Customer Reviews

Swing Time

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I can't quite agree with the editorial review, which indicated that this might be the one Astaire-Rogers musical to watch, if you could watch only one. This lags very, very slightly behind TOP HAT and THE GAY DIVORCEE, in my book, though I nevertheless consider it one of the very greatest musicals ever made. Another film, FOLLOW THE FLEET, features dance numbers that match any of these three, but suffers from a very weak script and lags when Fred and Ginger aren't dancing. SWING TIME is also is hurt by the presence of George Metaxa as Ricardo Romero, and by his implausibly quick reconciliation to his being jilted at the end of the film.

My reason for rating it very slightly behind the other two films is the slightly weaker supporting cast and the fact that the humor is a tad less humorous. The dance numbers, however, are extraordinary, with at least two of them belonging in the Fred and Ginger Hall of Fame for their finest moments dancing together. These two numbers are the marvelously funny "Pick Yourself Up" and the marvelously dramatic "Never Gonna Dance." Luckily, this isn't the extent of the musical's treasures. There are two other great dance numbers and two marvelous songs that do not feature any dancing. The latter includes Fred's marvelous homage to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, "Bojangles of Harlem," which Fred does in blackface and which just might be the only non-demeaning use of blackface in a 1930s film. Not only is it not demeaning, it is a powerful homage to the man regarded by his peers as the finest tap dancer of the early 20th century. Fred and Ginger also perform the "Waltz in Swing Time." The two songs are among the greatest pure songs appearing in any of Fred and Ginger's films. "The Way You Look Tonight" (which won the Oscar for Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields that year) features Fred playing the piano (yes, he really did his own playing) and singing while Ginger shampoos her hair (originally they were going to have her cleaning an oven, coming out mesmerized by Fred's singing, covered in grease, but it was decided the look didn't achieve the desired effect). And later Fred and Ginger sing perhaps their greatest comic song, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."

As good as all the musical numbers are, however, the high point of the movie is the utterly amazing "Never Gonna Dance," in which Fred declares that if she leaves him to marry someone else, he will never dance again. The number is incredibly powerful with Fred first singing his intentions, and then luring Ginger into one last dance together. The number was exceptionally difficult to film, owing to a double staircase on each side of the set. The two had to dance upon it to time their arrival at the same precise moment. But for take after take, they kept arriving at slightly different moments. Unfortunately, Ginger's shoes were a bit too small, with the result that she cut her feet pretty badly during the forty odd takes. The result was worth it. The dance ranks with "Night and Day," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and "Cheek to Cheek" as their greatest romantic dance number.

Although the supporting cast and the humor is not quite at the same level as TOP HAT and THE GAY DIVORCEE, this is nonetheless a fine movie apart from the music. While I would still recommend those other two films above this one, I would recommend that anyone with the tiniest bit of interest in great musicals see all three, as well as catching the dance numbers of FOLLOW THE FLEET.

Nobody can make you feel the way Astaire and Rogers make you feel just by singing and dancing. They could sing and dance better than anybody, but they have such a natural charm that we get lost in the moment and chemistry that sends sparks around like no other movie duo. This is arguably their best film, 'Top Hat' is their other masterpiece, but this is funnier, wittier and was directed by George Stevens, who also directed classics like 'Shane' and 'Giant'. The dance numbers are nothing short of brilliant and Astaire's 'Bojangles of Harlem' routine is pure cinematic gold, a priceless piece of screen entertainment. But this one also features a great story with romantic undertones and witty dialogue. Victor Moore is priceless in a comic performance that giggles and delights, Helen Broderick also manages to get some laughs. Great songs featuring 'A Fine Romance', 'Pick Yourself Up', 'The Way You Look Tonight' and the sexy 'Never Gonna Dance'. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!

WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN ISSUED ON DVD? 'Swing Time' is a film which defines the poetry and grace of the screen's greatest dancing combination, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Forget that this is mono sound, and the images are black and white. The dancing is as modern as today; the spirit of the film as youthful still as its stars were an extraordinary 63 years ago. The casual insouciance of Astaire and Rogers in a scene such as the farcical dancing lesson which turns into a dancing tour-de-force, 'Pick Yourself Up', fills one with exuberant joy on the 50th viewing. Fred Astaire is grace itself, with his apparent ease concealing the regime of practice and preparation which lay behind every step. As for Ginger Rogers -- her lithe, sensual body, her strong shoulders and willowy frame, make her a delight to watch in this and all the staire/Rogers films. Pure sex appeal in dance! Buy it -- or better still, wait for its release on DVD when the Turner Organisation finally realises what it's got in its catalog!!!!

