Royal Wedding

Starring:Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, Sarah Churchill, Keenan Wynn, Albert Sharpe, Carmen Clifford, Charlotte Hunter, Wilson Benge, John R. Reilly, Marietta Elliott, James Horne Jr., Mae Clarke, Alex Frazer, Stanley Mann (II), William Cabanne, Jimmy Fairfax, Lucille Lamarr, Wilson Wood, Eric Wilton
Director: Stanley Donen
Studio: Vidtape
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh
Average customer rating:
- Royal Wedding is finally rescued from the public domain
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Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 2 (The Pirate / Words and Music / That's Dancing / The Belle of New York & Royal Wedding / That Midnight Kiss & The Toast of New Orleans)
Starring: Judy Garland , Gene Kelly , Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , and Kathryn Grayson
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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- Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
ASIN: B000PAAK5K
Release Date: 2007-07-24 |
Customer Reviews:
Royal Wedding is finally rescued from the public domain.......2007-04-26
This is the second volume of MGM Dream Factory musicals. Only "That's Dancing" and "Royal Wedding" are on DVD already, and those are generally poor public domain copies. The other five features have only been on VHS up to now. I'd put all of these movies except "Belle of New York" at between four and five stars if you are a fan of the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's. "Belle of New York" I'd put at between three and four stars mainly because the campiness of the entire production gets in the way most of the time. Considering you expect some gimmicks in MGM musicals of this era, that is saying a lot. The extra features, which I got from a press release from Warner Home Video, do look good. This package probably rates 4.5 stars taken as a whole, and I round it up to five. The following are brief descriptions of the films and the special features for each one.
The Pirate (1948) Starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. Features music by Cole Porter. A swashbuckling tale is largely just a framework for the music and dancing, which is excellent. Judy Garland plays a girl obsessed with a legendary pirate. Gene Kelly pretends to be that pirate in order to get the girl. This film actually lost money for MGM in its initial release. Today it is interesting because it showcases the talents of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland so well.
Commentary by historian John Fricke
New featurette The Pirate: A Musical Treasure Chest
Oscar-nominated Pete Smith Specialty 1948 MGM comedy short You Can't Win
1947 MGM classic cartoon Cat Fishing
Mack the Black stereo remix version
Audio-outtakes: Love of My Life and Mack the Black
Roger Edens' guide tracks of Be a Clown, Manuela, Nina, and You Can Do No Wrong
Promotional radio interviews with Gene Kelly for On the Town and Judy Garland for The Pirate
Theatrical trailer
That's Dancing! (1985) is a documentary along the same lines as "That's Entertainment" narrated by Gene Kelly along with co-hosts Ray Bolger, Sammy Davis Jr., Mikhail Baryshnikov and Liza Minnelli. The clips of dancing in motion pictures from the 30's to the 80's are very good, but the presentation was lacking somewhat. The narration seems deadpan, and when the narration cuts into the actual dancing numbers it is distracting more than informative.
Introduction by Gene Kelly and Jack Haley, Jr.
Invitation to Dance
The Search
The Cameras Roll
The Gathering
Theatrical trailer
Words and Music (1948) features lots of stars as themselves performing to the music of Rodgers and Hart. This is a totally fictional account of the lives and careers of Rodgers and Hart. In 1948 the true story would have never made it past the censors, but then the commentary is supposed to clear all of that up.
Commentary by historian Richard Barrios focusing on Rodgers and Hart
New featurette A Life in Words and Music
Oscar-nominated Theatre of Life 1948 MGM short Going to Blazes!
1948 MGM classic cartoon The Cat That Hated People
Lover and You're Nearer Outtakes featuring Perry Como
Audio-only bonuses: Outtakes of Falling in Love with Love, I Feel at Home with You, Manhattan (alternate version), My Funny Valentine, My Heart Stood Still, On Your Toes (alternate version) and Way Out West on West End Avenue
Theatrical trailer
That Midnight Kiss (1949) Starring Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza. This is another MGM musical with a great supporting cast that largely exists for the sake of the music, not the plot. There are some great operatic performances by Lanza who is starring in what turns out to be a pseudo-autobiography.
Pete Smith Specialty 1949 MGM comedy short Sports Oddities
1949 MGM classic cartoon Droopy
One Love of Mine outtake sequence with Lanza and Grayson
Theatrical trailer
Toast Of New Orleans (1950) Starring Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza. This time Lanza is a fisherman when his talent as a singer is discovered, and he and Grayson are in New Orleans, thus the title. This is a light breezy film with touches of comedy, delivered somewhat surprisingly by Lanza.
2006 BBC documentary on Mario Lanza
Vintage Fitzpatrick Traveltalk 1940 MGM shorts Modern New Orleans and Old New Orleans
Theatrical trailer
Royal Wedding (1951) Starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell. My favorite film of the group. A brother and sister act perform in England at the time of then Princess Elizabeth's wedding. They both fall in love, thus breaking up the act. This has Astaire's famous performance in which he dances on the walls and ceiling of his London hotel room.
