Cover Girl
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Movie Reviews of Cover Girl
Movie Review: GREAT MUSICAL WOTH THE MONEY
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know what the other neg. reviewers are talking about. This is a great film. It's very entertaining and wonderful to look at. Your DVD collection is incomplete without this film.Movie Review: Rita at her most dazzling!
Summary: 5 Stars
A great movie from Hollywood's Golden era. Rita Hayworth at her most beautiful. She and Gene Kelly team up with great music and dancing. A must for classic movie buffs!Movie Review: movie "Cover Girl"
Summary: 5 Stars
As always Rita Hayworth is a fine a performer as she is beautiful to look at.Movie Review: Wonderful Rita Hayworth And Some Great Kern/Gershwin Songs
Summary: 4 Stars
This Columbia musical may be something of an artifact now, but it was designed to showcase Rita Hayworth. It does it so professionally that the movie is still a lot of fun to watch. The story is almost irrelevant to the movie. Rusty Parker (Hayworth) is a talented dancer working at a struggling dinner theater, Danny McGuire's Place, in Brooklyn. Danny (Gene Kelly) and Rusty love each other, and Danny is determined that one of these days his talents as a choreographer, dancer and showman will lead to the big time with Rusty. But Rusty gets noticed by John Coudair (Otto Kruger), a wealthy, high society publisher, and he makes Rusty the cover girl of one of his most popular magazines, Vanity. And the rest is history. Rusty becomes the hit of New York; a theater producer wants her for a show and wants to marry her. And Danny, seeing this happen, reluctantly decides he can't stand in her way. There's another story going on, too. Forty years ago Coudair had fallen hard for a showgirl, Maribelle Hicks. Despite Coudair's riches and position, Maribelle left him at the last minute to marry the poor piano player she really loved. Rusty doesn't know this story...and it turns out she was Maribelle's grand daughter. What will Rusty do? Well, watch the movie if you're in any doubt. The movie, however, is worth watching for several other reasons.
First, is the performance by Rita Hayworth. In fact, just the presence of Hayworth. She really was a beautiful creature with those long legs, red hair and a perfectly natural and friendly personality. She also was a first-rate dancer. Betty Grable once said Hayworth could dance rings around her. Many critics agree that Hayworth was the best dance partner Astaire ever had. Even when doing a fast tap routine, Hayworth could carry it off with great grace and look completely relaxed, as if she were having great fun. Check her out, for instance, in the Shorty George tap routine with Astaire from You Were Never Lovelier. She gives that same feeling of joy in dancing while working with Kelly.
Second, are the songs by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin. Long Ago and Far Away was the big hit, but the entire score is one classy song after another, including Make Way for Tomorrow, Cover Girl, Sure Thing and The Show Must Go On. Long Ago, in fact, was the biggest money earner for Gershwin, bringing in considerably more than any of the songs he wrote with his brother. He said several times that he didn't think the lyric was as good as it could have been. One of the songs, Put Me to the Test, has a lyric that Gershwin originally wrote for a song with his brother. It never went anywhere, so when he had some trouble with the idea he mentioned to Kern that he had a lyric that had already been set to music by George. He said he didn't know whether Kern would be offended, but Kern just laughed and asked to see the words.
Third, are some nice performances by the supporting players. Phil Silvers, as the best friend of both Rusty and Danny, plays comic relief and matchmaker. He does a nice job of it. Otto Kruger as usual plays a smoothie, but he has a few subtle double takes he handles skillfully. He also, of course, does the right thing by Rusty. He manages to show regret and affection. And it is always fun to see Eve Arden, once again as the sardonic, wise-cracking side kick, this time to Coudair. She was so type cast in granite that I always wonder how well she could have managed in a few really serious roles. I don't recall ever seeing her in one.
Fourth, is the glossy, professional, Technicolor sheen of the movie. Everything, the sets, the costumes, the lighting, the makeup is handled with the kind of Hollywood studio perfection that isn't seen anymore. Even when the showgirls are putting on their makeup, they're perfectly made up.
Kelly does a good job, especially with the alter ego dance he does with himself and which is often highlighted in specials about his career. But Cover Girl remains very much Rita Hayworth's movie.
The Dvd transfer is excellent; Technicolor never looked better. There are no extras.
Movie Review: VERY NICE LOOKING TRANSFER FROM COLUMBIA - HOW UNUSUAL!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Cover Girl" is a star vehicle for Rita Hayworth. Having stated the obvious, its quick paced and elegant good fun, bookended by Gene Kelly's superb dancing and Eve Arden's "hotter than fire" one-liners. Rita is cast as a nobody who gets her face plastered on one magazine and overnight becomes the toast of Broadway. Her duet with Kelly, "Long Ago and Far Away" is the real highlight in this nimble minded programmer that really took audiences by storm. - people used to be so easy to please!TRANSFER: Well, what do you know? After a slew of bargain basement trasfers (though by no means was Columbia's pricing what this reviewer would consider a bargain) we at last get a transfer that's worthy of the digital format. Colors are vibrant and well balanced. Contrast and black levels are bang on. Film grain and age related artifacts are present but they don't terribly distract. There are no digital compression artifacts. The audio is MONO but nicely balanced.
EXTRAS: Forget it! Columbia remains on their penny-pinching kick, but hey - at least the film looks good.
BOTTOM LINE: This is not an outstanding example of the Hollywood musical. However, it is adept at poking fun at itself and having a good time doing it. For a night of light fluff that will put a smile on your face, I recommend "Cover Girl".