The production and presentation of Minnelli’s first masterpiece gets everything right that really counts.
There’s a gravity to everything Ingrid Bergman says in this movie, and she has a grandeur that seems to come naturally, a statuesque hauteur.
Movies work by building and releasing tension, a pattern demonstrated more nakedly in the musical than in nearly any other genre.
A fine disc of a strange film.
The Pirate lacks consistency, but it’s so off-beat and subterranean that it will always be of interest as a cult film.
The Band Wagon highlights Fred Astaire’s technical genius, particularly in numbers where he’s dancing alone.
Forgettable songs and too much emphasis on the meandering plot make Bells Are Ringing a snooze.
The Band Wagon is a love song for the narcissistic, and theater people are sure to eat up the film.
Bells Are Ringing has the unfortunate effect of being a movie that seems stuck on a Broadway stage.
Three outtake musical numbers are smartly photographed but quite expendable.
At least the dancing is good, and Minnelli’s restless camera gooses a plodding story into liveliness.
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last. Next year we may all be living in the past.”
Meet Me in St. Louis remains one of the most vital of musical films.