Sunday, March 27, 2005
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
We saw a great musical today:
The Bandwagon (1953).
One of the big songs is 'That's Entertainment'.
How apt.
This NYTimes Best 1176 Film stars Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant and a song and dance man even older than Astaire, Jack Buchanan. It is constantly engaging.
The musical numbers weave in flawlessly and it also succeeds as light but affecting drama. An aging song and dance man, as Astaire was at the time, has to find a new career. He made four more musicals with mixed results and then headed for a second career as a straight actor.
We had a good time watching and there is that unaccountable lump in throat effect from the story line and some of the dances. I suppose that is partly nostalgia; there have been no film musicals of this kind for quite a while. On the other hand, it might just be the effect of a fine art skillfully presented.
Vincente Minnelli directed it with a sure hand.
I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5.
