theoctobercountry
Joined Jun 2011
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Reviews12
theoctobercountry's rating
I haven't been too impressed with the Hallmark holiday slate this season; not too many of the films really "grabbed" me. While some were pleasing time-passers, there weren't many that I'd be willing to watch again. However, for this film---yep, I'm impressed. I'm going to rate this as one of the five best Hallmark Christmas films for the 2023 season. Good plot, excellent casting, with a really appealing lead in Ben Mehl, who I hadn't seen before. I hope Hallmark uses him again. And another plus---authentic winter location shooting: none of that sad-fake-snow-shot-in-the-middle-of-summer this time around. Recommended.
As I've noted previously, I'm a tremendous old-movie buff. Unfortunately, not all the A-list films from Hollywood's golden age are in fact all that golden...
Case in point: "The Belle of New York" (1952). This is widely considered to be one of Fred Astaire's worst films, and I'm afraid I have to agree. Difficult to see how things went so wrong, when all the right ingredients were in place. In this instance, the typical MGM magic missed the mark.
The film is just so, well, uninspired from beginning to end. There's only the faintest whisper of a plot, with none of the characters seeming the least bit grounded in the admittedly loose reality of the world of musicals---none of the emotions portrayed seem real or carry any weight. Plus, there's a definite problem with the music---the songs are pleasant enough but instantly and utterly forgettable. I couldn't remember any of these tunes mere moments after they had ended.
The thing is, the film contains many elements that should have made it so much better; in theory, there's a lot to like about this picture. While the songs aren't so great, the dancing is splendid. Here you have Vera-Ellen and Fred Astaire partnered---they were two of the very best dancers of Hollywood's golden age, and it's a pleasure to watch them work their magic. The supporting cast is amusing---Marjorie Maine is always a force to be reckoned with. And Alice Pearce just cracks me up- --I have a great fondness for this actress (twelve years after this film she would play Gladys Kravitz in the television series "Bewitched"). And of course visually the film is a treat, with lovely costumes and vivid Technicolor. But overall---the whole thing still remains rather tiresome and a disappointment in many respects. For old film buffs only.
I've noted that Vera-Ellen was a great dancer, but that doesn't begin to cover it---she was an astoundingly good dancer; one of the best that ever worked at the studio. And on top of that she was quite attractive; she looks absolutely lovely in this film. But somehow stardom eluded her... I think she lacked that indefinable spark, that special charisma, that the great stars had. While she performs well enough in this picture, the viewer is never really drawn to the character; there's something missing in her acting, in the way her personality comes across, it seems to me.... While best remembered for her role in 1954's "White Christmas," Vera-Ellen continued to work in films until 1957, when she gave it all up. She had made fourteen films over the course of twelve years, but after that she never returned to the screen.
Case in point: "The Belle of New York" (1952). This is widely considered to be one of Fred Astaire's worst films, and I'm afraid I have to agree. Difficult to see how things went so wrong, when all the right ingredients were in place. In this instance, the typical MGM magic missed the mark.
The film is just so, well, uninspired from beginning to end. There's only the faintest whisper of a plot, with none of the characters seeming the least bit grounded in the admittedly loose reality of the world of musicals---none of the emotions portrayed seem real or carry any weight. Plus, there's a definite problem with the music---the songs are pleasant enough but instantly and utterly forgettable. I couldn't remember any of these tunes mere moments after they had ended.
The thing is, the film contains many elements that should have made it so much better; in theory, there's a lot to like about this picture. While the songs aren't so great, the dancing is splendid. Here you have Vera-Ellen and Fred Astaire partnered---they were two of the very best dancers of Hollywood's golden age, and it's a pleasure to watch them work their magic. The supporting cast is amusing---Marjorie Maine is always a force to be reckoned with. And Alice Pearce just cracks me up- --I have a great fondness for this actress (twelve years after this film she would play Gladys Kravitz in the television series "Bewitched"). And of course visually the film is a treat, with lovely costumes and vivid Technicolor. But overall---the whole thing still remains rather tiresome and a disappointment in many respects. For old film buffs only.
I've noted that Vera-Ellen was a great dancer, but that doesn't begin to cover it---she was an astoundingly good dancer; one of the best that ever worked at the studio. And on top of that she was quite attractive; she looks absolutely lovely in this film. But somehow stardom eluded her... I think she lacked that indefinable spark, that special charisma, that the great stars had. While she performs well enough in this picture, the viewer is never really drawn to the character; there's something missing in her acting, in the way her personality comes across, it seems to me.... While best remembered for her role in 1954's "White Christmas," Vera-Ellen continued to work in films until 1957, when she gave it all up. She had made fourteen films over the course of twelve years, but after that she never returned to the screen.