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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Slice of Heaven,
By
This review is from: Yolanda and the Thief [VHS] (VHS Tape)
In my opinion (for whatever that's worth) it's impossible for any movie starring Fred Astaire to be bad. So, I wasn't surprised when I viewed Yolanda and the Thief for the first time and found myself thoroughly enjoying this unusual musical. Unfortunately, this was not the general consensus of the movie going public when Yolanda premiered in November of 1945. Even under the masterful direction of Vincent Minnelli, the film was an enormous flop, costing MGM millions...and for all intents and purposes...destroying Lucille Bremer's career. Once relegated to virtual cinematic obscurity until Turner Classic Movies came along and resurrected it, Yolanda has attained "cult classic" status and is finally earning the aprreciation it deserves in spite of its flaws.The movie features Fred Astaire, as charming conman, Johnny Parkson; Lucille Bremer as the virginal and incredibly rich, Yolanda; Frank Morgan as fellow conman, Victor Budlow Trout (Is that a great name, or what?); Mildred Natwick as Yolanda's match making aunt, Amarilla; and Leon Ames as the mysterious Mr. Candle. The plot revolves around Johnny Parkson(Astaire) who, in order to to get the innocent Yolanda's (Bremer)huge fortune has hatched a plot to convince her that he's her guardian angel. Having spent her entire life in a convent, Yolanda is easily persuaded that he is indeed the angelic being he presents himself as and gives Johny every reason to believe his scheme will succeed without a hitch. Soon, however, Victor Trout (Morgan) must try and keep the con game going when it becomes obvious that Johnny is falling in love with Yolanda and may be faltering in his quest to get her millions. Yolanda is also doing battle with her less than pure thoughts. After all, it's a no-no- to fall in love with an angel, or so she assumes. All the while, Aunt Amarilla (Natwick) unaware of her niece's belief in Johnny's angelic nature, does her best to get the two together in a very human sort of way. While all of this is unfolding, the mysterious cigar smoking, Mr. Candle (Ames) keeps appearing and always at the most inopportune moments, making Johnny and Trout's scheme even more difficult to pull off. But, in a fanciful twist near the close of the movie, we discover that when it comes to understanding an angels heart, no one can hold a candle to Mr. Candle, giving us...as in all fairy tales (as this indeed is) the expected happy ending. Now, plot aside, this is after all a Fred Astaire musical and this is where things get dicey. One of the primary reasons this film had difficulty taking off at the box office is its surrealistic look and feel. Scene after scene has the intentional appearance of a Salvador Dali painting, the most notable being a 15-minute ballet sequence in which Astaire confronts his conflicted feelings for Yolanda. Absolutely gorgeous to look at in all its brilliant Technicolor glory, it was just too far out for the movie going public of the mid 1940s to accept. Fans of Fred wanted classic Astaire and this was anything but. To add to the mix, this was one of the few times when someone other than Astaire did his choreography...and although Eugene Loring was one of the best choreographers in Hollywood at this time, his style was quite different from Astaires and it shows. Having said this, Astaire's dancing is still breath taking, as is Lucille Bremer's and they compliment each other perfectly. A relative unknown at the time, Yolanda was only Bremer's second movie, having played Judy Garland's older sister the previous year in another Vincent Minnelli classic, Meet Me in St. Louis. Now, I've read other reviews that criticize Bremer's acting ability, calling it wooden and stilted. But, give the gal a break here. She's playing an unworldly, virginal young woman who has been raised by nuns, for God's sake (no pun intended). Her acting abilities were less than award winning, I grant you, but not bad by half considering she was trained as a singer and dancer and had acted in only one other major role. As for the music, I love it. The words and music were written by Harry Warren and Arthur Freed, and all of it memorable, with the best musical number by far being "Coffee Time". This particular dance sequence is absolutely hypnotic and not just because of the music either. Wait until you get a load of the optical illusion style floor they dance on! With costumes by Irene, set design by Cedric Gibbons, direction by Vincent Minnelli and of course the incredible artistry of the master, Fred Astaire, this is a "must see" movie. And once you're done watching, you won't feel halfway about it either. You'll either love, or hate it. My bet is on love. And even if I'm wrong in my assumption, a film that can generate such strong feelings in either direction is a film worth watching. If you are reluctant to buy Yolanda right now, at least do yourself the favor of renting it, or seeing when Turner Classic Movies is running it again. It's well worth the effort.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bizarre but entertaining musical fantasy,