Private Screenings with Stanley Donen [2006 TCM special]
Royal Wedding: June, Judy and Jane-A New Featurette
Car of Tomorrow 1951 MGM cartoon
Droopy's Double Trouble 1951 MGM cartoon
Every Night at Seven outtake with Peter Lawford and Jane Powell
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell MGM Promotional Radio Interview for Royal Wedding [audio only]
Theatrical trailer
The Belle of New York (1952) Starring Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen. This is actually a disappointing film considering Astaire is in it. Although Astaire dances more in this film than in most of the others he made, it is just hard to get past the campiness of it all - literally dancing on air, dancing on a horse's back, etc. There is some great music from Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer, though.
Musiquiz 1952 MGM Pete Smithshort
Magical Maestro 1952 MGM Tex Avery cartoon
I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man-Unused alternate take
Theatrical trailer
Average customer rating:
- Run, Don't Walk Away From this One
- The Prince & Me 2 - The Roy Wedding
- Very disappointed
- Yes, it is that bad.
- The Prince & Me 2
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The Prince & Me 2 - The Royal Wedding
Starring: Luke Mably , Kam Heskin , Maryam d'Abo , Clemency Burton-Hill , and Jonathan Firth
Director: Catherine Cyran
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
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ASIN: B000CDSS0Y
Release Date: 2006-02-21 |
Customer Reviews:
Run, Don't Walk Away From this One.......2007-06-06
You just saw the Prince and Me, and with magic in your eyes you want more, well, you are not going to find it here in this straight to video horror.
The scene where the Prince's future wife walks into a room of the worst computer animated butterflies should have been hint enough but there is more...
First you wonder where the rest of the cast has gone, not even the minor, minor characters have returned for a reprise (except the poor Prince).
The plot is not worthy of a movie of the week. It is the typical "We must prevent a commoner from ascending to throne."
Trust me, put the first one back in the DVD player and lets pretend it just did not happen. Watch it and you will be royally sore.
The Prince & Me 2 - The Roy Wedding.......2007-05-30
A fine, light romance movie, have enjoyed watching it several times. The only thing that would have made this movie better would have been to have the original cast members from "The Prince and Me" movie. But still a very fine movie and beautiful scenery.
Very disappointed.......2007-05-26
It's hard to like a second movie like this one... Only 1 actor returned out of the big characters in the 1st movie. That is what really disappointed me. Julia really made the character in the 1st movie, and would have really made a huge difference in this film.
Yes, it is that bad........2007-04-27
I finally watched this movie on the Disney channel the other night. Well really I can only say I watched half of the movie. I just couldn't take it anymore. If you liked the first one, DO NOT WATCH THIS! The actress that took over for Julia is much more better suited for the evil Norwegian princess role than Paige Morgan. Luke Mably is the only redeeming actor in the movie and even he feels like he is just there for the paycheck. It's a real turd.
The Prince & Me 2.......2007-03-16
What most people are forgetting is that this is (yes, though a sequel) also a movie of its own. If you don't compare the two movies, what you get is not too bad. The acting is... decent, the set is still rather beautiful, and you also get a bit of laugh out of it.
When you compare the first and the second though, of course, the first one is going to be better. The cast in the first one is more ably than the second.
In the first movie, you have Julia Stiles and Miranda Richardson. They alone ably moved the movie right along. In the second one, you have a completely new cast, and every actor has a certain way in which they see their character; so, you mustn't be too harsh when you've seen the differentiation.
What I consider to be the downfall of the movie is the presentation of the characters and even the actors they chose, because it is the actors that brings a certain something to a film.
Paige's look in this movie is prissy. I thought the actress, Kam Heskin, is better fitted in a movie such as Mean Girls or something of the like. She also doesn't hold onto the portrayal very well. She seems to lose grasp on the concept of Paige's character every now and then (And she pouts too much).
Luke Mably seems lost and uncomfortable in the film. During the first movie, his performance isn't bad. It is actually quite good. I think he gets a bit lost in this movie because he doesn't have a compatible actor to work against as in the first one with Julia Stiles.
What is also disappointing is the lack of depth in the plot. The plot seems almost silly and childish. There's a lacking of character development in the script (which may have also caused the actors to fail a bit in this department).
If you really want to watch this film, I highly suggest that you rent it first.
