esrosedotblog

BUSY BUSBY

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

Footlight Parade (1933)

Directed by Lloyd Bacon and choreographed by Busby Berkely, the film stars James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and a host of B players,

It is a 'smiler' throughout. Jokes and nice stuff keep happening. You are smiling the whole time.

The remastering is very good; crisp, clean. It is the first time that I have really seen what I think they saw in the theater with the Berkely routines.

The script is very knowing and funny and doesn't take itself too seriously but seriously enough for us to wonder whether Blondell will ever win Cagney and other stuff like that.

Meanwhile there are the production numbers which, because of plot, fall mostly one, two and three right at the end of the picture.

They are gargantuan and breathtaking.

I guess you can figure out that I liked it.

This is another film that I was 'worried' about having to endure for the list and actually enjoying immensely.

One of the reasons I am doing the list is to catch myself in my own cinematic snobbery.

A 5 out of Netflix5.