When the musical made the leap from stage to screen, it opened everything up, not just in terms of accessibility for the viewing audience, but the scope of the storytelling canvas – things were no longer confined to a stage, the settings, the choreography, the characters could live in a whole new way. Cameras could…
Tag: gene kelly
An American in Paris (1951) – Vincente Minnelli
Gene Kelly singing and dancing to the music of George and Ira Gershwin, sounds perfect and entertaining. And this Best Picture winner is definitely entertaining, and my next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Singin’ in the Rain. I feel bad, because I know this…
Anchors Aweigh (1945) – George Sidney
Frank Sinatra joins Gene Kelly in this recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Singin’ in the Rain. The two crooners star as naval officers Clarence Doolittle (Sinatra) and Joseph Brady (Kelly). They arrive in Los Angeles, having been decorated for their service on a four…
Singin’ in the Rain (1952) -Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
For me, screen musicals don’t get any better than Singin’ in the Rain. It’s my favourite. It combines great music, with a fun look at Hollywood on the cusp of transitioning to talkies, and features some wonderful sequences and a completely charming cast in the form of Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds….
Ziegfeld Follies (1945) – Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Vincente Minnelli, George Sidney, Merrill Pye and Charles Walters
An all-star cast including William Powell as the legendary Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. bring this showcase musical to life. Being a recommended title from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Top Hat, I was ready to dive into it, but had no idea the epic size of the…
The Philadelphia Story (1940) – George Cukor
Cary Grant makes another welcome appearance in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, this time in the recommendations for his film Bringing Up Baby, alongside Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, who won an Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance. Katherine Hepburn is wealthy socialite Tracy Lord, and…
The Three Musketeers (1948) – George Sidney
I won’t lie, I have a tender spot for the Disney version of The Three Musketeers from 1993 with Kieffer Sutherland. It’s just a joy, and the 1948 version is in much the same vein as Gene Kelly brings the classic role of D’Artagnan to life in this energetic and light-hearted take on Alexandre Dumas’ classic…
The Mind Reels 