Average customer rating:
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ABC News Classics Royal Wedding: Prince Charles and Lady Diana
Manufacturer: ABC News
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ASIN: B000R9AKRM
Release Date: 2007-05-24 |
amazon.com
On July 29, 1981, an estimated 750 million people tuned in to see the heir to Britain's throne wed the 20-year-old former kindergarten teacher in St Paul's Cathedral. The fairy-tale courtship of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles sparked worldwide interest in the royal family. ABC News' Peter Jennings and Barbara Walters bring you back to the culmination of years of speculation and intrigue, when Diana walked down the aisle in front of 3,500 invitees, trailing a 25-foot train to become the people's princess.
Average customer rating:
- A Disatisfied Customer
- one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals.....
- A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain
- A Bit of Nostalgia
- Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot
|
Royal Wedding
Starring: Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , Peter Lawford , Sarah Churchill , and Keenan Wynn
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
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ASIN: B00005B1YD
Release Date: 2001-05-15 |
Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
A Disatisfied Customer.......2007-05-13
This is the first item purchased from Amazon that I was less than satisfied with. I found the DVD of poor quality and the last two tracts were not visable.
one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals............2007-05-07
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a touring brother and sister dance team, who have a chance opportunity to perform at the same time as the marriage of one of the members of the British royal family. On the way, they perform some jazzy numbers together ["How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life," "I Left My Hat in Haiti," among others]. What's more, Fred's character manages to fall in love with one of his background dancers [Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston] and Jane's character falls hard and fast for a British jetsetter [sleezy Peter Lawford].
This film is [perhaps] best known for the famous sequence featuring Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling. For me, that was the best part of the film and he really lit up the screen, for those few minutes. Otherwise, the whole delivery of this story was [more than a little bit] embarrassing. As much as I always loved and respect Fred Astaire, this particular picture really was made with mixed results. One of those factors was Jane Powell. Her singing voice was so shrill and grating, and her character was so snotty, it made me wish that Ginger Rogers had been cast here instead! For Fred Astaire at his very best, I reccomend TOP HAT, SWING TIME and SHALL WE DANCE? The team of Rogers and Astaire will NEVER let you down.
A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain.......2007-04-06
"Royal Wedding" is a great movie for anyone who loves those big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's and the dancing of Fred Astaire. Of course, the big numbers in this film include Astaire dancing with a hat rack, which only goes to prove he could make any dance partner look good, as well as the famous number where Astaire dances on the walls and ceilings of his London hotel room. The trick here, well known by now, was that the room was actually set up to rotate. What is wondrous about this scene is that Astaire never seems to have any trouble keeping his balance as this rotation is going on. He just looks like someone who is so much in love he is just jumping with joy from floor to wall to ceiling and back. Less mentioned is the number where he dances with Jane Powell onboard ship in choppy waters as furnishings roll about, but it is also a charming piece of choreography.
The plot is fairly simple. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister song and dance team, Tom and Ellen Bowen, both of whom claim to be against any long-term romantic entanglement. They are invited to perform in London during the period preceding the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. While in England they both fall in love, leading to a happy ending for both but breaking up the partnership in the process. It's rather interesting that art loosely imitated life in this case, since Fred Astaire's long-running dance partnership with his sister Adele was ended when she got married to a member of the English nobility in 1932. It's also strange that this film was actually made four years after the royal wedding took place. By that time the royal couple already had two children. As for good supporting performances, Keenan Wynn is quite funny playing twin brothers who are theatrical agents on opposite sides of "the pond". They can't understand each other during their telephone conversations because, although both are speaking English, they are using the familiar expressions of their respective countries.
From a technical standpoint, this film is in rather rough shape since it has been in the public domain for some time. However, it is rumored that Warner Brothers is rescuing it from this no man's land, restoring it, and putting it in their upcoming boxed set "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 2", which should be available for purchase by the end of summer 2007.
A Bit of Nostalgia.......2006-11-17
This is a delightful film! Starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell,it revolves around the 1950's wedding of Elizabeth and Phillip. The dancing, of course, is all the elegance, dexterity, and mind-popping steps we would expect from Astaire, even later in his career. Jane Powell's gorgeous and poignant voice is another strong reason to get this film. It is a treasure--the music, especially such pieces as Jane's "Open Your Eyes" and "Too Late Now" are signature songs--so lovely--and they capture an era for many of us that has never been far from our hearts. Astaire's wonderful, rollicking, "I Left My Hat in Haiti" is a charming mixture of song and his unique dance. The plot is rather Shakespearean--the mixup of lovers--but everything turns out happily in the end. The bonus? London--in one of the world's happiest periods! This is a movie to cherish.
Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot.......2006-08-30
Unfortunately, "Royal Wedding", one of the best of the Technicolor MGM musicals, is not available on a high-quality DVD. However, of the several cheap DVDs available, the Good Times Video edition is the best. Not great, with rather poor colors (especially flesh tones), but watchable and well worth the few dollars it costs to hold you over until the film is fully restored and transferred to a good DVD.
