[Film Review] The Barkleys of Broadway

The Barkleys of Broadway

Film Review

"The way your smile just beams. The way you sing off-key. The way you haunt my dreams. No, no - they can't take that away from me."

Director: Charles Walters
Release Date: 4 May, 1949
Running Time: 109 minutes (1hr 49min)
Country: United States
Language: English
MPAA Rating (Hays Code): Passed

A successful but constantly-feuding husband and wife musical comedy team threatens to break up when the wife entertains an offer to become a serious actress.

Here is a historic film, as the final collaboration between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the iconic dancing duo of American cinema. It may be their final work, but despite having been a decade between this and their previous film, this reunion melts all those years away.

Musicals by this iconic duo are what originally got me seriously watching Classic Hollywood films, so these two are very important to me. Fred and Ginger's dancing is like magic to watch, so I had to get around to this eventually. Either way, might as well just jump in!

Writing:
Following the rest of their films back from the 30's, The Barkleys of Broadway is yet another romantic comedy musical. However, this film somewhat departs from the cliched (but lovable) plot formula used in their previous films, this time portraying a couple that's already married. Like many old Hollywood films of this type much of the conflict lies in miscommunication and misunderstanding, which is all part of the comedy. The audience always holds more information than the characters, what with all that dramatic irony. It just makes their problems more "engagingly stressful" to watch.

"I find that girl completely resitable."

The plot also makes fascinating nods to the real-life actors, intentional or not. As the actors have clearly aged and playing to the old formulas of their films prior probably wouldn't work, Fred and Ginger are now cast as a perpetually bickering married couple. In a way, it can almost be interpreted as a sequel to their old series of films, all of them romantic comedies ending in a marriage.

Just as the two real actors are best remembered for their musical partnership, the protagonists in the film are famous and made a name in musical theatre. But the character Dinah makes a bid at becoming a dramatic actress rather than being bound to light-hearted musicals, while her husband Josh would much rather remain dancing. This is just as Astaire and Rogers' partnership ended with the two going in directions with their respective characters, Rogers going on to star in very serious films while Astaire continued primarily in musicals. It even seems to parallel rumors and misconceptions about the actor's real-life professional relationship and dispel them at the end, as many believed that Astaire and Rogers went separate ways due to a sour relationship (far from the truth, however).

"There isn't a gesture you do that I didn't teach you!"

Unfortunately, the film lags a bit in the story department. When I first watched it it just didn't have quite the same spark that drew me in like their other films. At first I was really disappointed, but then as the story progressed and more wordless interaction between the characters presented itself that fun quality returned. There is something about the screenplay that's flat - it's not a problem caused by the actors or overall plot.

Still, the lengths the characters go through to reunite and overcome these misunderstandings they realize what's really important to them, and it's just touching. It's not over-the-top melodrama or anything exaggerated like that - by the end of the film it's just, sweet.

"Yeah!! The guy with the beard! That's me!"

Characters:
What really saves this film is the two leads. Fred and Ginger acting ability and on-screen chemistry is just as strong as it was when they were younger. You can really tell that they fulfill their roles and work together just a brilliantly as before during their dance numbers. It really is the writing the brings this film down. Early on I thought they had kinda lost it, perhaps from being apart for so long, but when they got to the big dance number "Can't Take that Away from Me", I was drawn into the magic and smiling like an idiot like during all their old dance numbers. As I said before the actors weren't the problem - it was whoever wrote the damn screenplay!

"You'd be hard to replace."

These two are absolutely cute as fuck playing a married couple, even though the characters are always fighting. The chemistry these two can portray is still there just as strong as it was in the 1930s, but it's aged like a fine wine. They work very naturally together like an actual married couple, thanks to the strong and long friendship Astaire and Rogers had in real life. This would have been very different if they had gone with the original decision to cast Judy Garland in the role. Though I love her she would simply have a different effect playing opposite Fred, especially with her younger age and history. Casting Ginger Rogers adds even more layers to the story.

When you actually see them dancing, it's hard to believe that Fred was 50 when this was made - he's still moving at such a high level. And though Ginger's appearance is much more athletic than the starry-eyed elfin girl she used to look like, she still looks better than anyone else dancing with Fred. Even after all this time, they've still got it.

"I molded you like Svengali"

The other characters admittedly aren't much more beyond plot or comic relief, however. Oscar Levant's character has a dry humor to him, which at times can help slow down the pace when needed, in addition to some awesome piano skillz. Meanwhile the suave frenchman Jacques Pierre Barredout really is not much beyond a plot device, though this isn't necessarily a bad thing - since the Barkleys are the stars of the show, so naturally we should be directed to focus on their characters more. If newer and younger actors weren't cast in these roles, I wouldn't be surprised if they would easily be filled with actors that constantly cropped up throughout the other nine films of the Astaire-Rogers collab.