By David J. Kucharski (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Yolanda and the Thief [VHS] (VHS Tape)
In the small but intriguing field of surrealistic musical films (which includes LADY IN THE DARK and ZIEGFELD FOLLIES), perhaps the most bizarre is director Vincente Minnelli's YOLANDA AND THE THIEF.The film tells the story of Yolanda (played by Lucille Bremer), a fabulously wealthy heiress in a fictional South American country. Having just left the convent school where she grew to adulthood, Yolanda is overwhelmed at the prospect of managing her vast estate. She prays for guidance to her guardian angel, but her prayer is overheard by a sly con-man (Fred Astaire) who decides to pose as the angel himself. The film's script--based on a story by Ludwig Bemelmens, author of the famous children's story MADELINE--is a strange blend of zany comedy and mystical fantasy. The most interesting (and, depending on the audience, perhaps scandalous) element has Yolanda falling romantically and erotically in love with the man she believes to be a heavenly messenger. During a moment of prayer, she tries to deny her feelings: "Oh my angel. You know I could never even think of marrying you. . ." Then she stops, realizing that an angel can read her thoughts, and that marriage is EXACTLY what she's thinking of! YOLANDA AND THE THIEF is photographed in breathtaking Technicolor. Its musical elements are fine, with choreography by the ballet world's famed Eugene Loring and songs by Harry Warren and the film's producer, Arthur Freed. Best tunes are "Angel" and "Coffee Time." But the most striking musical moment is the 15 minute surrealistic ballet sequence depicting the thief's conflicted feelings for his "prey," Yolanda. The ballet features huge, Dali-like sets, impressive costumes, bizarre effects, and an attractive but somewhat out-of-place song, "Will You Marry Me?" This film was intended to make Lucille Bremer a big star. It didn't happen. She and Astaire partner well, and she is strikingly beautiful. (She looks something like Bette Davis, if Bette Davis had been a tall, auburn-haired, glamorous show girl.) But she seems defeated by her role's acting requirements (granted, this role would have stumped anybody!). She seems most realxed and at home during her dance numbers, particularly "Coffee Time," in which she and Astaire appear to be having great fun. You definitely have to be in the mood for something different to enjoy YOLANDA AND THE THIEF. But the movie is a fun reminder of 1940s pop surrealism, as well as of how strange commercial Hollywood used to get on occasion.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Real Oddball Movie,
By Michael Puckett (Little Rock, AR United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Yolanda and the Thief [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This very oddly filmed fantasy directed by the great Vincent Minnelli was quite a production way back in 1946. The Story which is set in a fictional South American country stars Fred Astaire as a con man who impersonates a guardian angel to get at the vast fortune of Lucille Bremer's character, the innocent, Yolanda. This paper thin plot is pleasant enough but is over-shadowed by the very opulent sets, and breathtaking Technicolor musical production numbers. One of those being a surreal dream sequence which is one of the most mindboggling ever put on film. `Coffee Time' a catchy little tune looks like it was a blast to film, and that black and white swrilled dance floor will give you optical illusions. Over-all I rate this film so highly because it is wonderfully off-beat and is so beautiful to look at. I read that "Yolanda" cost a whopping 6 million dollars to make, which was unheard of at the time, and that it was a huge box office flop. I also understand that Fred Astaire nearly retired from show business because of his trials and tribulations filming it. If you are in the mood for something different, in the Salvido Dali sense, I highly recommend this film.
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