Customer Reviews

Dames

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A millionaire with fanatically religious beliefs tries to stop the opening of a Broadway show. By far, the most memorable item in DAMES is the song and routine, I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU. One of the best songs ever written for a film, it's sung by Dick Powell and beautifully staged by Busby Berkeley. The finale of the film is another all-girl array for the title song. Here is a fascinating rhythmic formation. A hundred girls in white blouses and black tights configurate, fragmenting here and there into abstract designs. Berkeley moves above for his celebrated overhead shot and the effect becomes a startlingly kaleidoscopic cacophony of geometric and floral mosaics. In the last of the grand budget-breaking spectacles before the "Production Code" came into being, distinguished Busby Berkeley took his imagination to the limit: watch for the dancing clothes on the ironing board and a giant puzzle pieces attached to dancing girls which form the face of Ruby Keeler.

This is probably one of the best movies ever made. Ignore the silly plot regarding the reformation of morals. Focus on the beautiful dance routines and graphics. Producer Berkeley is a master. I highly recommend his other movies as well. Once you've absorbed "Dames," start working your way through the Golddiggers series. If you like musicals, you won't be disappointed. END

Let me be honest: I hate musicals. Actually, I loathe them. But this one is incredible! Great choice of B&W costumes to go with B&W photography.

The plot is silly and quaint, but the songs and the production are beyond belief! This one has the most original and cleverest photography and choreography I have ever seen. My eyes were bugging out! I had no idea "I Only Have Eyes For You" was such an old song, but there it is.

I can't believe I wrote a review of a movie musical that I loved!

One can appreciate musical films such as this and others made by Warner, MGM, RKO, et. al. during this period from several standpoints. For one, they were the source of many of the popular songs that became standards over the years -- songs that had discernible and memorable melodies, a genre which largely went out of style in the 1950's with the rise of the rock and roll song form and just about everything else that followed. Since these films were made before technicolor became the norm, cinematographers managed to create the seemingly impossible using black and white film for numbers such as those in "Dames", and "The Lullaby of Broadway" from "Golddiggers of 1935" or any of the Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers films.

But one also has to appreciate these films as technical achievements with synchronized sound having been developed only six or so years previous. The audio of the musical number would be recorded and approved first. Then the ensemble would be photographed perhaps several times from different cameral angles for a given number, possibly days or weeks apart, using the playback over studio loudspeakers of the prerecorded song to permit the ensemble to be synchronized or soloists to lip-sync to the recording. This allowed the editor and director to then make selections from the various takes and interweave them to make the most desirable edit. And it would all be in sync because all the takes were made using the same recording. Think about that the next time you watch the closing number of "42nd Street" made in 1933. I suppose all this is obvious to many people, but it continues to boggle my noodle thinking about the skills with which these things were made.

Dames is an outstanding movie musical with Busby Berkeley numbers that will make your eyes pop out! Finished shortly before the Hayes Production Code went into effect, this lavish musical gets its strength and appeal from the incredibly wonderful song and dance numbers. This is a must have for fans of classic movie musicals!

The action starts when Ezra Ounce (Hugh Herbert), a stuffy older multimillionaire, decides to come to New York to create a foundation against the "filthy" Broadway shows--and give his relative Horace Peter Hemingway (Guy Kibbee) ten million dollars for being a pure man of high morals. Of course, trouble ensues when Horace's daughter Barbara (Ruby Keeler) falls in love with her 13th cousin Jimmy Higgens (Dick Powell). Barbara is encouraged by her parents Horace and Matilda (Zasu Pitts) to stay away from Jimmy and avoid a part in the show Jimmy wants to put on Broadway; but Barbara's not about to listen.

At the same time, Jimmy goes all out to get a backer--who gives him a big fat bad check. This motivates out of work actress Mabel Anderson (Joan Blondell) to take advantage of Horace Hemingway in a big financial way to get the money Jimmy needs to put on his show. Horace is terrified that even though he gives Mabel the money to put on the show, Ezra may find out that Horace was the backer and cut Horace off from that luscious ten million dollars.

Of course, the plot can go anywhere from here. Jimmy starts to pay some attention to Mabel--will Mabel steal his heart way from Barbara? Will they be able to put on the show even if Ezra goes all out to hire thugs to sabotage it? What about the society that Ezra wants to start to close down all those "filthy" Broadway theaters--will it work? No plot spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out!

You won't be sorry you watched the movie, either. The last thirty minutes or so is song and dance heaven! Nobody but Busby Berkeley could put together those beautiful, intricate and sophisticated numbers with all those beautiful women and make it look as easy as cake.

The quality of the print is excellent; and the choreography couldn't be better. As you may have heard, the beautiful ballad "I Only Have Eyes For You" was written for this film--and Dick Powell sings it flawlessly.

Overall, fans of classic movie musicals can't afford to pass this one by. Dames is a fine early motion picture that stands the test of time. Look also for some really good extras on this DVD.

Great job, everybody! We will never forget you!

An old fashioned 1930's sentimental musical. Audio not crisp, which is indigenous to the movies in 1930. Dick Powell in fine voice and form. Several tunes to keep you humming all day long. Ruby Keeler in her heyday; an adequate dancer but a very cute presence. Not a great movie, but will keep viewers entertained listening to Dick Powell singing "I Only Have Eyes for You" and the Busby Burkeley staged choreography make it a nice movie to view. However, the line from Keeler about being "White, 21, and free" would never go over with today's political correctness, so it would probably have to be edited out or a substitute word dubbed in. Routine plot and adequate acting from supporting cast make this a movie easy on the nerves, but definitely very dated in every possible respect. I liked the music and the fact that when Dick Powell sang, one could understand all the words, unlike what is paased for music these days. One of the grand old musicals of the 1930s awaits your viewing. A breath of fresh air from long ago.

A committee against indecency lobbies against a show with lots of Dames! They of course end up joining in the fun and find their daughter is the star of the show! Wonderful Busby Berkley movie with even greater musical numbers. I Only Have Eyes For You is amazing. A documentary about Busby Berkley's life and several shorts is also a highlight. Wonderful show.

Dames is a silly film filled with great characters, cute songs, and brilliant choreography. The story centers around a family who wishes to receive an inheritance from Uncle Ezra, an eccentric man with lots of cash. He has cut off one part of the family because of a music man (Dick Powell) involved with show business. Unfortunately for Guy Kibbee and Zasu Pitts, their daughter (Ruby Keeler) is in love with her distant cousin and plans to join in his musical when it gets backed. And eventually it does, and the money comes from Keeler's father! Joan Blondell figures into the story as a swindling blonde who blackmails Kibbee for the money.

The story centers mainly around the adults who supply most of the laughs. The relationship between Powell and Keeler is immature and kind of weak, but they contribute more in song than they do to the story. They are certainly talented; unfortunately, Blondell has two musical numbers- and she's a horrible singer!

Still, the music is fun, especially the title song. The Busby Berkeley choreography is top-notch. The visuals are great, like looking through a kaleidoscope filled with beautiful girls. Other numbers are good too, although the "I Only Have Eyes For You" number is strange, filled with images of Keeler everywhere!

Make sure this is a musical you do not miss!

Forget the plot, forget the age of it and just enjoy the dance numbers and gags. It is not the greatest musical of the era but good enough for another viewing.

I watched this one on a lark but enjoyed it. It features a moral madman named Ezra who is seen as the rich villain. He's a very funny character. He dissaproves of a certain family member who decided to become an actor. But this movie isn't really about plot. There's some, and a nice romance, but it's really about the music and the joyfully over-the-top performances.