Back To Index The Astaire & Rogers Collection Vol. 1
 Barnes & Noble During the bleak years of the Great Depression, American moviegoers found themselves cheered by the periodic screen pairings of former Broadway hoofer Fred Astaire and Hollywood glamour girl Ginger Rogers. Their star vehicles employed airy plots and stereotyped characters, but they were lavishly mounted in the best Art Deco tradition and peopled with first-rate supporting players. Ultimately, it was the music, dancing, and singing that so entranced ‘30s audiences. A who’s who of popular music supplied the scores for these films, including Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Dorothy Fields. And those songs! Instant hits back then, for the most part they remain standards today. “Cheek to Cheek,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” and countless others -- all of them were introduced in the films collected in this triumphant box set. Remastered for high definition and outfitted with terrific supplemental features, these five movies represent the cream of the Astaire-Rogers crop. Depending upon whom you believe, either Top Hat (1935) or Swing Time (1936) is the best film Fred and Ginger made together. The former has the edge, with its sensational Irving Berlin score and its goofy mistaken-identity plot. But Swing Time, with its beautiful songs by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, isn’t far behind. For that matter, neither are Follow the Fleet (1936) and Shall We Dance (1937). The duo’s final film, The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), made ten years after the last entry of the original series, doesn’t quite measure up to the earlier ones but is still enjoyable. These movies were intended to provide escapist entertainment, so they were deliberately crammed with absurd and implausible situations. Once the dancing began, however, the contrivances were all forgotten, and theater screens radiated a magic glow on transfixed audiences. The magic is still there, and Harry Potter himself would envy the effect that Astaire and Rogers continue to have on people who love movie musicals. Ed HulseCustomer ReviewsWrite your own online review >Number Of Reviews: 3 Average Rating: A reviewer, a lover of 30s movies, September 20, 2005 Only the Tops!I loved them as a little girl watching Million Dollar Movie, and I still adore them. There is nothing like these movies and they are endlessly watchable. Where is Volume 2??? I cannot recommend them highly enough! Style, class, not soemthing you see alot of nowadays.Also Recommended: Innocents, From Hell, Twilight Samurai, Hero, Wuthering Heights.Amyjo Marsh (amyjomarsh@hotmail.com), a Fred and Ginger Fan(atic), August 19, 2005 Five star films fall victim to three star selection process"Swingtime" and "Shall We Dance", are cinematically speaking, kissing cousins, as are "Top Hat" and "The Gay Divorcee", why the latter was replaced, in this set by, "Follow the Fleet" is odd. In fact, why "Top Hat" wasnt paired with "Gay Divorcee" to headline Volume 2 of the collection makes you wonder if the folks responsible for the package knew anything about the productions histories. That said, prior to watching the black and white films, I reread Arlene Croces "The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book", (out-of-print, but available used) there is no better companion to these movies, a "must have" for novice viewers and diehard fans alike. My complaint(s) are strictly with the package, not the contents although Volume 2 will find these selections a hard act to follow.Also Recommended: Funny Face Thats Entertainment I The Band WagonCindy, a lover of classic movies, June 30, 2005 THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!Ive been hoping for a boxed set of Astaire/Rogers forever! I was excited to see some individual movies were going to be released, but at first they were not listed as being available as a boxed set. Im so glad I saw they will be. Nothing beats a good Fred and Ginger movie. Theyre fun, entertaining, romantic, I could go on and on. Best of all I see its called Volume 1. Hopefully Volume 2 wont be far behind. Ill definitely be watching for it.Also Recommended: The rest of the Fred and Ginger movies, Stage Door, Bringing Up Baby Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
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