Design:
Another thing of note about this film is that it's the only film Fred and Ginger collaborated on that's in full technicolor.  Especially for those of you familiar with films from this timeframe, you'll see that want of bolder, brighter colours, especially since even at the time of this movie's release most film and photography was still black and white. The new ability to have colours gave a want for even more spectacle - or at least as much as the cameras of the time would allow.

Now this isn't to say that's it's a bombardment of Crayola crayon colours (Lord knows there are more than enough films that do that), but it does enjoy incorporating brightly coloured elements, especially in some of the clothing or more fanciful sets. This is strongest in performance scenes where Josh and Dinah are on stage.

"He doesn't know how to direct her properly."

As Dinah, Ginger wears some really nice dresses, perhaps the most fun being the opening and closing outfits which were probably meant to take advantage of the technicolor. Though my personal favorite outfits are probably the dress she wears at the party (which I would totes wear myself), the white dress during the charity event, and the Scottish outfit (what can I say, I like berets). She also wears her hair long and loose more often here as well, and she looks good. Of course Fred is practically obliged to wear a tux, especially with that top hat at the end. It's an iconic look, y'know. But he's also the only guy who could wear a pink shirt and socks with a preppy sweater tied around his neck and have me not question it.

A pretty good attention to detail is also evident in the scenery. Even their apartment looks really cool, especially dem bedroom walls with fancy yet discreet doors. And dat bathroom... I've got new Sim house goals. The stage sets are also really fun. I'm sure the shoe dance, though pretty clearly dated special effects, is still fun to watch and a clever trick that, at the time, probably made Walt Disney jealous. The finale is really fun and lively with moving floors being used during the dance (like, I'm soo diggin' that background's colour scheme here). And who knows, maybe the opening was great too... if only they didn't put the damn credits over it!!! (Who's fucking idea was that!!??)

Music:
There's no way a Fred and Ginger reunion film would be complete without being a musical! Admittedly, many of these numbers, though fun, aren't as memorable as old films. But it's still got the big names in Old Hollywood dance, so don't go thinking it's slacking in this department. Most of the music is by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin, the latter of which I distinctly remember being involved in other Astaire-Rogers movies (one of his older songs even making a comeback). Oscar Levant also does some really interesting piano solos to shift the pace of the story. It's interesting have this type of variety, especially if you're not all that used to musicals beyond, say, Disney, as adding a non-singing pianist isn't what some would expect, unlike more conventional musical movie pieces like "Weekend in the Country" (I'm here for dancing, godddamnit! Not walking!)

"Oh darling, I don't wanna do another play."

Many of the dance routines are well executed and really fun to watch, though only a few are distinctly memorable to the same degree as some of their other routines. Still, I mean, Astaire may be 50 during this but he's such a perfectionist he moves with better rhythm and timing than most young people I know who can't even play easy mode on DDR. "Bouncing the Blues" may very well be one of their best numbers. For a while I was wondering when they'd get to dance more face-to-face like they're famous for, but, perhaps fittingly, they have two dances in that vein during the climax and the finale.

"Bouncing the Blues"

 Perhaps even more fittingly as a reunion, an old song from a previous film, "They Can't Take that Away from Me", returns for that climactic dance. Fred had apparently insisted they include a dance for this song in here, as when he first sung it in Shall We Dance, there was no routine with it. It's a beautiful little remembrance that adds so much additional context to the story. On top of that it's a prime example of what Fred and Ginger can do together. They two just naturally have a great chemistry on screen, with Fred's clearly amazing mad skillz and Ginger's ability to act while dancing - something that Fred's other partners, though maybe more skilled or famous, just haven't been able to do to the same degree. 

"They Can't Take that Away from Me"

"Shoes with Wings On" is a fascinating number since it uses (very dated and obvious to us) special effects to have Astaire dancing with a bunch of wearer-less shoes. This really shows off how he's still one of the best on-screen dancers at this time. "My One and Only Highland Fling" was a cute little thing, though I thought the fake accents a little annoying and it was overall a forgettable moment. The finale with "Manhattan Downbeat" was also a creative and skillful work, with moving platforms and a crowd of other dancers to navigate through, and very much a finale dance. From what I hear, however, the opening dance may have been the best routine in the film - IF THEY DIDN'T PLASTER THE BULKY-ASS CREDITS OVER IT.

How many times do I have to mention this!?

Final Thoughts:
Though I still stand by the belief that any Astaire/Rogers film is a Hollywood classic, this film is probably their weakest pairing. Still, to see this duo reunited, even if only for a mere moment, is historic. Perhaps those not versed with this iconic dancing duo may find this film by itself a little underwhelming, especially considering their notoriety and acclaim. Yet, thinking about it now, it's a lovely, endearing reunion piece. This is no Top Hat, but it's not really trying to be. It solidifies exactly what the Fred and Ginger pairing is - a partnership. Fred didn't make Ginger anymore than she him, their success was dependent on both of their talents, and there's no sour note between them. They can't take that magic away from their dances together, the ten years apart melting away the instant the music starts.

Sailor's Rating: C+

"Thank you. I'm touched, the piano's touched, and Tchaikovsky's touched."