Swing time did quite badly at the box office in it's time, I don't quite understand that, Top Hat is always the more favoured film and yet, for me, the couple do what they do best at it's best in this film. The plot is just a touch more believable too and the trademark humourous support cast don't have quite so much to do. There is more emotive acting work to do here, to make the plot work, Ginger seems to particualrly honing her craft in this feild (little wonder she won an Oscar four years later!)
The dance numbers are staggering and more daring, "Pick Yourself Up" is so athletic and skilled it is a joy to watch, "The Walse in Swing Time" is half their trademark ballroom number and half a stunningly fresh approach. "Never gonna Dance" is quite simply sublime, elegant, emotive, powerful and beautiful. It really demonstrates the power of dance in motion picture form. I saw an interview with one of the writers many years ago who told the story of how the end sequence of this dance, when Fred and Ginger reach the top of the stairs, took at least 40 something takes to get right because a range of problems, lights blowing out, mistimed spins and even Fred's toupee flying off! He talked of how he saw Ginger changing her pink satin pumps after the 36th take and only then realised the pumps were white, stained pink because her feet were bleeding so much! A classic film and a must see if just for this last dance number, I defy you not feel moved by that number!

I have seen this movie many, many times, and it still retains a quality of freshness about it. Every time I watch it, I am kept in suspense. Will Lucky marry Margaret, or will he choose Penny? Will Ricky steal Penny's heart away from the only man she's ever truly loved? Or will Lucky remain true to his name? These and many other questions will swarm through your head as you watch this Fred and Ginger gem. The singing is spectacular, and the dancing is even better. As the Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Stars of All Times (1997) states, "The duet 'Pick Yourself Up' may be Astaire and Rogers' finest moment. Proof positive that dancing is better than sex." With a review like that, how can you help but watch this AMAZING movie?

If you only watch one Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers musical this should be the one. There has long been a debate over which film is their best: Swing Time or Top Hat. In my opinion, Swing Time definitely takes this honor, number two being Top Hat, followed by The Gay Divorcee. All of their films together are excellent, but Swing Time is set apart because it takes a much more realistic look at love and life. This film handles the love affair between Astaire and Rogers' characters in a way that none of the other films did. The romance is touching, sweet, charming - and believable!

The songs are amazing, including "Pick Yourself Up", "The Waltz In Swing Time", "A Fine Romance", "Never Gonna Dance", and "The Way You Look Tonight", which is the greatest love song ever written. The scene where Astaire sings this to Rogers is not to be missed. His reaction to her touch - in this scene, as well as in the "Fine Romance" scene - is priceless. Watch for another not-to-be-missed moment, also in the "Fine Romance" scene, as Rogers uses every feminine trick in the book to try to get Astaire to respond.

Although this goes without saying, the dancing in "Swing Time" is superb. I hardly know words that are sufficient to describe the beauty that is the bittersweet dance number "Never Gonna Dance". The emotion in this scene is phenomenal. It is absolutely exquisite. If Fred & Ginger had, indeed, never danced - before or after - to any other number, this alone would have made them famous. It is the most beautiful dance ever recorded in motion picture history. Every time I re-watch this film, I'm always caught off guard by the sheer beauty of this one scene. For this reason alone, "Swing Time" is definitely a "must see" film.

SWING TIME tells the story of John 'Lucky' Garnett (Fred Astaire), a brilliant dancer by profession, a truly fortunate gambler by instinct. When his marriage plans to Margaret Watson (Betty Furness) are temporarily foiled, he hops a train to New York with his sidekick Pop Everett (Victor Moore), hoping to earn enough money to satisfy his future father-in-law. What he finds there, however, is inevitably true love with Penny Carroll (Ginger Rogers), a sweetheart of a dance instructress who falls quickly for Lucky's charm and fast feet. Although Lucky feels guilty about his fiancee back home, he finds it difficult to deny his growing attraction to Penny.

