Just perfect...

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

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 Band Wagon" is essentially a movie in two parts.In the first hour dancer Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) is a washed up musical comedy star who has gone to New York to star in a play written by his friends Lester and Lily Morton (Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabres). The Mortons have arranged for egotistical producer/director/actor Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) to helm the project. He decides to re-write the Morton's play as a modern day "Faust" and include ballerina Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) in the cast. The play tanks.In the second part, the cast borrows a phrase from the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland films of the early 40s and decide to "Let's Put On a Show". The show is of course a big success and everyone lives happily ever after.This was one of the best musicals of the 1950s. Produced by Arthur Freed and directed by Vincente Minelli, we are treated to several classic show topping tunes and dance sequences in glorious technicolor as only MGM could do it.Astaire and Leroy Daniels kick things off with "There's a Shine on My Shoes". The beautiful Cyd Charisse dances a ballet sequence with her lovely legs in evidence. The Band Wagon tunes include "Dancing in the Dark" with Fred and Cyd, "Triplets" with Astaire, Fabray and Buchanan and the finale, "That's Entertainment". It should be noted that singer India Adams dubbed Charisse's singing voice.Astaire and Charisse would re-team in "Silk Stockings" (1957). Fred Astaire would continue on well into his eighties, switching to dramatic parts starting with "On the Beach" (1959) although he did have several successful TV specials (with Barrie Chase). It was curious that Nanette Fabray didn't go on to bigger and better movies as she was a breath of fresh air in this film. Jack Buchanan had been on the British stage for many years and I think this was his only Hollywood film before his untimely death in 1957.Others in the cast include James Mitchell as Paul Byrd Charisse;s manager, Robert Gist as the stage manager Hal Benton and Douglas Fowley as the auctioneer at the beginning of the film. And watch for Steve Forrest and cameo star Ava Gardner in the railway station sequence.They sure don't make them like this any more.

While there are some famous songs in The Band Wagon, namely "That's Entertainment", it's not the best Fred Astaire movie in the world. This is one of those "let's make a movie about show business" movies, and those movies aren't usually very good.At the start of the movie, Fred Astaire is playing a characterture of himself: he's a stage and screen musical star who's got a few miles on him and is thinking of retiring. The fans who once wanted his autograph now seek out Ava Gardner—I don't know why she was featured as a plot point and cameo in this movie, since she was never famous for her song and dance talents. In any case, Fred, Oscar Levante, Nanette Fabray, and Jack Buchanan create a musical version of Faust and want to put it on Broadway to revive Fred's career. When Cyd Charisse is brought in as his costar, arguments ensue.If you're a Fred Astaire fan, like I am, you'll probably want to watch every movie he's ever made. By all means, rent The Band Wagon. "That's Entertainment" is a very famous song, and it's the title of the very famous documentary about film musicals that Fred co-hosted in 1974. If you're never seen a Fred Astaire movie before, or you're not too wild about movie musicals, this isn't the best one for you to start out with. There are some memorable songs, like "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," "Triplets," and the "Dancing in the Dark" dance with Fred and Cyd, but there are also some very silly songs, as well as songs that will make you want to walk out of the room for more popcorn without pressing pause.There you have it; you've been warned. I absolutely love Fred, so even when a movie of his is a little bad, I forgive him. If you love him too, then hop on The Band Wagon!

Fred Astaire was 54 when he made 'The Band Wagon' with Cyd Charisse (who was 31), and he supposedly loved the role in 'The Band Wagon' because it allowed him to show what it was like to be in productions as an older dancer. The first half of the movie is engaging, as a musical is put together starting with a script from writers played by Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray pitched to a bombastic producer played by Jack Buchanan. Astaire and Charisse's characters initially don't like one another, and the scene where they're all assembled at a gathering of Buchanan's to raise funds as he pitches his vision of the musical to the horror of the writers as well as touting stars who already 'want out' is fantastic. I loved the performance of 'That's Entertainment', which has since become a musical standard. Charisse and Astaire do have some great dance moments with one another, but performances overall are a little uneven. And, as the musical within the movie is reworked in the second half, it becomes a little hodgepodge, and it's hard to fathom how a hayride, a performance on triplets, and a film noir like number fit together (hint: they don't). There are some bright spots and the film is reasonably entertaining, but there is a lack of cohesion that separates it from the truly great musicals of the era.

The Band Wagon is the film Fred Astaire's career was culminating to: his best film in my view. Like Ninotchka with Greta Garbo or A Star Is Born with Judy Garland, this was the role he was born to play; one catered to his on screen persona. Fred Astaire is Tony Hunter! An ageing hoofer who no longer is the star he once was. The Band Wagon contains little references to Astaire's past: from Bill Bojangles Robinson to the opening credits feature an image of a top hat and cane, to the mentioning of a fictional movie "Swinging Down to Panama" perhaps a reference to Swing Time and Flying Down to Rio (although I do wish there could have been a little reference to Ginger Rogers herself in there).The Band Wagon provides Astaire with some of the best musical numbers of his career. However the film also allows him to showcase other avenues of his talent, such as his outburst scene over his dissatisfaction over rehearsals - a fine example of the acting prowess he possessed. While Ginger Rogers is obviously Astaire's greatest partner Cyd Charisse is his most accomplished; could there be a more graceful figure? Was I gullible that when I first watched The Band Wagon that the movie manipulated me into thinking the pretentious and egotistical stage director Jeffrey Cordova's (Jack Buchanan) idea of a musical inspired by the Faust legend was a good idea? This isn't the same old backstage musical plot; The Band Wagon is a thinking person's musical. Likewise Charisse's Gabrielle Gerard has a mature sub plot of her own involving her trying to deal with her dominating boyfriend and her feeling towards Tony; giving the film that extra mature edge.Not only is there a great story, there is also great comedy with a cast gels so well together. Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray as a bickering couple and their hysterical fanboy reactions to meting Tony Hunter, to Jack Bunchanan's over the top histrionics and his terrible ideas for a stage musical. My favourite moment in comedy in The Bandwagon is the scene in which Jeffrey Cordova manipulates Gabrielle's boyfriend from being dead set against allowing her to being cast in his stage production to then begging him to allow her to be in the show. It's like a Bugs Bunny-Yosemite Sam type moment but on a much more subtle level and made even more impressive by occurring in an uncut shot. Likewise the sets in The Band Wagon have an astounding level of detail that scenes near the beginning of the film taking place on the street had me wondering where they sets or real world locations.Up until The Band Wagon it was uncommon for a film musical to have a soundtrack entirely composed for it rather than having songs and compositions taken from other sources; which makes it all the more impressive that the entire soundtrack to The Bandwagon is superb. If I was to choose my three favourite musical numbers of all time, in terms of epic scope they would be The Broadway Melody Ballet from Singin' In the Rain, The Lullaby of Broadway from Gold Diggers of 1935 and The Girl Hunt Ballet from The Band Wagon in all its 13 minute glory. Here noir meets musical, with Astaire at his most badass. His line delivery could be in an actual crime film itself, plus it inspired the music video for Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. There's also the Shine on Your Shoes number, one which I could watch again and again just to look at all those gizmos in the background and the genuine reactions on people's faces at seeing Fred Astaire dance; while That's Entertainment has become a semi- official anthem for Hollywood. Oh and there's the Triplets number; one of the weirdest musical numbers ever filmed and they're actually dancing on their knees! The early to mid-1950's where a phenomenal period for the musical genre. Hollywood produced some of its finest musicals in these years before television brought this era of film musicals to an end. Films like The Band Wagon elevated the genre to new heights. A Fred Astaire musical which has everything and more!