2.21.2005

Those dancing feeeet...


I want to talk about the most entertaining film I've seen on cable all morning. 42nd Street. I saw it for the first time a few months ago, thanks to my movie mentor Derek over at http://www.livingfilm.blogspot.com ! The plot is standard rags to riches fare, but it's so sincere that you have to believe in it. Starring the most adorable girl with cutest name, Ruby Keeler, as the naive Peggy Sawyer, it also features Ginger Rogers in one of her first film roles.

When the lead dancer inevitably meets with an accident and little Peggy Sawyer is being groomed to replace her, she pumps her up with this line; "Now go out there and be so swell, you'll make me hate you." This scene is repeated to much cheesier effect many years later in "Showgirls."

But the best thing about this movie isn't the double entendre or the beautiful costumes. It's the dance scenes. They're just incredible. Even if you hate stuff like this, you can't deny how cool the final number, "42nd Street" is; following hundreds of dancers down the street in a depiction of the daily New York hustle. So creative, so unique, and just plain fun to watch. Check it out.

1 comment:

Derek said...

This film is so great! So many good lines. I also recommend Goldiggers of 1933 -I plan on writing a post soon about my love for it- , and Footlight Parade with James Cagney. So MuchLove, Derek