Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous and Frustrating
Review: On a purely technical level, everything about THE GREAT ZIEGFIELD is big: big sets, big costumes, big musical numbers, big crowds, all of it lavish, all of it over the top, all of it very enjoyable. The main cast--William Powell, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, and Myrna Loy--plays with considerable wit and precision, and the supporting cast includes such famous Ziegfield stars as Fanny Brice and Ray Bolger.Unfortunately, the film is not as much fun as it sounds. The script and story give us an extremely sanitized and rather sentimental version of showman Flo Ziegfield, his loves, and his stars, and in spite of film's lavishness and fine performances, it gradually becomes a very mild but very elephantine movie that only really comes to life during its musical numbers. These a justly famous, with the "A Pretty Girl" number living up to its reputation as perhaps the single most extravagant musical number ever placed on film. Luise Rainer's famous performance as Anna Held will charm virtually every viewer, and fans of Powell, Loy, and Morgan will certainly find much to enjoy--as will musical fans of all stripe. But even so, as the film drags on and on, most viewers will be tempted to hit the fast-forward button more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous and Frustrating
Review: On a purely technical level, everything about THE GREAT ZIEGFIELD is big: big sets, big costumes, big musical numbers, big crowds, all of it lavish, all of it over the top, all of it very enjoyable. The main cast--William Powell, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, and Myrna Loy--plays with considerable wit and precision, and the supporting cast includes such famous Ziegfield stars as Fanny Brice and Ray Bolger. Unfortunately, the film is not as much fun as it sounds. The script and story give us an extremely sanitized and rather sentimental version of showman Flo Ziegfield, his loves, and his stars, and in spite of film's lavishness and fine performances, it gradually becomes a very mild but very elephantine movie that only really comes to life during its musical numbers. These a justly famous, with the "A Pretty Girl" number living up to its reputation as perhaps the single most extravagant musical number ever placed on film. Luise Rainer's famous performance as Anna Held will charm virtually every viewer, and fans of Powell, Loy, and Morgan will certainly find much to enjoy--as will musical fans of all stripe. But even so, as the film drags on and on, most viewers will be tempted to hit the fast-forward button more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Feel free to leave at Intermission
Review: The first half of this film is exciting--as Florenz Ziegfeld creates his Broadway reputation, woos Anna Held to the stage, and mounts his "Follies." There is a thrilling backstage atmosphere, and a beautiful recreation of the era (at least 1936's view of it--as stills from the original follies prove they weren't nearly as stupendous, how could they be?). But then, after the centerpiece "Melody" number (in a word--wow), the movie slips into a sleepwalk, tries to create drama where there isn't any, and commits felonies like cutting away from Fanny Brice while she's singing "My Man." There is also a ballet number with Harriet Hoctor that is a horror, and is what fast forward buttons were invented for. Essential viewing for those interested in 30s cinema--it truly is a gigantic movie. But you should brace yourself for that last hour. (See also "Rosalie," a Ziegfeld show MGM turned into a film the following year, for more of the studio's crazy "bigger is better" mentality. That film, written by the same writer and almost topping this one in scale, is catastrophically bad.)
Rating:
Summary: Feel free to leave at Intermission
Review: The first half of this film is exciting--as Florenz Ziegfeld creates his Broadway reputation, woos Anna Held to the stage, and mounts his "Follies." There is a thrilling backstage atmosphere, and a beautiful recreation of the era (at least 1936's view of it--as stills from the original follies prove they weren't nearly as stupendous, how could they be?). But then, after the centerpiece "Melody" number (in a word--wow), the movie slips into a sleepwalk, tries to create drama where there isn't any, and commits felonies like cutting away from Fanny Brice while she's singing "My Man." There is also a ballet number with Harriet Hoctor that is a horror, and is what fast forward buttons were invented for. Essential viewing for those interested in 30s cinema--it truly is a gigantic movie. But you should brace yourself for that last hour. (See also "Rosalie," a Ziegfeld show MGM turned into a film the following year, for more of the studio's crazy "bigger is better" mentality. That film, written by the same writer and almost topping this one in scale, is catastrophically bad.)