Average customer rating:
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Royal Wedding / The Belle of New York
Starring: Fred Astaire , Vera-Ellen , and Jane Powell
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Similar Items:
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- Words and Music
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ASIN: B000PAAK4Q
Release Date: 2007-07-24 |
Customer Reviews:
Taps Across the Ocean.......2007-07-02
Leonard Maltin gives three stars to Royal Wedding, but only two and one half to The Belle of New York, which he calls "uninspired". Royal Wedding exists in more than forty versions on DVD, including budget versions and in sets. My reason for choosing this new edition is that first, it's in print, while many of the other aren't, and second this is a film that deserves to be seen in a quality version without the skips, stops, color bleeds and edits on some of the budget releases.
After the lackluster opening number, I was ready to turn off Royal Wedding, but as if rising to the challenge, it quickly picked up steam, first with the incredible choreography of Astaire in the gym, next with Powell's wonderful singing, and finally with the excellent Lerner/ Lane musical numbers. Like all Hollywood musical in a musicals, there are long, lavish showstopping stretches of singing and dancing. This film, however, also dazzles with its vivid British sets and lavish scenery and a perfect cast topped by Peter Lawford's effortless portrayl of Powell's flame and husband-to-be, a debonaire English Lord. The unforgettable number is Astaire dancing on the walls and ceiling. Dazzling not merely for technical wizardry (it's probably a rotating room), but for the dynamic performance done, the more amazingly, on a nearly propless stage. I think this piece may also be in one of the That's Entertainment films. If The Belle of New York doesn't quite hit that high mark, it nevertheless provides a chance to see more of Astaire in action, and another little known classic film.
Average customer rating:
- A Disatisfied Customer
- one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals.....
- A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain
- A Bit of Nostalgia
- Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot
|
Royal Wedding
Starring: Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , Peter Lawford , Sarah Churchill , and Keenan Wynn
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Vidtape
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
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Wedding Bells
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| ( C )
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| ( L )
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| ( P )
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| ( W )
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ASIN: B00023BLYY
Release Date: 2003-09-30 |
Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
A Disatisfied Customer.......2007-05-13
This is the first item purchased from Amazon that I was less than satisfied with. I found the DVD of poor quality and the last two tracts were not visable.
one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals............2007-05-07
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a touring brother and sister dance team, who have a chance opportunity to perform at the same time as the marriage of one of the members of the British royal family. On the way, they perform some jazzy numbers together ["How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life," "I Left My Hat in Haiti," among others]. What's more, Fred's character manages to fall in love with one of his background dancers [Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston] and Jane's character falls hard and fast for a British jetsetter [sleezy Peter Lawford].
This film is [perhaps] best known for the famous sequence featuring Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling. For me, that was the best part of the film and he really lit up the screen, for those few minutes. Otherwise, the whole delivery of this story was [more than a little bit] embarrassing. As much as I always loved and respect Fred Astaire, this particular picture really was made with mixed results. One of those factors was Jane Powell. Her singing voice was so shrill and grating, and her character was so snotty, it made me wish that Ginger Rogers had been cast here instead! For Fred Astaire at his very best, I reccomend TOP HAT, SWING TIME and SHALL WE DANCE? The team of Rogers and Astaire will NEVER let you down.
A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain.......2007-04-06
"Royal Wedding" is a great movie for anyone who loves those big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's and the dancing of Fred Astaire. Of course, the big numbers in this film include Astaire dancing with a hat rack, which only goes to prove he could make any dance partner look good, as well as the famous number where Astaire dances on the walls and ceilings of his London hotel room. The trick here, well known by now, was that the room was actually set up to rotate. What is wondrous about this scene is that Astaire never seems to have any trouble keeping his balance as this rotation is going on. He just looks like someone who is so much in love he is just jumping with joy from floor to wall to ceiling and back. Less mentioned is the number where he dances with Jane Powell onboard ship in choppy waters as furnishings roll about, but it is also a charming piece of choreography.
The plot is fairly simple. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister song and dance team, Tom and Ellen Bowen, both of whom claim to be against any long-term romantic entanglement. They are invited to perform in London during the period preceding the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. While in England they both fall in love, leading to a happy ending for both but breaking up the partnership in the process. It's rather interesting that art loosely imitated life in this case, since Fred Astaire's long-running dance partnership with his sister Adele was ended when she got married to a member of the English nobility in 1932. It's also strange that this film was actually made four years after the royal wedding took place. By that time the royal couple already had two children. As for good supporting performances, Keenan Wynn is quite funny playing twin brothers who are theatrical agents on opposite sides of "the pond". They can't understand each other during their telephone conversations because, although both are speaking English, they are using the familiar expressions of their respective countries.
From a technical standpoint, this film is in rather rough shape since it has been in the public domain for some time. However, it is rumored that Warner Brothers is rescuing it from this no man's land, restoring it, and putting it in their upcoming boxed set "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 2", which should be available for purchase by the end of summer 2007.
