Disturbing yet enthralling

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Many would call "Meet Me In St. Louis" to be a classic. I'm not sure I'd rate it that highly, although I'm not suggesting that it's a bad movie by any means. It's a very pleasant movie to watch, full of good old fashioned home town values. It follows the Smith family of St. Louis in the months leading up to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, beginning in the summer of 1903 and focusing very closely on the decision by father Alonso (Leon Ames) to take a new position in New York City and prepare the family for the move that they really don't want to make.What I found most compelling in this was a couple of the performances. First was that of Judy Garland as Esther, one of the Smith daughters. Garland, of course, had become famous five years earlier with her spectacular turn as Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz" - a role that probably overshadowed everything else she did in her very successful career. This would have been her first significant "adult" role, and she handled it very well. Her success in "The Wizard" was no fluke, and this movie provided her with the opportunity to once again showcase her talent, particularly as a singer. The other performance that struck me was that of Margaret O'Brien as Tootie Smith - the youngest of the Smith sisters. O'Brien became a busy enough actress (mostly in television guest roles) but watching her in this made me surprised that she didn't become a bigger player in Hollywood. She was very good as Tootie - and there's one scene in particular in which she's simply spectacular, set on Christmas Eve 1903 as she breaks down into a raging tantrum over the family's pending move. Garland and O'Brien shared a song and dance scene in a performance of "Under The Bamboo Tree." This was also the movie in which Garland met her future husband, Vincente Minnelli, who was the director. There are a number of good musical numbers, and I was actually surprised to discover that it was in this movie that the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" debuted.What's lacking in this movie is any truly compelling story. I suppose the "glue" that holds it all together is the evolution of the romance between Esther and John Truett (played by Tom Drake.) But there's really no single narrative running through this, aside from the family'd lack of enthusiasm about their move. But basically it's a series of vignettes moving us through the months from the summer of 1903 to the opening of the World's Fair at the movie's end. And yet, even with a story that isn't all that meaningful, this is an easy movie to watch and enjoy. It features a good cast - including June Lockhart (another well known actress in a very early role) and there's a sense of fun and humour involved in it. I really appreciated the vignettes around Halloween and Christmas in 1903 St. Louis. (7/10)

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS & SPECIALS. I HAVE NO AGENDAThe backdrop for Meet Me in St. Louis is St. Louis, Missouri in the year leading up to the 1904 World's Fair.It is summer 1903. The Smith family leads a comfortable upper-middle class life. Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames) and his wife Anna (Mary Astor) have four daughters: Rose (Lucille Bremer), Esther (Judy Garland), Agnes (Joan Carroll), and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien); and a son, Lon Jr. (Henry H. Daniels, Jr.). Esther, the second eldest daughter, is in love with the boy next door, John Truett (Tom Drake), although he does not notice her at first. Rose is expecting a phone call in which she hopes to be proposed to by Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully).Esther finally gets to meet John properly when he is a guest at the Smiths' house party, although her chances of romancing him don't go to plan when, after all the guests are gone and he is helping her turn off the gas lamps throughout the house, he tells her she uses the same perfume as his grandmother and that she has "a mighty strong grip for a girl".Esther hopes to meet John again the following Friday on a trolley ride from the city to the construction site of the World Fair. Esther is sad when the trolley sets off without any sign of him, but cheers up when she sees him running to catch the trolley mid journey.Even though the there is barely a story-line the film works. IT gets a tad slow here and there but Margret O'Brien steels every scene she is in. Judy Garland however is always a delight to watch. If you like her in this then make sure to see "In the Good Old Summertime". This film was beautifully filmed. If you can watch it on a Blu-ray.

