Down to Earth (1947)
9/10
A dancing queen goes down to earth to teach mankind a lesson, which is refused
30 March 2020
The music, at best, is a bit remindful of Cole Porter, particularly "I've got you under my skin", which it almost makes a pastiche of. On the whole, the music is the worst part of this movie. All the rest is perfectly excellent, and Rita Hayworh plays a part that matches her more than perfectly, as she was probably never better and never had a more gratifying part to play. The show numbers are lavish and sumptuous in abundant luxury, which turns the film into a feast for the eyes, while the plot is part ingenious and part very silly. Terpsichore the muse at Mount Olympus gets annoyed at the way vulgar Americanism twists, parodies and blasphemes the dignity of the eternal muses by depicting them as flippant show girls, so she decides to do something about it, goes down to earth and intervenes, trying to turn that show into some serious highbrow performance of dramatic ballet, but the public doesn't want that and goes to sleep or leaves the show - the vulgar lot wants vulgar entertainment. Roland Culver appears as some Claude Rains type of a manager of the metaphysical set-up and knows what it is all about having complete control, which no one else has. The show rolls on to constant outbursts and wallowings in silly business, until there is an ingenious twist to the end, putting all things in order. It's not a great film, the music is deplored by most music lovers, but it certainly is great entertainment and indeed worth watching for the sake of Rita Hayworth, as she was more unique in many ways than most great queens of the cinema.
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