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The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
 
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The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Fred Astaire (Actor), Cyd Charisse (Actor), Richard Schickel (Director), Vincente Minnelli (Director) | Rated: NR (Not Rated) | Format: DVD
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
"MGM has got a Leo, but mama has got a trio"...pure genius! April 2 2004
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
No movie musical comes close to []the Band Wagon. The film is physically stunning and varied in terms of musical numbers. In fact, it's fantastic in every department. This is []the ultimate Vincente Minnelli musical. His brilliant use of sets in such numbers as A SHINE ON YOUR SHOES, DANCING IN THE DARK, and THE GIRL HUNT make the film one of the most atmospheric musicals to hit the screen. The quality of musical numbers in THE BAND WAGON is far more consistent than in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. For instance, TRIPLETS is funnier, and more original than MAKE 'EM LAUGH. In A SHINE ON YOUR SHOES, Minnelli treats the "breaking into song and dance" concept literally. In a 1930s musical, extras would stand around the action with a fake smile. Here the people in the background react realistically to Astaire's routine (everything from walking by to screaming from fright). The blending of real and unreal adds an entire dimension to the number. THE GIRL HUNT BALLET manages to be dream-like, humourous, and structured. It has a magical quality without being as lasse faire as the ballets in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN or AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. It's my candidate for the greatest musical number ever filmed...a close race with everything else in THE BAND WAGON. Oh, yeah. Many consider this film to include Fred Astaire's finest performance. He's a fabulous performer, in a semi-autobiographical role.
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Excellent fantasy musical Dec 30 2010
Format:DVD
This is one of my favourite musicals, with lots of Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire. The musical numbers are a mix of beauty and riotous humour. This was during the last hurrah of the studio era's musicals, and a later Astaire film in which he shines. I highly recommend it for any musical fan.
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Throwback to Vaudeville Jun 2 2004
By J
Format:VHS Tape
Astaire & buddies decide to put on a travelling show. This somewhat defiant response to Gene Kelly's forward looking & somewhat cynical Singin in the Rain, provided a big screen platform for an odd combination of small stage entertainment and Astaire's signature tap dancing mixed with ballroom dancing. The movie adopts a cheerful & innocent entertain the masses approach. Old fashioned on purpose. His dancing is wonderful and the film suffers in the scenes and numbers where he isn't front and center. Corny old songs like "Triplets" and "Louisiana Hayride" are dragged out & dusted off. Was Astaire really this devoted to his vaudeville roots or was it all he knew how to do? Astaire may not have born wearing a top hat and tails but he might as well have been. I wonder if it got to the point where someone he trusted had to sit down with Fred and convince him to let it go. Obviously, Singin in the Rain resonated more deeply with public. Astaire finally gave up on these throwback movies & took on dramatic roles in the late 50's. Big budget modernized musicals dominated the 50's & 60's.
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Most recent customer reviews
Fred's answer to Singing in the Rain
This movie came out a year or two after Singing in the Rain. Fred meant it to be his answer to that movie. Many people remember the Gene Kelly movie but not this one. Read more
Published on May 21 2004
All Aboard!
The Band Wagon is a very good movie!
It's list of musical numbers include, That's Entertainment!, The Girl Hunt, and Triplets. Read more
Published on May 1 2004
Hop on the Bandwagon With This Smash Hit!
In my opinion, I think that 'The Bandwagon' is one of the best and certainly the funniest musicals of all time. Cyd and Fred sparkle on screen. The plot is classic, but wonderful. Read more
Published on Feb 4 2004
Really, a 3.5...
A muddled Fred Astaire musical, which starts out with a brilliant opening sequence wherein Tony Hunter, a thinly-veiled Astaire stand-in, returns to a modern, new, 1950s New York,... Read more
Published on Jan 28 2003 by DJ Joe Sixpack
Make Room on "The Band Wagon" for Me!
Yes, this is one of the best MGM musicals for sure. You'll read some reviews that say the romance is wearisome or that the plot is thin, but I don't think any of that holds water. Read more
Published on April 25 2002 by Linda McDonnell
And You Say As You Go On Your Way--That's Entertainment!
THE BAND WAGON is a unique film which gently mocks the conventions of the "backstage musical" genre by piling stereotype upon stereotype to comic effect. Read more
Published on April 22 2002 by Gary F. Taylor
ISN'T FRED ASTAIRE THE QUINTESSENCE OF JOY!!
In this age of angst (to say the least), what better elixir than Fred Astaire, who is pure joy himself. Read more
Published on Mar 26 2002 by Elaine J. Campbell
A great musical!
I highly recommend this musical. The dance numbers and
songs are wonderful. It is very entertaining, I'd
give it more stars if I could.
Published on Nov 19 2001 by Rosella Ann Myles
It's true: The Best Musical Ever
Better than "Singin' In The Rain?" Better than "Top Hat?" Better than anything else? Yes. Read more
Published on Nov 9 2001 by Chris Ward
THE GREATEST MUSICAL I HAVE EVER SEEN
beautiful, funny, sad, enchanting, fascinating. Minnelli never made a better musical film(well,''Meet Me in St. Louis'' almost),this is one of the movies that never leaves you. Read more
Published on Nov 6 2001 by Gina Clyne
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