Yeah, I know, me and all the rest who give this film its deserved one star will never convince the 10 star folks who gush with love for Judy of the vapidness and schmaltzyness of this dog (you can hear it barking all the way from St. Louis to my theatre in Brooklyn). Sure, it is slick, Minnelli was in his prime paying excruciating detail to what turns out, stuff that in the end, doesn't really matter or make a particularly good film. MGM threw plenty of money and the top technical talent in their employ at it and gave it the high-end Technicolor process, but none of that slickness does an outstanding movie make. The story is about an America that people would like to believe actually existed, but nothing even remotely resembling it ever did so it's really a lie from start to finish, and while that may make lots of people feel good, it can't make up for the banal story consisting of the silly, flirty mores that the writers of the 1940s project onto these fictional characters living in this make-believe turn-of-the-century fantasy world. Worse, even if you put aside the Pollyanna view of the period, there is no semblance of any recognizable human condition, be it 1890, 1940 or anything in between. If there were, if there was a focus on anything we could relate to as real, that would have been the saving grace, but there isn't. Thing is, I actually am a fan of musicals. I have no problem with people breaking into song -- you accept that when you sit down to watch a musical the same as you do for opera. It's the genre...accept it or just move on. I accept it, but only when the songs move the story along, when the music is memorable and when the lyrics are somewhat intelligent, and if we are lucky, even clever and witty. The paucity of such songs here barely rises to the level of a full fledged musical, most songs eschewing the above-mentioned criteria completely. One of them got turned into a traditional Christmas song, and whereas I might like musicals, I have come to HATE Christmas "favorites" because there are only about 20 of them and they are now played incessantly from October to the end of December, which means you can hear each of them about ten thousand times before the season is over...enough to make anyone hate ANY song or any season for that matter. Needless to say, that leaves me with only three or so songs in this movie that I might entertain as marginally tolerable and barely at that. That's a sad situation for a movie with the top of the pyramid, super "A List" star of MGM's musical stable. Also, why did I keep thinking I was hearing strains of GONE WITH THE WIND in the incidental music playing under some scenes? In fact, the dance party not only sounded like I was listening to the soundtrack of GWTW, but even LOOKED like it as well. And given that there was Harry Davenport reprising his identical GWTW role, it was a likness not difficult to miss...I guess Minnelli figured mimicking the biggest blockbuster of the era couldn't hurt his effort. Turns out, this is no GONE WITH THE WIND...or MY FAIR LADY or OKLAHOMA or CAROUSEL or CAMELOT or even THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN. Again, I understand it's a futile cause trying to get the Garland fans to tone down the adulation they give to this film, and fine, I never ever want to rain on anyone's parade -- if a movie makes anyone feel good on whatever level, far be it for me to tell them they shouldn't enjoy it; all I am saying is, as objectively as one can be with such things, this isn't one of the greatest, 10 star-worth musicals of all time as is claimed in so many of these posts. If it makes anyone feel good -- wonderful. But it's still horse-meat and grizzle served up as filet mignon.

Greetings again from the darkness. There are, even amongst otherwise intelligent movie lovers, those who proudly proclaim "I don't like musicals". It's a somewhat understandable stance since so many of this genre are simply a group of songs linked together by a thin story with uninteresting characters. However, when done well, the musical can be a most enjoyable, emotional and entertaining ride. One of the best and most beloved is director Vincente Minnelli's Meet Me in St. Louis.If you were making a musical in 1944, your dream cast would certainly include Judy Garland. She was 22 years old at the time, just a few years removed from her iconic role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Ms. Garland was desperately trying to break free of her "Oz" and "Andy Hardy" teenage ingénue image and transition to adult roles. In fact, she pushed back hard at MGM against being cast in this film. Because of this, she initially struggled with the character of Esther until finally grasping the tone that director Minnelli was after. The result is clearly one of her best performances, and maybe her most beautiful look ever on screen.The story is broken into four sections … the four seasons leading up to the 1904 World's Fair to be held in St. Louis. The Smith family lives in a charming upper middle class Victorian home that serves as the centerpiece for most scenes … especially the intricate, winding mahogany staircase, and the elaborate gaslight fixtures throughout. Mr. and Mrs Smith are played by Leon Ames and Mary Astor (known best for The Maltese Falcon). They are joined in the house by a son Lon (Henry H Daniels, Jr), four daughters (Rose – Lucille Bremer, Esther – Judy Garland, Agnes – Joan Carroll, Tootie – Margaret O'Brien), a spry grandfather (Harry Davenport), and wise-cracking housekeeper (Marjorie Main). The family dynamics are such that numerous sub-stories are constantly being juggled.There are numerous pieces and tidbits associated with this film, so let's discuss just a few. While audiences today may find 7 year old Margaret O'Brien's performance as the youngest daughter Tootie to be a bit over the top, she won an honorary Oscar that year as the Best Juvenile Actor. Two sequences in particular stand out: the quite dark and harsh Halloween portion which accurately displays the dangerous activities of that era (today's trick or treat seems quite tame), and the song and dance routine performed in the parlor while wearing a nightgown. This is also the film where director Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland first met. They were married the following year and of course had a daughter, Liza Minnelli. All three were Oscar winners: Judy in 1940 for Best Juvenile Actor, Vincente for directing Gigi (1958), and Liza for Best Actress in Cabaret (1972).Sally Benson's series of short stories published in the New Yorker magazine inspired the film. The stories were based on Ms. Benson's childhood in St. Louis and she consulted on the script and set. In the movie, the Smith house is located at 1935 Kensington. For filming, the house was built on the MGM backlot on what became known as St. Louis Street. The street was used for many films, and the same house was used for the original Cheaper By the Dozen (1950). Sadly, the street fell into disrepair and was later destroyed and sold off by MGM (it's now condos and office buildings). Of course, this is a musical so the songs deserve mention. Many were original compositions for the film, including "The Trolley Song" (nominated for a Best Song Oscar) and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", the latter showcasing Ms. Garland in peak singing voice. The film was a huge box office success and was nominated for four Oscars (no wins). The set design and costumes are extraordinary, and the story is quite affecting as it focuses on family and what makes a home so special. This is a wonderfully sentimental taste of Americana at the turn of the century, and one of the best examples of how effective a musical can be in telling a story and connecting an audience to the characters.