Night and Day
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Movie Reviews of Night and Day
Movie Review: Great Cole Porter Songs!
Summary: 4 Stars
Everytime I play this DVD, the songs just stay with me for days. I really enjoy all of it.
Movie Review: Better than expected
Summary: 4 Stars
The price was great, and the extras on the DVD are such fun. THANKS!Movie Review: Music and Performances Are The High Points
Summary: 3 Stars
One of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters, Cole Porter (1891-1964) worked hard to present an unflappable image to the world--but in truth he was a tremendously complex man, a homosexual who lived with wife Linda Lee Thomas in a marriage of convenience, subject fits of depression, and suffering horrific pain in the wake of a horseback riding accident which left him crippled at the peak of his career. Add to this the fact that his lyrics were often censored for film, radio, and records and it seems very odd that 1940s Hollywood would attempt a biography.What they did, of course, was fictionalize it to the max, reducing the story of his life to a mix of backstage musical and domestic drama--and transforming the tiny and waspish Porter and his icy bride Linda into handsome Cary Grant and lovely Alexis Smith. The result is pure nonsense, of course, but when you tack in a host of Porter classics--fantasy it might be, but it is entertaining enough to watch.
Grant is no singer, but he has considerable charm, and Smith is as always extremely attractive. The supporting cast is remarkably strong, featuring the likes of Jane Wyman, Eve Arden, Dorothy Malone, and Alan Hale--and rare screen appearances by Monty Woolley and Mary Martin, who deliver knockout performances of "Miss Otis Regrets" and "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" respectively. The DVD transfer is reasonable, and although the bonuses are pure fluff they are amusing. While it may be short on fact with a story little more than pure melodrama, the music and performers make NIGHT AND DAY a reasonably pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Movie Review: One side of the story
Summary: 3 Stars
Those reviewers who warn and complain about the highly fictionalized version of Cole Porter's life in this movie are absolutely correct, but that is one of the central points of the movie. For a more complete portrait of one of America's greatest composers, I urge you to see another magnificent, but terribly under-appreciated film on the dual nature of Porter's life and music--"De Lovely." Both Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd do a wonderful job of portraying the complicated nature of Porter and his relationship with his wife, Linda Lee Thomas, as well as the importance of their relationship for the evolution of Porter's wonderful music. The movie is even more fun because the musical score is sung by a Hall of Fame pop musical and Broadway theater cast dressed in period costumes and making all of Porter's greatest songs come to life. The combination of both "De Lovely" and "Night and Day" will make clear all of the different aspects of Porter's life and highlight the changes over the years in Hollywood's biographical portrayalsMovie Review: Compare and contrast to "De-Lovely"
Summary: 3 Stars
"De-Lovely", of course, is the 2004 biofilm of Cole Porter, which explores subjects - especially Porter's gayness - that "Night and Day" couldn't. That being stipulated, though, I thought Cary Grant did quite well as Porter, though the movie, again, isn't really able to explore the complexities of Porter's relationship with his wife Linda, going for a more conventional route of "wife neglected by success-driven star". The music is terrific either way, though.