Montmartre à New York

There are three excellent reasons to settle in with this Technicolor extravaganza: Carmen Miranda, Carmen Miranda, and Carmen Miranda! The "Brazilian Bombshell" is at the top of her dazzling talent and is featured in three production numbers, each with it's own nutty, colorful and surreal style--she never disappoints! The musical itself is a slight bauble about a classical pianist finding his heart in a speakeasy (Don Ameche has written a classical concerto with themes from the pop song "Whispering"!); Vivian Blaine, billed as the "Cherry Blonde," is so obviously an Alice Faye stand-in, doing her best to establish herself in the Fox Pantheon along with Faye and Grable; there is lots of dense color saturation in many scenes, making this a visual candy-colored treat, even if the material is lightweight wartime fluff. I never found it dull, and was always entertained; I gave it an "7" not because it's a deep or particularly thoughtful film, but because it accomplishes what it sets out to do perfectly. Entertain. Sometimes you just need a break

It amazes me that other postings about films are so critical of movies intended to be entertaining fluff, for being fluff.

And trite? What movie today isn't a rehash of something already done over and over again?

Musicals of the time weren't intended to be "South Pacific" or "Oklahoma". The plots were devised to be excuses to have music or dance performances or comedy bits. You probably noticed that the plots are mostly "backstage" stories and the characters portrayed are singers or dancers.

Technicolor is always pleasing to the eye, and so are the performances of Vivian Blaine and Carmen Miranda in this film.

So just sit back and enjoy.

The film, not surprisingly, is set in Greenwich Village, New York (actually a sound stage at Twentieth Century-Fox) and begins with an eager young composer, Kenneth (Don Ameche), arriving in town--hoping to make it big. Soon, he meets up with Dan (William Bendix) and his friends at Danny's Den--the strangest speakeasy in Hollywood history. At this 'joint', Carmen Miranda and Vivian Blaine perform. After hearing some of Kenneth's music, Danny decides to put on a show to showcase his sweetie. The problem is that this sweetie (Blaine) might just be in love with Kenneth AND some sharpie (Felix Bressart) is interested in having the music performed instead by a big-name director instead of on some stage show in the Village. What's next? See the film....or not.

I am glad I watched this film when I did, as I had just finished watching a GREAT MGM musical, "Anchors Away". Although both films were in color, there weren't too many other similarities. "Anchors Away" had great music, singing, plot--everything. And, by comparison, "Greenwich Village" just looked tired and second-rate...which, is what it was. As for Carmen Miranda, she seemed unnecessary to the film and a bit lost. Additionally, fair tunes and the studio's lesser singers (Alice Faye was out on maternity leave), the film never really hit the mark and is a few steps below the average Fox musical of the period. And, when it was over, I couldn't remember much of anything about it. Adequate and no more.

By the way, I was VERY surprised to see Ernest 'Sunshine Sammy' Morrison in the film dancing and singing a musical number with a number of other black entertainers. While I was VERY familiar with him as a member of Our Gang (since its beginning) and the East Side Kids, I had no idea he was so talented in other ways.

Here is a confection designed to be a showcase for the adorable Carmen Miranda. It is her first starring role and she is given a lavish showcase in which to weave her magic. Vivian Blane, a gorgeous redhead, is given ample opportunity to show off her singing talents. In all, this is a typical example of the Fox musical of the forties. As far as the color goes, no one did it better than Fox. The vivid Technicolor fairly jumps off the screen, and the print on my DVD is extremely well preserved. WW2 saw a whole series of vividly Technicolored Fox films which were designed to take one's mind off the troubles at hand. As escapism, they were light, fluffy confections with good cheer and lovely visuals taking the place of great dramatic weight. Fox Technicolor at this time could be called super-saturated. Very bright and with set and costume design done to take full advantage of the pallete. Most of these Fox musicals have been amazingly preserved, given their age, and all have a nostalgic entertainment value. They really don't make 'em like this anymore.

Greenwich Village of 1922. The living is easy and the speak-easies are in abundance.

A music instructor, Don Ameche, comes to town to get his concerto played and in the process meets up with Bill Bendix, Carmen Miranda and Vivian Blaine. Bendix is a small time hood with a funny heart who runs a joint. He likes Ameche's music and thinks that he can use it in a show that he is planning. Comically, Bendix thinks that he is in competition with Florenz Ziegfeld.

This movie makes for very light musical fanfare. The songs are great, especially Blaine belting out whispering and Bendix is a riot in a Roman toga dancing and singing around. Miranda, a musical dancing genius, is at the top of her game as well and Blaine sings Whispering with that soft voice.

The film is quite entertaining and a joy to watch.