Week-End in Havana
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Movie Reviews of Week-End in Havana
Movie Review: Best of Fox's "South-of-the-Border" Musicals
Summary: 5 Stars
"Down Argentine Way" may have started the series and made a star of Betty Grable, but I think "Weekend in Havana" is the movie that perfected the formula of the Technicolor "south-of-the-border" musical. For once, everything (the eye-popping Technicolor, the songs, the jokes) seems to have fallen in the right place and the film is harmlessly entertaining from beginning to end. Sure, Carmen Miranda is really Brazilian, Havana is basically portrayed as one big Hollywood studio nightclub, and the Latin couple is a comedic foil to the white leads, but you cannot expect too much political correctness from a 1941 Hollywood film. The movie also doesn't have the sophisticated choreographies and camera movements of the best MGM musicals, but as far as entertainment value goes, this is as good or better than MGM.
Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda are both in top form all through the movie. Faye, playing a Macy's girl vacationing in Havana, delivers her big number (the ballad "Tropical Magic") in a characteristic pose (resting on a veranda) but for once she doesn't play a suffering girlfriend. She's funny and feisty and makes you wish Alice Faye had been allowed to play less passive roles in her other movies. Miranda, as a nightclub singer, shows that she was an excellent comedienne, and she seems to be having a ball playing Cesar Romero's jealous and flirtatious girlfriend. Cesar Romero and John Payne are easily upstaged by the female leads, but they're good as well (Romero in particular).
This is definitively the highlight of Fox's first round of "Marquee Musicals." And, unlike what another reviewer pointed out, "Weekend in Havana" is not at all like the many "vaudeville"-inspired Technicolor musicals that Fox released throughout the 1940s. Highly recommended.
About the DVD: The film looked great, but a few comments: 1) the packaging favors Carmen Miranda over top-billed Alice Faye; 2) the liner notes have some mistaken info about Miranda (the same happens in Jeanine Basinger's superficial commentary track); 3) some stills on the menus belong to different movies ("Springtime in the Rockies" and a Sonja Henie musical); and 4) there was only one "lobby card" included (the same happened with the "Pin-Up Girl" and "Daddy Long Legs" DVDs).
Movie Review: Another fine Fox wartime musical romance
Summary: 5 Stars
Fox channel ran this film right after "Sun Valley Serenade", both released in 1941. This emphasized to me that both musical romances had basically the same plot, but in very different exotic settings and with different lead actors, except for John Payne. In both films, Payne is engaged to be married to one knockout, but gradually comes to realize he prefers a newcommer, Alice Faye, in the present film. Whereas in SVS, Payne spends most of the film trying to deny that he is falling in love with Sonja Henje's character, who keeps popping up unexpectedly, in the present film, it's Payne who keeps popping up unexpectedly in the life of Alice, who initially shows no interest in him. Both films are blessed with multiple stars, with complementary and overlapping talents. As usual, Payne is the fall guy for a series of embarrassing and comedic situations, can sing, and eventually winds up with the leading lady. Cesar Romero functions as the primary male comedian as well as something for the ladies to swoon over. Carmen Miranda is her usual effervescent flirtatious self, as different in personality and looks from prim dreamy-eyed Alice Faye as one can imagine. She is the centerpiece of occasional lavish costume musical numbers, whereas Alice renders her ballads in quite a different style. While Romero makes a play for Alice, whom he thinks is filthy rich, and Carmen flirts with Payne, savvy viewers know that Carmen will return to Romero, while Payne and Alice will return together to NYC. Like SVS, this film is just fun, with a vaudevillian mix of song and dance, comedy, drama and romance.
My DVD includes a very excellent commentary version by Jeanie Basinger, who enlightens us on the technical aspects of film making, as well as some background on the major stars. A background broshure and several postcards from the film were included. Also, in the film trailer department, "Pin Up Girl" and "Daddy Long Legs" are featured.
Movie Review: A reel treat
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm an Alice Faye fan so it was great to see this restored print being released. She did some 31 musicals in 12 years at Fox so I hope they reissue more of them. A classy lady with a wonderful singing voice!
The technicolor images are bright and sharp so Carmen Miranda's costumes are spectacular, maybe even scene stealers. I watched this on a DVD player that has HD resolution upscaling capabilities and the picture quality was very detailed for a film of that era (1941).
I played the film first then re-ran it with the voiceover commentary by a film historian, which was excellent. I learned a great deal about the film, its actors, set design, costuming, the studio system, etc., etc. This is a wonderful special feature addition to the DVD.
Costco currently offers the lowest price on this DVD that I have run across. Also, if you live in the LA area and know somone who works at the Fox studio you can get all of the Fox DVDs for even less at the studio store adjacent to the commissary. I load up on them whenever I visit down there. If you can get an invite for lunch at the commissary dining room be sure to go as the food is excellent and the "old Hollywood" decor is fun. One time when I was there Rupert Murdoch happened to be sitting at the next table. (I think that was shortly after Ted Turner challenged him to a boxing match.)
Movie Review: DELIRIOUSLY GOOFY FOX EXTRAVAGANZA.....
Summary: 5 Stars
What there is of a plot in this fabulous hokum takes a back seat to the Technicolor running riot, the sumptuous costumes and the Latin themed musical numbers that showcase Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye, John Payne and Cesar Romero. They're all mixed up in a scheme to keep a Macy's "shopgirl" (Faye) from suing a steamship company over her botched Havana vacation. The epitome of 40's Fox musicals is fast-paced, non-sensical and pure entertainment. Miranda practically steals the film with her performance as night club entertainer Rosita Rivas. Her musical numbers are hallucinatory visions of color and Latin rythyms that defined her brief but vibrant career. The DVD print is good and the mind-boggling Technicolor shines through near pitch perfect. My only complaint...the "collectible lobby cards". My copy came with an envelope labeled "Lobby Cards" with only one card inside. Surely we're not expected to keep buying the DVD until we collect them all. Confusing. Anyway, "Week-end In Havana" is a lot of fun for old film lovers and lovers of goofy but entertaining musicals. Enjoy.Movie Review: A mini-vacation with vaudeville.....
Summary: 5 Stars
"Weekend in Havana" is just one of those Fox treasures. Everyone in this films has worked or will work together many times, but somehowit all really comes together here. Alice Faye is a brilliant comedienne and isat her best in this film. She also does some wonderful singing. Carmen Miranda chasing
Caesar Romero in a bold black and white outfit with 5" platform
shoes is funny and scary at the same time. Carmen was 4" 8" tall and with the platforms, she was a towering 5' 1", and she wore them all the time...so she knew what she was doing..but
they do look deadly. This film is just pure 1940's family
entertainment. Everyone in it is very good, the color is so
great...it is even one of those musicals where you can spot
Maria Montez in the chorus! So no need to hesitate...this is exactly the kind of movie you want on your shelf to brighten
cloudy winter days. Lots of pretty people sorting themselves out in a tropical paradise located in West Hollywood! ENJOY!!