Swing Time
Director: George Stevens
Year Released: 1936
Rating: 2.5
I realize I am digging up my old 'Mr. Grumpy' mask and putting it on when reviewing this - it is, after all, considered a classic by many - but for me, a classic isn't a film in which you have to look past certain parts of a film, notably, excessive plot contrivances, bad singing, corny dialogue and terrible acting. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers deliver cinematic euphoria when they put their feet and bodies to work (my favorite: the brilliant romantic song sequence in a snowy field), but you also feel cheated when the events surrounding it, and the characters in it, are third-rate. Astaire, while undoubtedly graceful and charismatic, has little acting ability (Rogers is a bit better) - his bumbling magician friend upstages him every time.
