Glorificação da Beleza

There are two levels to this film. First is your chance to get a glimpse of history. You get to see an example (brief) of what one of the Ziegfeld Follies was. In the process of that you get a chance to hear and see Rudy Vallee and Helen Morgan sing, and see one of Eddie Cantor's skits. You also get a feel for the pomp and extravagance of the follies. What a difference to today's entertainment. In a sense, the folllies were a preview of what became the variety shows on television. And, those shows are gone too. And the movie catches how interested the general public was when a show opened. There was no tv in 1929 so radio went on the air describing all of the people who were attending the opening.

The second level is a fairly decent and interesting story. A story of a young woman who wanted to achieve success. And, in her drive for that success, we see the life she leaves behind and the effect that has on people as she drives forward. Part of that drive comes from her mother who wanted to be a part of that success. It is interesting how she also tries to drive Mary Eaton into making the decisions that she wants made and how she tries to manipulate those decisions. The movie does get across that there is a price to pay for success.

An interesting movie and worth seeing for a glimpse into the late 20's.

Though the sound is sometimes weak and distant and the story is hardly compelling, there is still much of interest.

This is the only film with scenes from a Florenz Ziegfeld show. They are shot in two color (red/green) Technicolor. One shows a tableau and the other is a dance sequence. Both show elaborate Ziegfeld costumes.

Eddie Cantor's tailor act is really funny and there are several other vaudeville sequences as well. Mary Eaton's singing is fine, as is much of the dancing, both show and ballet style.

I would give this colossal and fascinating time capsule musical a 9 for entertainment value and a 2 for the DVD quality. I was so keen to see every frame of this film, having already goggled at THE SHOW OF SHOWS and Broadway MELODY OF 1929...but the DVD I found has the final reels hacked about and urrrggghhhh NOT in the 2 color Technicolor that I was drooling about expecting. I could faintly see the B&W rendition but I knew it was in color so I was really irritated with the DVD people for releasing this great and amazing film in such a chopped and pale way. Prior to the grand finale, the rest of the film is quite interesting as a story and compelling for the visuals and clunky sound of real people and normal city life in the 20s. Sub leads Olive Shea and Edward Crandell are actually more interesting than the lead, Marilyn Miller, and the gorgeous fashions, street scenes, department store settings etc kept me fascinated. I am so keen to see this film properly with the color scenes. as a production and a vintage musical it is extraordinary and beautiful..so please check out the quality and the completeness of the finale before you purchase. If anyone has a good copy to share, complete and with color scenes they can contact me via the message boards on this site. I am so keen to see it properly...and so should you be if you really love sumptuous 20s life on film. Early in the film there is a wonderful outdoor picnic with a stage show...like a delicious 1929 picnic version of '"This Is Our Once A Year Day" from PAJAMA GAME of 1958. Just charming!

Yes, tastes have certainly changed since Ziegfeld's time. Driven by technological improvement and boredom with all things nice this kind of lavish entertainment has gradually been replaced with arty and cheap realism where producers compete to grind the audience's minds into the dirt. Give me honest fantasy anyday!

It's just a story about a woman who unwittingly throws her boyfriend away in her pursuit for fame as a dancer. She enters into a pact with the Devil in the form of a two bit hoofer – she makes it into a Ziegfeld show, he has 5 years contractual sponging off her ahead of him. There's plenty of singing and dancing before the main show, none of it very good but all of it wonderful to watch. The version I saw was in b&w throughout although it's pretty obvious which bits are meant to be in colour, and it ran 94 minutes suggesting it wasn't from the 1950's TV print. A lot of silent films have been restored and preserved but most early talkies have been left to rot away, the soundtrack here has partially returned to blast and crackle and the photography is uneven suggesting a patchwork quilt of available segments has been assembled over the years – so concentration is often needed! I hope the remastered version hasn't got these flaws - but at least every word was clearly enunciated for the benefit of the microphone box. Favourite bits: The ambulance weaving through the streets of New York; the one and only Helen Morgan torch singing What Wouldn't I Do For That Man; the dreamy There Must Be Someone Waiting For Me; the stately and sumptuous sets and costumes of the show itself; even Rudy Vallee singing Vagabond Dreams - rather dully to be sure. I've always liked Eddie Cantor – especially singing, but imho his Jewish tailors shop sketch went on a couple of minutes too long.

So, a nice unassuming film with some spectacular moments and some great songs – well worth watching for people like me who can enjoy it through the ravages of time for what it was: nothing heavy, just (fairly) innocent entertainment.

If you want to catch a viewing of this film in nearly all of its "Glory" -- 2-Strip Technicolor and all--simply get on a plane to Los Angeles and taxi over to the UCLA Film Archives in Westwood. Oh...you'll have to make an appointment well in advance...for "Scholarly and/or Academic Pursuits Only"...for a private screening, as this film resides in the vault. It is rarely screened, except for Film Preservation Retrospectives... or is occasionally loaned out to "your town"...if you happen to live in NY State, or Australia, or Europe. All versions on VHS or DVD are poorly duped dupe-of-a-dupe copies of badly battered eminent domain prints, but unfortunately, that's all there is "out there" until UCLA decides to release their terrific library of 2-Strip Technicolor films onto the world some day! For a couple of swell Technicolor scenes of the film's finale, I suggest that you visit the sensational, stupendous, colossal "Vitaphone Varieties" website run by Jeff Cohen at vitaphone.blogspot.com/.