Customer Reviews

Belle of New York [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Belle of New York is one of Astaire's lesser musicals, and for good reasons. The story line is a little simple minded. The secondary comic relief characters aren't all that comic. Vera Ellen paired with Astaire made for a screen relationship with few sparks. But the movie has more screen time of Astaire dancing than any of his other films, the songs by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer are easy to listen to and reflect the age nicely, and Vera Ellen is a pretty good hoofer in her own right. "Baby Doll" should have become a standard, and Astaire's dancing in the "Sands of Time" number is a classic. If you appreciate Astaire, you'll want to watch this.

Fred and Vera (and Marjorie "Ma Kettle" Main) are excellent, but the one I really love watching is Alice Pearce, best known for her role as nosy-neighbor Gladys Kravitz on the TV show "Bewitched." She's wonderfully funny, and her cackling laugh is truly frightening. The "special effects" (probably very advanced for those days, though poor by today's standards) are not exactly seemlessly worked into the plot, but the movie is still worth watching for its lovely dancing, and the scenes where the Courrier and Ives postcard backdrops come to life. (If you like Alice Pearce, be sure to watch "On the Town," where she plays Lucy Schmeeler.)

They don't make them like this anymore. Fred Astaire and
Vera-Ellen have some great dance numbers in this musical. Also there are some really nice songs. It's a really wonderful movie musical. I highly recommend it!

This musical comedy, is not the best musical out there. When compared to the great musicals of the past, this one turns out to be a little too whimsicle. The plot doesn't really go anywhere.

The saving grace is that the dancing in this film is wonderful and exact.

The DVD itself is fine, with a nice cover, and fast shipping!

Thanks!

Fast service on quality dvd, a color musical featuring Fred Astaire dancing with Vera Ellen. Enjoyable musical film !

This is defintly one of my favorite movies. I'd give it
10 stars if I could. It's a great film. Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen are wonderful in it! They dance divinly and the choreography is fantastic. I highly recommend this film. It's a great escape. A great musical, a real classic!

Fred Astaire and Vera Ellen dancing literally in New York by special effects. He's so much in love that he literally floats in the air and starts dancing! The story can be dull at times but the dancing makes up for that.

Astaire is a playboy who has a penchant for leaving the bride hanging at the altar (it's like Runaway Bride in reverse), but one look at mission doll Vera-Ellen and he vows to mend his decadent ways. The film's gimmick is that if one truly falls in love, he'll be floating on air...literally. Cupid's arrow hits Astaire first, but unfortunately, he's alone in his feelings. The rest of the film follows predictably so as Astaire sing, dances, and charms Vera-Ellen into falling in love with him. It seems that whenever Vera-Ellen's around, Fred's floating on air. The special effects might have been innovative then, but today, it comes across as a nuisance and completely irritating. It would be like watching the ending of the Sound of Music and seeing mom, dad, and the kids marching up the mountains and up into the sky in a gaudy fluorescent hue. Anyway, true to form, Astaire performs his routines wonderfully. Vera-Ellen isn't all that bad, either. It's just that this movie never picks up that much needed momentum to make this a great and memorable musical.

I have always loved Fred Astaire movies and this one has him along with a lot of other great actors and actresses. This is a really fun movie that is also romantic. I like how he falls for a woman after living the playboy lifestyle and he tries to change his ways to impress her. It has some really funny parts and I also liked all the clever ways that he tries to impress the woman of his dreams.

Vera Ellen is no Ginger, but none the less, a very suitable dancing partner for Fred. A very enjoyable movie with some of the best music of that era.