It isn't really difficult to figure out how the story ends--it wouldn't be a Astaire/Rogers romantic-comedy-slash-musical if Lucky and Penny didn't end up together. But what makes this stand apart from TOP HAT, and in fact stand *proud* while doing so, is how that inevitable love story is told simply and effectively, and most importantly, in a credible fashion. While watching TOP HAT, I was too busy holding my breath at the sheer technical finesse involved in the dance sequences to really care that neither the characters nor their relationship with each other was very well-developed. Plot? What plot? It just really did not seem to matter with that film; what mattered was that we were treated to a gorgeously-choreographed song/dance sequence practically every other minute. (Which still does not make it a bad film, just a slightly uneven one that relies on the charm of its leads to succeed.)

SWING TIME certainly has its own faults, most notably repeating the reaction Ginger Rogers's character has to a perceived wrinkle in her relationship with the Astaire character--that is, impulsively marrying (or nearly marrying) the nearest person who happens to be male and who has a crush on her. The ending, especially Ricky Romero's response to Penny's decision between himself and Lucky, really makes one wonder whether the screenwriter for the film decided to clock out early when writing the last few minutes. But this is no less a problem in TOP HAT; for some reason, Rogers's character in both films always winds up nearly-married to someone other than Astaire, and the film must then take the time to regain the ground that has been lost through this 'plot twist'. (For me, this is almost salvaged in SWING TIME when Lucky and Penny finally serenade each other with a delightful blend of two of the best songs featured in the film, 'A Fine Romance' and 'The Way You Look Tonight'.)

This minor flaw aside, SWING TIME itself is delightful--it's much more a romantic comedy than it is a musical, whereas I think this is reversed with TOP HAT. You can't help but warm to the relationship between Penny and Lucky, particularly when she complains about the state of their 'Fine Romance'--decidely one of my favourite songs in the film (tough competition, considering the fabulous Jerome Kern score!), and a lovely touch that it is actually Rogers's character doing the pursuing for once. This number, sung amidst whirling snow, recalls my favourite song in TOP HAT, in which Jerry is asking Dale, 'Isn't This A Lovely Day?' while they're caught in a storm. The musical numbers are not compromised, however--the dance Astaire and Rogers perform to 'Pick Yourself Up' is fantastic, as is what appears to be their last dance together when Lucky tells Penny that he's 'Never Gonna Dance' without her again. As with Astaire's black-face solo in 'Bojangles...', the dance sequences are truly amazing to watch, but happily, not the focus of the entire film. In fact, they are somewhat more low-key and understated than those in TOP HAT--far less sweeping and dramatic dances, and more believable ones that fit perfectly with the story and the characters.

SWING TIME is without a doubt one of the best movie musicals I've ever seen, and to date, my favourite Fred/Ginger film. It's one of those films that's almost a masterpiece without trying, and that's probably the best recommendation I could give it. Mandatory for Fred/Ginger fans, and for fans of the musical genre in general.

Of the ten films Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers made together, this is probably the best. It's everything a great musical should be: a man and a woman meet, fall in love, face several problems that nearly tear them apart, wind up happily ever after, and do it all to some great dances and songs. The fact that those songs was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, and that this film has one of the wittiest scripts i've ever seen, is just icing on the cake. Fred Astaire is in his prime as John "Lucky" Garnett. He dances like no one else can in great numbers like "Pick Yourself Up," "Never Gonna Dance," and "Bojangles of Harlem." In addition, his rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight" rules the world of love songs. While this is undoughtably Fred's movie, Rodgers is still fantastic as his love interest, Penny. She's probably the only one who can hold her own with Fred during dance numbers, and the chemistry between the two is irresistable. She also has amazing comic timing, as can be seen during the hysterical (Well, maybe for the 30's) "A Fine Romance." Quality support is given to our leading players by the supurb Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, and Eric Blore. This movie is a masterpiece, and should be seen by anyone who loves movies or musicals.

You cannot go wrong with any of the Fred and Ginger movies, but this one is la crème de la crème.

