Les heures tendres

Patti (Jane Powell) is coming of age in the early XX century. She sights for Demi (Ricardo Montalbán) and willing to wear corset, a clear sign of becoming a woman. Until then she can not allow any man put his arms around her...or they would discover she is not wearing corset and consequently is not a woman yet. But her parents prefer to wait until she is eighteen. That means waiting a whole year, a difficult thing specially if you have a friend called Valerie (Phyllis Kirk) who is already in the adult world and fighting for Demi's love. Delightful musical comedy that includes many beautiful songs such as Oceana roll, Row, row, row, Aba daba honeymoon (a huge success after film's release that lead to a tour song through the States for both singers), By the light of the silvery moon and a The chocolate soldier's fragment, all of them perfectly fitted. In brilliant Technicolor with wonderful costumes by Edith Head, an accurated set designs and mise-en-scène and great performances by all the cast this is a film not to be missed. Specially enjoyable are the lake boat dream sequence with Ricardo Montalban appearing in Patti's dreams and the tango dance finale A media luz (made famous by tango singer Carlos Gardel) where Mr. Montalbán (a great dancer) shines dancing with Miss Powell. She said this was her favorite film. Great entertainment.

TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE is a rarity, a movie that sets out to capture the innocent charm of the early 20th century, and succeeds. A brave confection, built on a rather silly premise, it artfully presents the conflict in the heart of a 17-year-old girl who yearns to grow up and whose parents yearn to ignore it. Jane Powell is delightful as the adolescent who has a crush on the dashing man, and Ricardo Montalban hits just the right note of sophistication and kindness as he begins to fall for her. Debbie Reynolds is perfect as the wisecracking younger sister who knows what she wants and how to get it (and "it" is Carleton Carpenter), and two little brothers add just the touch of innocent mischief we would expect from little brothers in those days. Louis Calhern is delightful as the fumbling father, and Ann Harding is elegant and regal as always as the mother.

I don't see how anyone could interpret this as the same movie as DIRTY DANCING, except they both took place in Catskills resorts. It is truly about a loving family and how they cope with growing pains all around. The later film was no such thing, with a different set of characters and a totally different story line. It was certainly a different kind of resort as well.

Yes, remade as DIRTY DANCING! I was lucky enough to see this hilarious and enchanting film in real 3 strip Technicolor in the early 1970s when every Sunday night there would be a classic double at a local theatre.......I can't ever describe how beautiful the colour is / was in this format. Often it played with a 3 strip tech print of Singin In The Rain, so imagine the imagery left to take home and replay in my head...... The cinema was always full (700 +) and the crowd just roared with appreciation. This is a very funny film and one that really addresses teen worries in the most lovable way. One sequence where the families go night time boating with lanterns, all to the song By The Light Of The Silvery Moon is spellbinding enough to transport the hardiest soul to sheer bliss (my brother). Kids need to see this film today and if you can show it to them, they will put aside their demands and really come to love it. The raisins reference above is from the most uproarious dinner time gag early in the film. Have a look....it's delivered perfectly. Like the film.

I haven't seen this one in a long time, since I caught a TV broadcast some years ago. But I'll never forget its gentle high spirits; the warm and humorous work of the ensemble cast; M-G-M's studio-bound but, as always, first-class production values; and, of course, the happy showcasing of Jane Powell at her best. But one thing that amused me the most was the extremely sly performance by Debbie Reynolds, so early in her career. She appeared in many comedy-with-music films in the years to follow but I can't think of one that so cleverly mined her very special talent for, shall we say, winking at the audience and bringing her uniquely appealing sense of humor to the proceedings, without in the least stepping out of character. Think I'll splurge and get my own VHS copy of this one. Nostalgia can be fun, n'est-ce pas?!?

I love this movie not just because of Jane Powell's charming performance or Ricardo Montalban's romantic looks, but for its wonderful recreation of the period and most of all for its heartfelt appreciation of the angst of growing up and moving from girl to woman. And it's so funny!- the scene where her (surgical) corset locks during her longed-for dance with Ricardo is hilarious. What more could you ask - even Debbie Reynolds is (comparatively) restrained.