La belle de Moscou

Astaire too old! Gimme a break. He danced with a polish that was always present. Charisse should have been grateful for his presence and I suspect that she was.

A characiture of the USSR and America of the Cold War period? Yes indeed, and it was almost as good as "One, Two, Three" in its dialogue and situation. Its sensuality as presented in its dance numbers far exceeded the 1939 version and all comers of the same subject.

I had no problem watching a 56 year old Astaire romancing a 36 year old Charisse. As a matter of fact, I found the pair quite sensuous.

I have often wondered why in the final dance scene Cyd's costume skirt was switched to a cullote in the middle of the scene. The switch was not seamless as it was very noticeable.

But, all in all I give this delightful musical a rating of 8 on a 0 to 10 scale.

Dave

"Silk Stockings" is something of an enigma. Its release came at the moment much of America had switched over to viewing television and the musical film was dying. But it was still glorious. I couldn't care less about the 'outdated Red Russia' story line; this is a remake of a 1939 film and the USSR conflict was in the original as well. What're you gonna do? The main focus is on capitalist seduction- first by Tobias, Munshin, and Peter Lorre, then most beautifully by Astaire and Charisse. Note that in their first duet (the non-dancing "Paris Loves Lovers"), as they sing in perfect counterpoint, they appear to be undressing each other with their eyes. Later, in "All of You," the gloves come off and our two leads seduce each other through a most graceful dance in a living room. Astaire was 56 years old, Charisse was about 36, and there is still more electricity in their pairing than in some of the downright silly things passing as romantic comedies today. The undisputed highlight of the film is Ms. Charisse in a silent and sensuous expression of terpsichory as she puts on nude stockings, a camisole, and a flared transparent slip. OMG!!

Clever, witty and charming musical, courtesy M.G.M. and the Arthur Freed unit, of which this was one of their last films. One of several musical remakes (of non-musical pictures) that the studio produced in the mid-late 1950s. This is one of the best.

Fred Astaire plays his usual character, the playboy-ish bachelor, in this case a film producer, wanting to use a Russian composer's music for his new film. Cyd Charisse plays Ninotchka, the Russian woman who comes to Paris to bring back the composer and three comrades who failed to return him to his native land. As the three comrades, Jules Munshin, Peter Lorre (holding onto a chair as he dances), and Joseph Buloff are a hoot, adding good comic relief in their "Too Bad" and "Siberia" numbers. Janis Paige is a jewel as the ditzy actress hired for the new film. She radiates with Astaire in the memorable "Stereophonic Sound" number, as well as in her own hilarious "Satin and Silk".

Charisse, (whose wooden acting is OK here), is lovely as usual and has a few excellent dances, including the sensual "All of You" (with Astaire), the lively "Red Blues", and the stunning ballet where she removes her old Russian garb, for her new Parisian silks. This was the second of her two pairings with Astaire, and though this is not the gem that "The Band Wagon" is, it still sparkles nonetheless.

A clever and classy musical, with some very topical humor. Great songs by Cole Porter (with the exception of the tacky "Ritz, Roll and Rock"...a poor punch at rock and roll). Excellent use of color and the Cinemascope frame help to make this one of the last great musicals of the 1950s.

There are a number of good things about Silk Stockings, but there also is a professional finality about the movie that makes it easier to observe than to be delighted by it. It was one of the last of the big MGM musicals coming from Arthur Freed's production unit. It was the last musical Fred Astaire made as the lead. It was the last film directed by Rouben Mamoulian. It was based on the last Broadway musical Cole Porter wrote. Silk Stockings also was used to make a statement about the excesses some thought were ruining films and music...the advent of rock and roll and the technological changes in films with wide screen and stereo sound. It even takes a crack at the fashion for ballet in many musicals. You've got to be very clever and original to successfully parody things which are already self-parodies. Silk Stockings, even with its many entertaining moments, isn't that clever.

The story is based on Ninotchka, the female Soviet commissar who comes to Paris and finds romance reluctantly...and then enthusiastically. Paris is presented as a place where decadence was never more innocent and persuasive.

One of the things that seems so odd is that, for a Fred Astaire film, Astaire spends a good deal of time doing knee drops, full-length on-the-floor sprawls and athletic dance moves that limit the sophisticated and smooth Astaire style. He was 59 when he made the picture, and this might explain the relative shortness of some of the sequences. Still, while he is assured and immensely watchable (and while he can still do wonders with a cane), three major dance productions he is in just seem choppy.

Most of the songs from the Broadway show were retained and Porter wrote a couple of new ones. It's become routine with Porter to say that whatever his latest show was, the score was never one of his best. In this case, it's true. The romantic songs are great, but the topical specialty numbers just seem tired. Siberia and The Ritz Roll and Rock in particular miss the mark, in my opinion.

Astaire, as always, is first class. Charisse is easy to look at and a fine dancer. George Tobias, as a commissar in Moscow and Ninotchka's boss, gives a sly and dead-pan performance. Some of Porter's songs are very good. Mamoulian brought the film in on time and under budget. And Silk Stockings was a success with ticket buyers.

Like so many films produced in the mid- to late Fifties and early Sixties, when CinemaScope and other widescreen processes enhanced a production, directors and cinematographers were usually unafraid to take full advantage of the wider ratio. They weren't so concerned about how the final product would look on TV's square screens and probably didn't anticipate the visual desecration of "formatting" and "pan-and-scan" reductions. So it's nice to know that this musical, filmed when M-G-M was about to throw in the musical towel and bid an undeserved farewell to the Arthur Freed "unit," can now be enjoyed again close to its original theatrical aspect ratio on DVD.

Astaire and Charisse are a team to be treasured (so wonderful together in "The Band Wagon" a few years earlier, under Minnelli's astute guidance) and all of the others listed in this film's credits are professionals of the highest caliber. Astaire has a fun solo (with a chorus of top-hatted dancers) in the "Ritz Roll 'n' Rock" number; Cyd gets to put those legendary legs to dazzlingly opulent use in the "Red Blues" production show-stopper; and even Janis Paige gets to raunch it up in an amusing example of clever Cole Porter risking something risqué (for its day) in a song about the Empress Josephine, "commonly known as Jo"! And there's that first reel number, "Stere-oh-phonic Sound," that cleverly spoofs the contemporary moviemakers' attempts to lure people from their TV sets with widescreens, sound coming from every corner of the auditorium and eye-glazing color processes. It may not be prime Porter but it's all far-and-away more fun and enjoyable than anything we're likely to get today with the threatened revival of the movie musical with barbarians like Baz Luhrmann given the directorial reins.