Why? As Eric Blore says, for the sheer heaven of the "Pick Yourself Up" number, as you watch their feet fly across the dance floor, with Fred in trademark formal attire (in the morning my dears but it fits the lighthearted plot!)and Ginger in the pert black and white knee length dress that lets you see with your very own eyes what an incredibly nimble partner she was for the incomparable Astaire.

This is the ultimate in their "we are making it up as we go along" dances. Fred - who is supposed to be having his first dance lesson of his life - bowls over Ginger and dance school owner Eric Blore by his fancy footwork to demonstrate just how much Ginger has "taught him" and thereby gets her job back for her. Ginger proves to be quite the quick study, as she more than holds her own with Fred.

The number displays many of Fred's concepts about how such dances should be filmed--with one camera that can pan but does not move, with three different tempos to keep things lively, and with action that moves the plot forward. By the end of the dance, Ginger has changed her mind about Fred, and has fallen in love, even though she will change her mind several more times before the final scene.

This is what dancing is meant to be. Watch Ginger watch Fred (which in addition to her agility on the dance floor is the secret to their on screen chemistry).

Why do other dance teams not get that? You aren't on the dance floor to show off how great you are to others; you are there to connect with your partner. That is why Fred's later dance in another film with Eleanor Powell, "Begin the Beguine", while a tour de force, in the end, doesn't work romantically. Powell is the best female dancer, but not the best PARTNER, that Fred ever danced with. She is way too into her own dancing to make us believe that she cares a fig for Fred or anyone else for that matter.

(As an aside, Powell is more believable romantically in her playful scenes with Jimmy Stewart in "Born to Dance"' perhaps she was less intimidated by his reputatin than by Fred's?)


In contrast, every time Ginger looks at Fred, we know that the world has become just the two of them and the rest of us are chopped liver.

If the couples in modern ballroom dance competitions would allow themselves to look at each other in this way, it would ratchet up the things, considerably.

Watch also how Ginger allows an air of frivolity and nonchalance to flash toward the camera.

Later in the film... No one ever looked as good shampooing her hair as does Ginger "Just the Way You Look Tonight". It is whipped cream by the way, not Fells Naphtha.

They dazzle us again in the lovely "Waltz in Swing Time." This time, we get to see a dance that, according to the plot, they had prepared ahead of time. It is a great combination of intricate steps, incorporating some of what they "made up" in "Pick Yourself Up". They end the dance by exiting off stage in a whirl of light and shadow, assisted by Venetian blinds, another Fred and Ginger trademark.

And no set in any movie before this was ever as gorgeously black and white as the grandly reopened 'Silver Sandal', in which they dance their adieux in "Never Gonna Dance"--the number famous for so many takes that it was the wee hours and Ginger's pumps were blood soaked by the time they finished it. They go up and down the double set of stairs, as the black-floored set sparkles all around them.

Enjoy the banter over "cuffs or no cuffs" and the remarkable change that comes over Betty Furness' father and household when they learn that Fred has a knack for making money. This is, after all, still the Great Depression.

But who would ever guess it, as Fred (in the part of Lucky Garnett) wins enough at gambling to make the stars and their costars Helen Broderick and Victor Moore look like a million bucks, as they motor off to the New Amsterdam in an open Dusenberg in the snow. Yes, only in Hollywood!

As the snow continues to fall, Fred and Ginger sing about their "Fine Romance" which makes it seem like they are never going to manage to sort out their differences, but wait for it, there will be a happy ending, this time in the form of a laughing finale.

This is just about the best medicine you can buy without a prescription. Enjoy!

Although Top Hat usually is given the title of the best musical starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Swing Time is hands down, the best of all ten of the Rogers/Astaire musicals. Pick Yourself Up is the best dance number the couple ever did together, with Never Gonna Dance as a close second.

In this musical, the 6th in the series, Fred is a gambler who goes to New York to get 25,000 so he can marry his girlfriend. While in New York, he meets a dance teacher, Ginger Rogers, and falls for her. This is classic.

The stories behind Never Gonna Dance are great. Did you know that it took over 48 takes to shoot, and one take was going perfectly fine until Fred's toupee flew of his head. Also note, that while dancing, Ginger Rogers feet became so raw that they started to bleed. So as you watch her happy expression, realize that under those beautiful shoes she is wearing, blood is actually pouring out!