Product Details

• Actors: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore
• Directors: George Stevens
• Writers: Allan Scott, Anthony Veiller, Ben Holmes, Dorothy Yost, Erwin S. Gelsey
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: August 13, 1996
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304119127
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,385 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If you only had one Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film to watch,this classic musical from 1936 would be your best bet. It was the dance duo's sixth film together, and director George Stevens handled the material with as much flair behind the camera as Fred and Ginger displayed in front of it. This time out, Fred plays a gambling hoofer who's engaged to marry a young socialite (Betty Furness), but when he's late for the wedding his prospective father-in-law sends him away, demanding that he earn $25,000 before he can earn his daughter's hand in marriage. When Fred meets Ginger in a local dance studio (where he pretends to be a klutz so she can be his instructor), he's instantly smitten and the $25,000 deal becomes a moot point. Featuring six songs by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields (including a splendid rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight") and some of the most elegant dance sequences ever filmed, this lightweight fluff epitomizes the jazz-age style of 1930s musicals, virtually defining the genre with graceful joie de vivre. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Fred and Ginger's Three Essential Films, May 30, 2002

By 

Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swing Time [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime Entertainment, Astaire and Rogers Make Screen Magic!, July 9, 2000

By 

Bertin Ramirez "justareviewer" (San Ysidro, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing Time [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of American musical theatre, October 25, 1999

By 

Anthony Clarke (Woodend, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swing Time [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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!!!!