Fine performances from Rita and all the other leads, but oh wow, is the music bad! I love musicals, but watching sequences like the closing number from the show "People Have More Fun Than Anyone" is actually painful. I was struck by how unmoved I was by any of the melodies--and the lyrics are easily forgotten or remarkable only in how awkward they are when sung.
One thing I often notice when watching studio musicals that are set on Broadway is how absurd the sense of scale is when they show performances on a stage. I can grant exceptions for how they completely throw out the idea of people entering from theatrical wings, but the stage is bigger than ENORMOUS, and the sense of perspective is completely ridiculous--. I know, it's a film and I should suspend disbelief, but it makes me chuckle when they start shooting numbers from 6 different angles and there's no visible audience or sides to the stage. And then, magically, there are horses on the stage--for no reason.
Fun costumes, and some fine performances, but there's a good reason why this film isn't remembered--all of the elements just don't add up.
One thing I often notice when watching studio musicals that are set on Broadway is how absurd the sense of scale is when they show performances on a stage. I can grant exceptions for how they completely throw out the idea of people entering from theatrical wings, but the stage is bigger than ENORMOUS, and the sense of perspective is completely ridiculous--. I know, it's a film and I should suspend disbelief, but it makes me chuckle when they start shooting numbers from 6 different angles and there's no visible audience or sides to the stage. And then, magically, there are horses on the stage--for no reason.
Fun costumes, and some fine performances, but there's a good reason why this film isn't remembered--all of the elements just don't add up.