Ziegfeld Girl
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Movie Reviews of Ziegfeld Girl
Movie Review: "If you've got the right stuff, the pace won't bother you."
Summary: 5 Stars
In May, 1938, MGM announced that a sequal to the box office hit "The Great Ziegfeld" was being readied for production. The stars were to be Joan Crawford, Eleanor Powell, Margaret Sullavan, and Virginia Bruce. Because of delays in production, however, filming didn't begin until October, 1940, and an entire new cast replaced the old one. This time the principle stars were Jimmy Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner.
Lana Turner had already appeared in a dozen movies before "Ziegfeld Girl", and this was easily her most important role up to that time. The director, Robert Z. Leonard, added additional scenes of Lana that made her the main attraction (at least in my opinion) of the film. She was ravishingly beautiful, but this role finally gave her the chance to show her acting capabilities.
Lana plays Sheila Regan, a department store elevator operator whose boyfriend, Gil (played by Jimmy Stewart), has big dreams for himself and her. Judy Garland plays Susan Gallagher, a young vaudeville performer that's deeply attached to her father (who performs with her on stage). Hedy Lamarr plays Sandra Kolter, the patient wife of a broke musician. What do all three lovely ladies have in common? Why, becoming a Ziegfeld girl of course!
All three are accepted, but the sudden stardom affects each one differently. Susan becomes a famous singer for Ziegfeld and falls in love with Sheila's younger brother Jerry (played by Jackie Cooper). Sandra has an affair with singing star Frank Merton (played by Tony Martin) but she never truly forgets her love for her penniless husband. She eventually comes to her senses, quits the show, and returns to her husband, who finally finds a job as a concert violinist.
Sheila, meanwhile, lets stardom go to her head and she becomes the mistress of a very wealthy socialite, Geoffrey Collis (played by Ian Hunter), leaving her old boyfiend Gil behind. She becomes an alcoholic and finally looses her job. She's then reduced to pawning off her jewelry. Gil, meanwhile, has gotten a high-paying job working as a bootlegger for gangster Nick Capalini (played by Bernard Nedell) but is still bitter about being dumped by his beloved Sheila.
Sheila and Gil finally reunite and forget the past, but Sheila's alcoholism catches up with her, making for an unforgettable ending. This fine musical has wonderful songs like "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (-One of Garland's best scenes). The song "We Must Have Music" was cut do to the film being deemed overlong, but thankfully the outtake is included as a bonus feature on this dvd. Both the picture and sound quality are superb throughout the film, and the movie itself is a classic MGM musical with great star talent and very entertaining songs and dances. Highly recommended!
Movie Review: Wonderful Delicious kitsch!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have loved this movie from the first time I saw it in the fall of 1977 on WCBS-TV, Channel 2, from NYC when I was 15. I was allowed to stay up until the wee hours of the morning as long as my studies didn't suffer. Of course, all of this nonsense of loving classic MGM movies started with "That's Entertainment!" three years earlier."Ziegfeld Girl" is a wonderful musical soap opera from start to finish. With a stellar cast headed by James Stewart, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden and so many more how could you go wrong? You can't! While this isn't "great" movie-making in the "The Wizard of Oz" or "Citizen Kane" sense it's still a terrific example of a Hollywood, or should I say Culver City, empire at its best. The only exception would be the finale of "Ziegfeld Girl" which encompasses interpolations from "The Great Ziegfeld". The original finale "We Must Have Music" wasn't considered grand enough and this was definitely a cost-cutting measure on Metro's part to look more opulent.
Some of the highlights are the musical numbers directed by Busby Berkeley including "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "Minnie From Trinidad". Other highlights are Garland's audition sequence featuring "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", Eve Arden's dry wit and Lana Turner's dramatic turn. She has the most interesting story of the three Ziegfeld Girls. Hedy Lamarr is stunning and Judy Garland was on the cusp of her glamour years at MGM. That would start with her next picture, "Life Begins For Andy Hardy" where she definitely had a new more sophisticated sexy look. She is very glamorous in "Minnie From Trinidad". Adrian's costuming in this movie is spectacular.
The DVD transfer is exceptional. While there are some age-related artifacts, overall the quality is wonderful. This is a HUGE improvement over previous incarnations on VHS and Laserdisc where one could tell every reel change. The sound quality is very nicely balanced and cleaned up which cannot be said of earlier releases.
My recommendation is that you buy this DVD ASAP. If you love classic movies you will enjoy this. It's a lot of fun and Garland, Turner and Lamarr have never looked so beautiful before or at least since 1941.
Movie Review: VINTAGE WARTIME MUSICAL....
Summary: 5 Stars
For sheer 1941 Hollywood glamour and spectacle, "Ziegfeld Girl" is what it's all about. Produced by Pandro S.Berman and with the all out musical numbers staged by Busby Berkeley, it also features the youthful beauty of Judy Garland and Lana Turner with the stunning Hedy Lamarr for extra eye candy. The hackneyed story of three star struck girls chosen as Ziegfeld showgirls and the resulting complications is glossed over by the stars including Jimmy Stewart as Lana's beau and Eve Arden as a been around showgirl watching as the newcomers take over the spotlight. Lana is the one who suffers the most and falls prey to tragedy. The costumes are incredible and the musical numbers very elaborate---especially Judy's tropical "Minnie From Trinidad" and the show stopper "You Stepped Out of a Dream". My only question is why wasn't it in Technicolor instead of b&w? The DVD print shows some wear but overall it's very good. For vintage film and musical buffs (as well as Garland and Turner fans) this is a treasure.Movie Review: What a film!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
"You stepped out of a dream" is one of the great songs from this outstanding motion picture. This number alone will give you chills and even if your a guy you would wonder what it would be like to decend on a glamor staircase. It the production number you don't want to have end. It is just beautiful. The whole entire film is also outstanding but the last scene before the final number in true Lana Turner fasion steals the film. In this scene she is fatally ill and leaves the theare while Tony Martin is singing "You stepped out of a dream." In her trade mark jestures at the top of the stair case without any dialog only music she thinks of being that beautiful Ziegfield girl again and decends down the stairs. The music builds and then she collapses. Oh,,,what a dramatic scene. This entire film will make your heart pound and only wish that Hollywood could produce something like this again.Movie Review: A pastiche of movie styles of the period
Summary: 5 Stars
The format follows the careers of Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner during their first year as a Ziegfeld girl, with Edward Everett Horton and Paul Kelly as the managers of the Follies who are present in each sequence. Judy is drawn to Jackie Cooper, Lana to Jimmy Stewart and Hedy to Tony Martin. Jimmy and Lana act with body motions and changes of speaking pace, Hedy and Judy with expressive eyes, voice and hands. Rather than a musical comedy, this is a melodrama in which Tony and Judy have a musical extravaganza now and then directed by Busby Berkeley. There are five sequences, the fourth of which is the monumental musical extravaganza, and the other four of which describe the private lives of the showgirls.