km_dickson

Picks up the musical genre where Broadway Melody left off. Once again we are given a behind the scenes look at a big stage production, but, this time, we are also given the good ensemble cast, interesting story lines, and dramatic weight to make it mean something. You see the aging stars, the young hopeful newcomers, the catty chorus girls, the slave driving director, and the womanizing producer. You see the backstage politics, the dirty tricks, the endless rehearsals and the nail biting opening night. You actually care about weather or not the show goes on because you care about those involved and sense how important it is to them. Warner Baxter gives a particularly good performance as the tireless, self destructive director. It's far from perfect, but it is a marked improvement in the musical genre and a definite forerunner for movies like A Chorus Line and All that Jazz.

The story of the March family, a mother and her four daughters, getting through day to day life while the man of the house is away in the Civil War is a classic charmer. A young Katherine Hepburn gives a very good lead performance as Jo, the Tom-boyish aspiring writer of the family. She may seem a bit out of place at times in this period piece, but she is still the definite pick of the cast. The rest of the female cast really fails to pull its weight, which is a major drawback, considering that the film is such an ensemble piece. The supporting actors, however, had much more to offer; especially Henry Stephenson as the fatherly next door neighbor to the Marches. Still, the mediocre cast can't do much to harm the pleasant, heartwarming story. Kudos to the filmmakers for staying true to the book in several key areas which went against the Hollywood norm.