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70 of 71 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you like hollywood musicals then you will be in for treat! As with most musicals the plot is a little thin, however it has an engaging simplicity that sets it appart from most. In the film Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell have a fantastic dance routine to Cole Porter's 'begin the beguine' which it has to be said is one of the most amazing tap dance routines of all time! If you watch it for nothing else you must see this!
The film also has a good supporting cast with George Murphy and a brilliant part for Frank Morgan (you will probably recognise him from the Wizard of Oz).
If you like a happy go lucky musical with great performances this is worth the buy!
The film also has a good supporting cast with George Murphy and a brilliant part for Frank Morgan (you will probably recognise him from the Wizard of Oz).
If you like a happy go lucky musical with great performances this is worth the buy!
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
As with many similar films `Broadway Melody of 1940' has a wafer thin plot with a storyline hardly worth mentioning other than to say that there had to be something upon which to thread the movie. And on this occasion it was, I suppose, basically a couple of job seekers , Fred Astaire and George Murphy, on the lookout for a dancing job! That said the movie itself is pure enjoyment of not only the dancing skills of the principals and the rest of the cast, but of the production team too. I am always amazed by films of this period - and earlier - that were shot with very limited equipment and other facilities compared to later times, and yet many over time have turned out to be classic productions, employing innovative and imaginative techniques and are now widely regarded as gems of the cinema. In this particular movie, if for no other reason, it's a must buy just to watch the films final scenes of Powell, Astaire and the dancing chorus strutting their stuff to Cole Porter's `Begin the Beguine'. This fifteen minutes or so sequence which takes place on a stage with a glossy, black surface, emphasising the white attire of the dancers, is in three elements, and is simply beyond criticism. In particular the final part when Astaire appears in a white tuxedo and smoothly glides into rhythm with Powell for a magnificent `pas de deux'. Their duet, with the orchestra of Artie Shaw playing in the background, is arguably the greatest piece of dancing ever committed to celluloid. It's a scene that having held you transfixed for fifteen minutes or so, then makes you feel liking leaping from your chair and applauding with passion!
It is difficult to judge, but the whole performance of Astaire and Powell seems to be executed in one take using a single eye level camera. If so, I would not be surprised as Astaire was a very strict rehearsals man who would practice for hours in order to get a few minutes of dancing performance perfect. He could also be ruthless with his co-stars who, occasionally I guess, might have been less well rehearsed and disappointed Astaire's high expectations. Eleanor Powell, was an excellent dancer and only appeared with Fred in this single film. Good dancer that she was, and although maybe in the same league, Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse usually get a bigger mention whenever the name of Astaire comes up. In this movie she was never better. Fred of course was, well.....! A super film! Great entertainment! What pleasure these - now elderly - movies continue to give! I wonder what it would have looked like in colour!
It is difficult to judge, but the whole performance of Astaire and Powell seems to be executed in one take using a single eye level camera. If so, I would not be surprised as Astaire was a very strict rehearsals man who would practice for hours in order to get a few minutes of dancing performance perfect. He could also be ruthless with his co-stars who, occasionally I guess, might have been less well rehearsed and disappointed Astaire's high expectations. Eleanor Powell, was an excellent dancer and only appeared with Fred in this single film. Good dancer that she was, and although maybe in the same league, Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse usually get a bigger mention whenever the name of Astaire comes up. In this movie she was never better. Fred of course was, well.....! A super film! Great entertainment! What pleasure these - now elderly - movies continue to give! I wonder what it would have looked like in colour!
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
There's little reason to see this Fred Astaire-Eleanor Powell movie except for the dance numbers--and they provide the best reasons in the world. The plot involves a song-and-dance team (Astaire and George Murphy), a Broadway show with a big star (Eleanor Powell), mistaken identity, true friendship and boy gets girl.
Most of the dance numbers, however, are extraordinary, with songs by Cole Porter. Powell sings and taps out "I Am the Captain" in a major production number featuring big sets and lots of chorus boys. She shows why she was a great tap dancer and a major musical star who could carry a movie by herself. Astaire and Murphy do "Please Don't Monkey With Broadway," a fine example of a song-and-dance tap act that involves intricate patterns, humor, even a mock duel. "I Concentrate on You" is a great Porter standard written for the movie. "I've Got My Eyes on You" is a first-rate light romantic ballad that is a solid Astaire solo number. He was a good piano player and shows it with this number. He's backstage and dances with a photograph of Powell over and around props and furniture, and at one point uses a small ball which he seems to have mesmerized to do his bidding. He was always great using objects, and he was great because he rehearsed endlessly. He's got that ball's number. The showstopper, of course, is "Begin the Beguine." It's a big production number that starts with Astaire and Powell in costume, then moves to singers, then moves back to Astaire and Powell. This is the portion that gets the raves. She's in a white dress, he's in a white tux. They're tap dancing on a mirror-finish black floor. Off camera Artie Shaw and his orchestra continues with the song. They start tapping together, move to a challenge tap, then come back together in an extraordinary tap routine that involves them circling each other, throwing up their arms in counterpoint to their tapping and to each other. This part is excerpted in That's Entertainment. Sinatra introduces the excerpt by saying that you won't see anything like it again. I don't think anyone would disagree.