A Bit of Nostalgia.......2006-11-17
This is a delightful film! Starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell,it revolves around the 1950's wedding of Elizabeth and Phillip. The dancing, of course, is all the elegance, dexterity, and mind-popping steps we would expect from Astaire, even later in his career. Jane Powell's gorgeous and poignant voice is another strong reason to get this film. It is a treasure--the music, especially such pieces as Jane's "Open Your Eyes" and "Too Late Now" are signature songs--so lovely--and they capture an era for many of us that has never been far from our hearts. Astaire's wonderful, rollicking, "I Left My Hat in Haiti" is a charming mixture of song and his unique dance. The plot is rather Shakespearean--the mixup of lovers--but everything turns out happily in the end. The bonus? London--in one of the world's happiest periods! This is a movie to cherish.
Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot.......2006-08-30
Unfortunately, "Royal Wedding", one of the best of the Technicolor MGM musicals, is not available on a high-quality DVD. However, of the several cheap DVDs available, the Good Times Video edition is the best. Not great, with rather poor colors (especially flesh tones), but watchable and well worth the few dollars it costs to hold you over until the film is fully restored and transferred to a good DVD.
Average customer rating:
- A Disatisfied Customer
- one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals.....
- A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain
- A Bit of Nostalgia
- Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot
|
Royal Wedding
Starring: Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , Peter Lawford , Sarah Churchill , and Keenan Wynn
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Wedding Bells
| Love & Romance
| By Theme
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Romantic Comedies
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Love & Romance
| Drama
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| Video
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General
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| DVD
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Classics
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| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
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Comedy
| Musicals
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Astaire, Fred
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
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| ( B )
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| ( C )
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| ( L )
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Powell, Jane
| ( P )
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| ( S )
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| ( W )
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| ( W )
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| ( W )
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- Silk Stockings
- Funny Face
- You Were Never Lovelier
- The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- You'll Never Get Rich
ASIN: B00005YUN3
Release Date: 2002-02-19 |
Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
A Disatisfied Customer.......2007-05-13
This is the first item purchased from Amazon that I was less than satisfied with. I found the DVD of poor quality and the last two tracts were not visable.
one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals............2007-05-07
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a touring brother and sister dance team, who have a chance opportunity to perform at the same time as the marriage of one of the members of the British royal family. On the way, they perform some jazzy numbers together ["How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life," "I Left My Hat in Haiti," among others]. What's more, Fred's character manages to fall in love with one of his background dancers [Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston] and Jane's character falls hard and fast for a British jetsetter [sleezy Peter Lawford].
This film is [perhaps] best known for the famous sequence featuring Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling. For me, that was the best part of the film and he really lit up the screen, for those few minutes. Otherwise, the whole delivery of this story was [more than a little bit] embarrassing. As much as I always loved and respect Fred Astaire, this particular picture really was made with mixed results. One of those factors was Jane Powell. Her singing voice was so shrill and grating, and her character was so snotty, it made me wish that Ginger Rogers had been cast here instead! For Fred Astaire at his very best, I reccomend TOP HAT, SWING TIME and SHALL WE DANCE? The team of Rogers and Astaire will NEVER let you down.
A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain.......2007-04-06
"Royal Wedding" is a great movie for anyone who loves those big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's and the dancing of Fred Astaire. Of course, the big numbers in this film include Astaire dancing with a hat rack, which only goes to prove he could make any dance partner look good, as well as the famous number where Astaire dances on the walls and ceilings of his London hotel room. The trick here, well known by now, was that the room was actually set up to rotate. What is wondrous about this scene is that Astaire never seems to have any trouble keeping his balance as this rotation is going on. He just looks like someone who is so much in love he is just jumping with joy from floor to wall to ceiling and back. Less mentioned is the number where he dances with Jane Powell onboard ship in choppy waters as furnishings roll about, but it is also a charming piece of choreography.
The plot is fairly simple. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister song and dance team, Tom and Ellen Bowen, both of whom claim to be against any long-term romantic entanglement. They are invited to perform in London during the period preceding the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. While in England they both fall in love, leading to a happy ending for both but breaking up the partnership in the process. It's rather interesting that art loosely imitated life in this case, since Fred Astaire's long-running dance partnership with his sister Adele was ended when she got married to a member of the English nobility in 1932. It's also strange that this film was actually made four years after the royal wedding took place. By that time the royal couple already had two children. As for good supporting performances, Keenan Wynn is quite funny playing twin brothers who are theatrical agents on opposite sides of "the pond". They can't understand each other during their telephone conversations because, although both are speaking English, they are using the familiar expressions of their respective countries.
