richard-1787
If you compare this to the musicals made by Astaire for RKO with Rodgers, you can see how inferior this is.The script is by no means as clever.There are no great comedy roles, such as those done by Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore in the RKO musicals.The music is not as good.But what this movie does have is a radiant young Rita Hayworth. It's a shame she doesn't get more dance numbers, because she is a wonder to watch when she dances. She is what makes this movie worth sitting through.Trust me, it's worth it.
GManfred
Too bad this picture wasn't in color. I think it would have enhanced the overall effect, this being a Hollywood musical. It might also have papered over the flimsy storyline, which has been done in similar fashion many times before. Boy meets girl, girl's father dislikes boy, boy persists. Throw in numerous plot contrivances and convenient circumstances and, voila! A cookie-cutter musical.But this one had Rita Hayworth, who was breathtaking and, true to my headline, never looked better. It also had Adolphe Menjou, who by his professional presence lent badly needed substance to the picture. It also had an old chestnut in "I'm Old-Fashioned", which I thought was the best number in the show. Astaire and Hayworth worked and danced well together and the movie was just long enough at 97 minutes. It could have been a more attractive production in color, but it was wartime and the same could be said about many pictures made during this period.
Hunt2546
I can't add much to what's been said, only that it seems to me it's Astaire's best comic acting role and that Rita is adorable, magnificent, talented, and beyond compare. When they dance, it's magic. What did strike me as curious was the fact that the film was set in Argentina for no apparent reason, and its version of "Argentina" seems to be any wealthy American suburb in America, New Canaan possibly, or maybe Kenilworth or Chevy Chase? It's as "Argentinian" as your aunt's patootie, whatever that means. Was it a response to FDR's "Good Neighbor" policy back in '42 perhaps? Or perhaps the South American stylings, as mild as they were, were to justify Xavier Cougat's presence in the pic, although he's characterized as "coming down from New York". His Latin-themed orchestrations are the only verifiably "hispanic" touch. Very strange. The Acunas are a wealthy family who speak perfect upper-class yankee patois and only show the remotest familiarity with hispanic culture. Mr. Acuna's secretary is one of those flitty, maybe gay fussbudgets always breaking down into hysterics or bumping into the furniture. Nobody speaks Spanish, nobody tries an accent, and nothing in the design or culture of the picture suggest Buenos Aires. Seen today, it seems quite odd, maybe even crazily charming in an anthropological sort of way.
Trixie is for Kids
After watching the Fred and Ginger series numerous times, I was sure that I would never find a pairing that could equal them.Well, I was wrong - VERY wrong.What I longed for after watching this movie were move Rita and Fred movies, and unfortunately there is only one other that isn't quite as good.Naturally the storyline is thin and predictable, but that's not what we watch musicals for - especially not those with Fred Astaire. And Rita's dancing ability compliments his, even without her grabbing her dress.The only thing that I found irritating and superfluous was the part played by Xavier Cugat. It seems like the studio spent a lot of money on a name where a good studio orchestra would have sufficed.Anyway, the movie is warm and wonderful, and Fred's charm in the ending scenes is enough to make your heart melt, along with the great Fred/Rita kiss at the end.I'm glad he finally threw away his inhibitions and was able to get past those ridiculous, frozen-armed monster hugs he'd do with Ginger, and ended this movie in the adult way intended.This is a film definitely worth seeing and enjoying more than once.
AD
