Good Night, Vienna

A charming romantic musical starring Anna Neagle and Jack Buchanan both of whose film careers were getting going in a big way.Of course the most memorable thing about this film is the immortal title song charmingly sung by Jack Buchanan.Yes the film is dated but you hardly expect a film from this era to have been made with the tastes of the 21st century in mind.It comes from a different age and different goals in entertainment.The plot of course is a trifling mater.However it is all so effectively carried out that one cannot fail to be overcome by the sheer charm of the piece.I doubt whether Neagle or Buchanan would ever do anything better than this.

A piece of froth not without charm - the humour works better than the romance. Given that the whole thing was filmed in three weeks, during the middle of a stage run of a completely different show in which the leading man and lady continued to perform each night, by modern Hollywood standards the picture is probably a minor miracle in itself!

The singing is tuneful and generally convincingly light and impromptu rather than operatic - Vicki singing to herself in the flower-shop is the only number to appear obviously over-dubbed - but there are no immortal melodies. I'm afraid I couldn't have whistled the title song even immediately after the performance.

My favourite scene was probably the spitfire dialogue in the shoe-shop. To modern tastes the film is probably at its most lively during the (brief) section when the principals are in conflict, and tends especially to drag during the musical sections. Overall, I'd say the film was somewhat dated in material and pace, and might have benefited from another ten minutes or so's length to allow the plot a couple more twists! A slight piece, enjoyable as programme filler (which is how I encountered it) but not really worth paying to see in its own right.