My Old Addiction

Movie Reviews By Bil Antoniou

The Band Wagon (1953)

VINCENTE MINNELLI

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB.5.  USA, 1953.  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  Story and Screenplay by , .  Cinematography by .  Produced by .  Music by , , .  Production Design by , .  Costume Design by .  Film Editing by , .  Academy Awards 1953.  

Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon

Vincente Minnelli outdid his own An American In Paris with this brilliantly photographed and staged musical, probably the best from Fred Astaire‘s later career period. Astaire plays a has-been movie star who is given the chance to make a comeback when his good friends (, ) write a Broadway musical and ask him to star in it. The show should go well, but first he has to put up with a snotty prima donna (), her Svengali-style choreographer boyfriend () and a melodramatic producer/director () who has totally different ideas for the show than originally planned (a modern musical version of Faust to be exact). No one knew colour like Vincente Minnelli, and this is one of the best examples–the song and dance numbers are beautiful and Charisse’s dancing couldn’t be better.

One comment on “The Band Wagon (1953)”

  1. Pingback: Alexander McFadden, Elizabeth Melas, Wilhelmina McFadden, | Carol McFadden Poet

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This entry was posted on June 10, 2013 by in 1953, BBBB.5, Vincente Minnelli and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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