frankventrola

Why was this current Robert Altman film so ho-hum:? There was a story somewhere desperately seeking to find itself, but it was not revealed in the script or the screen. On the good side, the dancers are rather good actors. There were some excellent dance sequences. But the big finale was as laughably bad as most Hollywood "ballets" within-the-film. I loved the title sequence. All in all, a slack undertaking.

Easily one of the most misguided projects in film history by virtue of its dogged determination to site the camera itself as the first person narrator point of view. How could the producers have sat through dailies and not realized the "concept" did not work. In fact, hardly a scene goes by that is not unintentionally funny. Demonstrates conclusively the absurdity of first person p.o.v. in film.

Quite simply one of the best Hollywood Studio movies ever made. A pure delight from start to finish with every H'wd cliche lovingly brought indelibly to life and light. Stewart is superb, the cast of character actors delightful - especially Billy Gilbert, Charles Winninger, Samuel Hinds, and Mischa Auer. And the deliciously wicked Dietrich as Frenchy - is as good as it gets in Hollywood. Strong story points, snappy dialogue, good production, genuinely touching moments, great songs, the best fight scene in pictures (between the dames), and an endearing concept of brains (or brave intentions) over brawn. But the palm d'or goes to the fast paced direction of George Marshall for making a film which never fails its clear-eyed material.