Rating:
Summary: Too Long and Draggy after the Intermission
Review: The first part of this film is exceptional. The musical numbers and the origins of the great showman himself are fantastic.
After the intermission the movie bogs down and there aren't enough musical numbers to sustain one's interest. As a matter of fact, the last 1/4 of the movie is entirely devoid of them.
"The Great Ziegfeld" is worth its title of the best picture of 1936 for two reasons: 1) A Pretty Girl is like a Melody number....MGM at its most lavish!!
and #2) Luise Rainer's Oscar Winning performance....when she phones Flo to congratulate him on his marriage to Billie Burke.
However, I don't believe she should have been nominated as Best Actress. Best Supporting Actress yes...but she was not a lead actress in this film, though her performance did merit an academy award it should have been for best supporting actress.
They should have closed the film with "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody"......but then we would have missed Louise Rainer's heartbreaking scene, wouldn't we??
Rating: 
Summary: THE MASTER SHOWMAN.
Review: The legendary Florenz Ziegfeld was the consummate showman who, in the 1907-32 period "glorified the American girl" in a series of Broadway productions that made him (and them) famous the world over. Billie Burke, the fey and sparkling character actress who made a new career for herself in the talkies following the death of her spouse, personally chose Powell for the role. While Powell didn't resemble the showman physically, he reputedly had the right "manner and approach". Costing a phenomenal (by 1936 standards) l.5 million dollars to film, this extravaganza traces Ziegfeld's entire career from his sponsorship of strongman Sandow at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair to his initiation of his famed Follies in 1907 which led to a great career as a musical entrepreneur - i.e., the 1927 stage version of SHOW BOAT, etc. - followed by his death in the depressed year of 1932. Powell is strangely touching as Ziegfeld; his performance conveys many facets about the man: his esthetically impeccable and exquisite taste, his unique genius in his chosen field - and even his financial impracticality. Powell's performance is winning, poised and charming as he gets across the poignancy implicit in Ziegfeld's financial misfortunes following the 1929 crash, and scenes with his daughter Patricia are done with sensitivity. Loy was not exactly an inspired choice to play Burke, but she plays with poise and charm. Luise Rainer won an AA for her playing of the famous chanteuse, Anna Held and her telephone scene is classic: she poignantly hides her grief while congratulating Flo upon his marriage to Billie. I certainly didn't think Virginia Bruce was best choice for the gal on top of the "Stairway to the Stars", i.e. A PRETTY GIRL IS LIKE A MELODY (as sung by Stanley Morner aka Dennis Morgan) sequence!
Rating:
Summary: "Never looked so beautiful before."
Review: There are a few things to know going in: It's a biography with music (but not a musical), it's more than 60 years old, and it's three hours long!! Now I'm okay with all that, but I'm an old movie snob. This one is proof positive of the old Hollywood dream factory, where you were guaranteed happiness, pathos, bells, and whistles in practically every picture. But the film isn't as happy-go-lucky as you might expect; it gives a rather astringent portrayal of a gifted showman who knew how to dazzle audiences, but never how to save a buck. According to this book, his was a never-ending cycle of glittery and expensive theatrics pitted against dodging creditors his whole life. In that respect, we are to conclude that his lack of business sense was tempered by his need to entertain. He also knew talent, as is represented by his discovery scenes with Bolger and real Ziegfeld veteran Fanny Brice. (Watch how he hires her on the strength of her comedy, then humiliates her during a rehearsal in order to get her in the mood to belt out "My Man.") And of course, not enough can be said of the eight-minute "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" finale where spangled showgirls, opera singers, grand pianos, and a single, all-enveloping curtain hang on a revolving "wedding cake" spiral staircase. You have to see it to believe it.
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