Fans of Astaire might consider getting a copy of Arlene Croce's The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book. Croce was the dance critic for the New Yorker. She goes through each of the Astaire-Rogers movies explaining the background, how the dance numbers were developed and analysing why Astaire was as great as he was. It's an interesting book.
Most of the dance numbers, however, are extraordinary, with songs by Cole Porter. Powell sings and taps out "I Am the Captain" in a major production number featuring big sets and lots of chorus boys. She shows why she was a great tap dancer and a major musical star who could carry a movie by herself. Astaire and Murphy do "Please Don't Monkey With Broadway," a fine example of a song-and-dance tap act that involves intricate patterns, humor, even a mock duel. "I Concentrate on You" is a great Porter standard written for the movie. "I've Got My Eyes on You" is a first-rate light romantic ballad that is a solid Astaire solo number. He was a good piano player and shows it with this number. He's backstage and dances with a photograph of Powell over and around props and furniture, and at one point uses a small ball which he seems to have mesmerized to do his bidding. He was always great using objects, and he was great because he rehearsed endlessly. He's got that ball's number. The showstopper, of course, is "Begin the Beguine." It's a big production number that starts with Astaire and Powell in costume, then moves to singers, then moves back to Astaire and Powell. This is the portion that gets the raves. She's in a white dress, he's in a white tux. They're tap dancing on a mirror-finish black floor. Off camera Artie Shaw and his orchestra continues with the song. They start tapping together, move to a challenge tap, then come back together in an extraordinary tap routine that involves them circling each other, throwing up their arms in counterpoint to their tapping and to each other. This part is excerpted in That's Entertainment. Sinatra introduces the excerpt by saying that you won't see anything like it again. I don't think anyone would disagree.
Fans of Astaire might consider getting a copy of Arlene Croce's The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book. Croce was the dance critic for the New Yorker. She goes through each of the Astaire-Rogers movies explaining the background, how the dance numbers were developed and analysing why Astaire was as great as he was. It's an interesting book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Song and Dance
As far as I know this was the only film in which Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell starred together but they certainly pressed all the right buttons, as so often happened in these... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Denbow
Something's wrong when the musical numbers are the boring bits
Now au fait with the legend that some of Fred's other partners were technically superior to Ginger as dancers, I was looking forward to seeing what would go down with Eleanor... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Philoctetes
Broadway Bliss
If you've not seen this one before, give it a go. It is an ideal film for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon when you're feeling a little self-indulgent (I recommend chocolate... Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. J. Saxton
BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940
I RATE THIS MOVIE 5 STARS, IT IS VERY GOO0D AND FREDDY IS EXCELLENT WITH HIS DANCING AS ALWAYS , GOOD CAST WITH HIM DVD PRINT VERY GOOD SOUND GOOD WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF IT... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. W. ROGERS
Classy Stuff.
What can you say? Fred magically dances his way through the film with a beautiful girl on his arm. The plot is irrelevant, the sheer poetry of the performance is all that is... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Peter J. Mccurdy
A top Class DVD with a broken case
A very good DVD which I have enjoyed. However it arrived with a smashed case, composed of plastic pieces. The DVD plays well, and I have put it into a new case.
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by Peter Alabaster
Wonderful,nosalgia at its very best.
Absolutely a must for all musicals fans,this film
includes the fabulous dance routine with Fred Astaire
and Eleanor Powell,60 years on and it still gives
you... Read more
includes the fabulous dance routine with Fred Astaire
and Eleanor Powell,60 years on and it still gives
you... Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2009 by Mrs. C. L. Grant
A Classic
Everything i expected and more,. A classic Fred film, I was not disapointed, i loved the dancing, and all the staging of the different numbers, as i said a truly classic classy... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2009 by Mrs. A. J. Thrupp
A benchmark in dancing choreography.
This has to be one of the best dance films ever made. Eleanor Powell may not have had the looks of Ginger but judged on this film her footwork was better. Read more
Published on 26 July 2007 by R. Gilbert
Magic
Two great dance pieces in this wonderful film.First -I concentrate on you-surely one of Cole Porter's finest songs, and the unforgettable Begin the Beguine. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2006 by H. MCDOUGALL
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