From a technical standpoint, this film is in rather rough shape since it has been in the public domain for some time. However, it is rumored that Warner Brothers is rescuing it from this no man's land, restoring it, and putting it in their upcoming boxed set "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 2", which should be available for purchase by the end of summer 2007.
A Bit of Nostalgia.......2006-11-17
This is a delightful film! Starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell,it revolves around the 1950's wedding of Elizabeth and Phillip. The dancing, of course, is all the elegance, dexterity, and mind-popping steps we would expect from Astaire, even later in his career. Jane Powell's gorgeous and poignant voice is another strong reason to get this film. It is a treasure--the music, especially such pieces as Jane's "Open Your Eyes" and "Too Late Now" are signature songs--so lovely--and they capture an era for many of us that has never been far from our hearts. Astaire's wonderful, rollicking, "I Left My Hat in Haiti" is a charming mixture of song and his unique dance. The plot is rather Shakespearean--the mixup of lovers--but everything turns out happily in the end. The bonus? London--in one of the world's happiest periods! This is a movie to cherish.
Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot.......2006-08-30
Unfortunately, "Royal Wedding", one of the best of the Technicolor MGM musicals, is not available on a high-quality DVD. However, of the several cheap DVDs available, the Good Times Video edition is the best. Not great, with rather poor colors (especially flesh tones), but watchable and well worth the few dollars it costs to hold you over until the film is fully restored and transferred to a good DVD.
Average customer rating:
- Poor picture quality.
- Not that Fiesta but
- Three classic musicals
- FIESTA AKA DOWN UNDER AS NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER
- Fiesta
|
Great Musical Classics (Royal Wedding / Till Clouds Roll By / Fiesta)
Starring: Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , Peter Lawford , Sarah Churchill , and Keenan Wynn
Director: Stanley Donen , George Sidney (II) , and Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
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| Video
Astaire, Fred
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
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Benge, Wilson
| ( B )
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Clarke, Mae
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
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Lawford, Peter
| ( L )
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Powell, Jane
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
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| ( S )
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| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
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| Video
Wood, Wilson
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
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Wynn, Keenan
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
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| ( D )
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| ( M )
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Similar Items:
- Classic Romance Movies (Love Affair / The Last Time I Saw Paris / Made For Each Other)
- Great Romantic Comedies 3 on 1
- Second Chorus / That's Dancing!
- Broadway's Best
- Musicals Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
ASIN: B00006BSDF
Release Date: 2002-08-27 |
Description
3 Great Movies on 1 DVD. Star Power, Exciting Genre with Extras on each DVD.
Customer Reviews:
Poor picture quality........2006-03-07
The quality of the picture was poor. It looks as if was shot in 8 mm & then blown up to 35 mm .
Not that Fiesta but.......2006-02-09
No, it's not the Ricardo Montalban Fiesta made in 1947 but the Hal Roach 1942 "five reeler" (longer than a "short" but shorter than a movie at 44 minutes). However, it's the only English-language film starring the Mexican megastar and singing icon Jorge Negrete (here billed as George Negrete). For fans of Mexican film history, well worth the price for this part alone.
Three classic musicals.......2005-06-18
1) Royal Wedding is famous for Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling.
2) Till Clouds Roll By is worth it for the all star cast
and is a biography of a great musical playwrite/ composer Jerome Kern
3) Fiesta is a musical with both original Mexican music and dance
Worth buying at this price for "Clouds" alone!
FIESTA AKA DOWN UNDER AS NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER.......2005-05-11
This is not so much a review as information. The only movie with
Esther and Ricardo Montalban (also Red Skelton)I know is listed as Neptune's daughter. Hope this helps.VHS copy I own
Millie
Fiesta.......2005-01-16
I found the same error as one of your other reviewers. I have been wanting to get FIESTA 1947 starring Esther William and Ricardo Montalban, but the Fiesta on this video is not the one. It is a mexican story, has nothing to do with the FIESTA I would like to have. I have also noted on IMDB that they are showing the 1947 as the film which is on this Great Musical Classics. i will try to contact them as they are showing the one I want as available on Amazon.Ca and Amazon.com, available on DVD, but it is the Great Musical Classics they show. I am really disapointed in this.
Average customer rating:
- A Disatisfied Customer
- one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals.....
