have some very funny scenes but they're not as charming as their previous films maybe because they are a tad over-used. But still the music and dancing are the highlights. The skating number 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off' is priceless. And Astaire's rendition of the Oscar nominated 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off' is also memorable, this song would later be sung by Sinatra in a more upbeat way. And the last title song dance number is great. If you're looking for 30's Hollywood musical escapism, then look no further and put yourself in the hands of two of the most effortlessly charming musical performers that ever lived. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!