If there were ever to be a competition to find the perfect film musical, then the band Wagon (1953) would probably win. It's one of those Musicals that has never tried to be a stage show, and was written for the film medium in the first place. There have been many of these, some more successful than others, but then you consider that this film musical was written by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Alan J. Lerner, with a team of composers writing the songs, most notably Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, whilst starring Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant and Jack Buchanan, and directed with flair by Liza Minelli's father, (and husband of Judy Garland), Vincente Minelli.
It is one of the best 'back stage in the business' musicals ever written, and although it is just a little disjointed at times, the music is more mature, the songs are better sung, the choreography better, the direction tighter and more imaginative, and all-told a much more entertaining show that that of a close relative of The Band Wagon which has seemingly stood the test of time and popularity much better, Singin' In The Rain.
The plot is short on drama, despite there being an air of melancholy in the air at times, [but that was the era in which the show was written... they didn't go in for the darkness of Stephen Sondheim or the pathos of Boublil and Schonberg!] - but it has some of the best musical acting of the era, and tells the story of an aging movie star whose career is all but over and wants to find a way of re-kindling the flame by way of a big comeback. I've never really rated Astaire as much of a dramatic actor, but some of the scenes he shares in this flick as the 54 year-old Tony Hunter, are in my opinion some of his most thougthful and truthful. The Broadway vehicle they choose is, of course, a new Musical... and his beautiful co-star (Cyd Charisse) plays the role of young starlet Gabrielle Gerard with typical suavity and charm. That is, until she finds out who her co-star is going to be, and how old he is! The hatred is mutual though as they cannot get along, and all kinds of hilarity (some great one-liners) ensues, until of course, the show must go on.....That's Entertainment!
There is a control to Minelli's directing in this film which is quite masterful, and one cannot help but compare him to the greatest ever film musical director, Busby Berkeley, in the way that he sees the whole screen in many dimensions at the same time, and yet skillfully allows the viewer to focus on only one at a time. Whilst the chemistry between Charisse and Astaire is perhaps not quite as romantic as it was with his more well known partner Ginger Rogers, it is true that Charisse was the better dancer. Sadly though her voice was dubbed and an uncredited lady takes the credit for the beautiful voice you hear on screen.
It is hard to understand why this film has been (almost) forgotten, and maybe, just maybe, someone out there is thinking of a stage version, or a film remake..... that would be a grand idea! In the meantime however let us not forget that this 1953 gem has been nominated for no less than 7 Academy Awards, and ranks as number 17 in the American Film Institute's List Of Best Musicals!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 29/12/19
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