- A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain
- A Bit of Nostalgia
- Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot
|
Royal Wedding
Starring: Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , Peter Lawford , Sarah Churchill , and Keenan Wynn
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Wedding Bells
| Love & Romance
| By Theme
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Romantic Comedies
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Comedy
| Kids & Family
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Classics
| Musicals
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Comedy
| Musicals
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Astaire, Fred
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Benge, Wilson
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Clarke, Mae
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Lawford, Peter
| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Powell, Jane
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Sharpe, Albert
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Wilton, Eric
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Wood, Wilson
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Wynn, Keenan
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Donen, Stanley
| ( D )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Used DVDs
| Stores
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Romantic Comedies
| Comedy
| Today's Deals in DVD
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( R )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Silk Stockings
- Funny Face
- You Were Never Lovelier
- The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- You'll Never Get Rich
ASIN: B00005BI98
Release Date: 2003-01-01 |
Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
A Disatisfied Customer.......2007-05-13
This is the first item purchased from Amazon that I was less than satisfied with. I found the DVD of poor quality and the last two tracts were not visable.
one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals............2007-05-07
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a touring brother and sister dance team, who have a chance opportunity to perform at the same time as the marriage of one of the members of the British royal family. On the way, they perform some jazzy numbers together ["How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life," "I Left My Hat in Haiti," among others]. What's more, Fred's character manages to fall in love with one of his background dancers [Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston] and Jane's character falls hard and fast for a British jetsetter [sleezy Peter Lawford].
This film is [perhaps] best known for the famous sequence featuring Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling. For me, that was the best part of the film and he really lit up the screen, for those few minutes. Otherwise, the whole delivery of this story was [more than a little bit] embarrassing. As much as I always loved and respect Fred Astaire, this particular picture really was made with mixed results. One of those factors was Jane Powell. Her singing voice was so shrill and grating, and her character was so snotty, it made me wish that Ginger Rogers had been cast here instead! For Fred Astaire at his very best, I reccomend TOP HAT, SWING TIME and SHALL WE DANCE? The team of Rogers and Astaire will NEVER let you down.
A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain.......2007-04-06
"Royal Wedding" is a great movie for anyone who loves those big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's and the dancing of Fred Astaire. Of course, the big numbers in this film include Astaire dancing with a hat rack, which only goes to prove he could make any dance partner look good, as well as the famous number where Astaire dances on the walls and ceilings of his London hotel room. The trick here, well known by now, was that the room was actually set up to rotate. What is wondrous about this scene is that Astaire never seems to have any trouble keeping his balance as this rotation is going on. He just looks like someone who is so much in love he is just jumping with joy from floor to wall to ceiling and back. Less mentioned is the number where he dances with Jane Powell onboard ship in choppy waters as furnishings roll about, but it is also a charming piece of choreography.
The plot is fairly simple. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister song and dance team, Tom and Ellen Bowen, both of whom claim to be against any long-term romantic entanglement. They are invited to perform in London during the period preceding the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. While in England they both fall in love, leading to a happy ending for both but breaking up the partnership in the process. It's rather interesting that art loosely imitated life in this case, since Fred Astaire's long-running dance partnership with his sister Adele was ended when she got married to a member of the English nobility in 1932. It's also strange that this film was actually made four years after the royal wedding took place. By that time the royal couple already had two children. As for good supporting performances, Keenan Wynn is quite funny playing twin brothers who are theatrical agents on opposite sides of "the pond". They can't understand each other during their telephone conversations because, although both are speaking English, they are using the familiar expressions of their respective countries.
From a technical standpoint, this film is in rather rough shape since it has been in the public domain for some time. However, it is rumored that Warner Brothers is rescuing it from this no man's land, restoring it, and putting it in their upcoming boxed set "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 2", which should be available for purchase by the end of summer 2007.
A Bit of Nostalgia.......2006-11-17
This is a delightful film! Starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell,it revolves around the 1950's wedding of Elizabeth and Phillip. The dancing, of course, is all the elegance, dexterity, and mind-popping steps we would expect from Astaire, even later in his career. Jane Powell's gorgeous and poignant voice is another strong reason to get this film. It is a treasure--the music, especially such pieces as Jane's "Open Your Eyes" and "Too Late Now" are signature songs--so lovely--and they capture an era for many of us that has never been far from our hearts. Astaire's wonderful, rollicking, "I Left My Hat in Haiti" is a charming mixture of song and his unique dance. The plot is rather Shakespearean--the mixup of lovers--but everything turns out happily in the end. The bonus? London--in one of the world's happiest periods! This is a movie to cherish.
Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot.......2006-08-30
Unfortunately, "Royal Wedding", one of the best of the Technicolor MGM musicals, is not available on a high-quality DVD. However, of the several cheap DVDs available, the Good Times Video edition is the best. Not great, with rather poor colors (especially flesh tones), but watchable and well worth the few dollars it costs to hold you over until the film is fully restored and transferred to a good DVD.
Average customer rating:
- A Disatisfied Customer
- one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals.....
- A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain
- A Bit of Nostalgia
- Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot
|
Royal Wedding
Starring: Fred Astaire , Jane Powell , Peter Lawford , Sarah Churchill , and Keenan Wynn
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Astaire, Fred
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Benge, Wilson
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Clarke, Mae
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Lawford, Peter
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Powell, Jane
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Sharpe, Albert
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Wilton, Eric
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Wood, Wilson
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Wynn, Keenan
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Donen, Stanley
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Similar Items:
- Silk Stockings
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- The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- You'll Never Get Rich
ASIN: B00004VVMZ
Release Date: 1999-06-22 |
Amazon.com
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in this 1951 Alan Jay Lerner musical for MGM, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The appealing story finds Astaire as part of a brother-and-sister act (along with Jane Powell) that travels to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding. Astaire and Powell each find romances that threaten to break up the act, but that's mostly fun window dressing in a movie better known for some truly creative sequences made vivid by Donen, including Astaire's famous dance with a hat rack and his duet with Powell, "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life)?" --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
A Disatisfied Customer.......2007-05-13
This is the first item purchased from Amazon that I was less than satisfied with. I found the DVD of poor quality and the last two tracts were not visable.
one of the quirkier Fred Astaire musicals............2007-05-07
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a touring brother and sister dance team, who have a chance opportunity to perform at the same time as the marriage of one of the members of the British royal family. On the way, they perform some jazzy numbers together ["How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life," "I Left My Hat in Haiti," among others]. What's more, Fred's character manages to fall in love with one of his background dancers [Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston] and Jane's character falls hard and fast for a British jetsetter [sleezy Peter Lawford].
This film is [perhaps] best known for the famous sequence featuring Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling. For me, that was the best part of the film and he really lit up the screen, for those few minutes. Otherwise, the whole delivery of this story was [more than a little bit] embarrassing. As much as I always loved and respect Fred Astaire, this particular picture really was made with mixed results. One of those factors was Jane Powell. Her singing voice was so shrill and grating, and her character was so snotty, it made me wish that Ginger Rogers had been cast here instead! For Fred Astaire at his very best, I reccomend TOP HAT, SWING TIME and SHALL WE DANCE? The team of Rogers and Astaire will NEVER let you down.
A great musical in need of rescue from the public domain.......2007-04-06
"Royal Wedding" is a great movie for anyone who loves those big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's and the dancing of Fred Astaire. Of course, the big numbers in this film include Astaire dancing with a hat rack, which only goes to prove he could make any dance partner look good, as well as the famous number where Astaire dances on the walls and ceilings of his London hotel room. The trick here, well known by now, was that the room was actually set up to rotate. What is wondrous about this scene is that Astaire never seems to have any trouble keeping his balance as this rotation is going on. He just looks like someone who is so much in love he is just jumping with joy from floor to wall to ceiling and back. Less mentioned is the number where he dances with Jane Powell onboard ship in choppy waters as furnishings roll about, but it is also a charming piece of choreography.
The plot is fairly simple. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister song and dance team, Tom and Ellen Bowen, both of whom claim to be against any long-term romantic entanglement. They are invited to perform in London during the period preceding the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. While in England they both fall in love, leading to a happy ending for both but breaking up the partnership in the process. It's rather interesting that art loosely imitated life in this case, since Fred Astaire's long-running dance partnership with his sister Adele was ended when she got married to a member of the English nobility in 1932. It's also strange that this film was actually made four years after the royal wedding took place. By that time the royal couple already had two children. As for good supporting performances, Keenan Wynn is quite funny playing twin brothers who are theatrical agents on opposite sides of "the pond". They can't understand each other during their telephone conversations because, although both are speaking English, they are using the familiar expressions of their respective countries.
From a technical standpoint, this film is in rather rough shape since it has been in the public domain for some time. However, it is rumored that Warner Brothers is rescuing it from this no man's land, restoring it, and putting it in their upcoming boxed set "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 2", which should be available for purchase by the end of summer 2007.
A Bit of Nostalgia.......2006-11-17
This is a delightful film! Starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell,it revolves around the 1950's wedding of Elizabeth and Phillip. The dancing, of course, is all the elegance, dexterity, and mind-popping steps we would expect from Astaire, even later in his career. Jane Powell's gorgeous and poignant voice is another strong reason to get this film. It is a treasure--the music, especially such pieces as Jane's "Open Your Eyes" and "Too Late Now" are signature songs--so lovely--and they capture an era for many of us that has never been far from our hearts. Astaire's wonderful, rollicking, "I Left My Hat in Haiti" is a charming mixture of song and his unique dance. The plot is rather Shakespearean--the mixup of lovers--but everything turns out happily in the end. The bonus? London--in one of the world's happiest periods! This is a movie to cherish.
Good Times Video--The Best of a Bad Lot.......2006-08-30
Unfortunately, "Royal Wedding", one of the best of the Technicolor MGM musicals, is not available on a high-quality DVD. However, of the several cheap DVDs available, the Good Times Video edition is the best. Not great, with rather poor colors (especially flesh tones), but watchable and well worth the few dollars it costs to hold you over until the film is fully restored and transferred to a good DVD.
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