| Originaltitel |
: |
That's Entertainment! Part 3 |
| deutscher Titel | : |
|
| TV-Titel | : |
|
| |
| Genre | : |
Dokumentarfilm / Musical |
| Produzent | : |
M G M |
| Produktionsjahr | : |
1994 |
| Produktionsland | : |
USA |
| Länge | : |
113 Min. (F) |
| deutsche Erstaufführung | : |
|
| |
| Mitwirkende |
: |
Bud Friedgen (Buch, Produzent)
Michael J. Sheridan (Buch, Produzent)
Peter Fitzgerald (Exec. Producer)
Darsteller:
Fred Astaire,
June Allyson,
Cyd Charisse ,
Lena Horne ,
Howard Keel ,
Gene Kelly ,
Ann Miller ,
Debbie Reynolds ,
Mickey Rooney ,
Esther Williams ,
George K. Arthur ,
Kenny Bake,
Lucille Ball,
Jack Benny,
Ray Bolge,
Jack Buchanan,
Leslie Caron,
Joan Crawford,
Marion Davies,
Doris Day,
Gloria DeHaven,
The Dodge Twins,
Marie Dressle,
Jimmy Durante,
Buddy Ebsen,
Nanette Fabray,
The Five Locust Sisters,
Ava Gardne,
Judy Garland,
Kathryn Grayson,
Dolores Grey,
Betty Hutton,
Harry James,
Betty Jaynes,
Louis Jourdan,
Buster Keaton,
The King's Men & Company,
Hedy Lamar,
Bessie Love,
Douglas MacPhail,
Marjorie Main,
Tony Martin,
Johnny Merce,
Joan McCracken,
Ray McDonald,
Carmen Miranda,
Ricardo Montalban,
Polly Moran,
George Murphy,
Donald O'Conno,
Eleanor Powell,
Elvis Presley,
Ginger Rogers,
The Ross Sisters,
Lana Turne,
Vera-Ellen,
Nancy Walke,
Frances Williams,
Chill Wills
|
| |
| Beschreibung |
: |
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! PART III is the third film tribute to the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals of Hollywood's "Golden Age"
(1928-1958). The documentary is undeniably entertaining, but it
suffers from an uneven selection of clips, sloppy historical
research, and, ultimately, an overabundance of riches.
The film is divided into nine segments, each hosted by a former
MGM musical star seen "on location" at the famous film studio.
Gene Kelly appears near one of the largest soundstages in
Culver City to discuss the earliest screen musicals of the
1930s. Esther Williams returns to her "saucer tank" swimming
pool to reminisce about her water carnivals of the 1940s and
1950s. June Allyson drives through the studio gate to talk
about how MGM discovered and groomed new talent. Cyd Charisse
stands in front of a painted backdrop from BRIGADOON (1954),
where she pays tribute to her co-star from that film, Gene
Kelly. Debbie Reynolds appears outside of the wardrobe
department to discuss the glamour treatment accorded to MGM's
female stars. Lena Horne returns to the recording stage to
comment on her personal difficulties in being the lone
African-American under contract to the studio. Mickey Rooney
walks around the schoolhouse for child stars and reminisces
about his co-star of many films, Judy Garland. Ann Miller steps
on to a dance rehearsal hall and pays tribute to her co-star
from EASTER PARADE (1948), Fred Astaire. Howard Keel strolls
through the film vaults and discusses the changes in widescreen
technology that affected the musical form in the 1950s. Gene
Kelly returns at the end to wax nostalgically about a time
when, supposedly, "life was simpler and so was the film
business."
In 1974, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! provided nostalgic escape for
movie-goers weary of Watergate and Vietnam ("Boy ... Do We Need
It Now" was its ad-campaign slogan). PART III, released in a
year of comparable disillusion and discontent, made little
impact at the box office: perhaps an assemblage of excerpts
from more than 60 MGM musicals is superfluous in an age of
video cassettes, channel-surfing, and ubiquitous nostalgia
television programming. Nevertheless, the film offers a number
of bright spots and surprises.
Apart from the many familiar but still entertaining portions
from such classics as ON THE TOWN (1949), SHOW BOAT (1951), and
GIGI (1958), the film presents some tantalizing outtakes and
behind-the-scenes footage. In one particularly intriguing
sequence, director Busby Berkeley works on a complicated
Eleanor Powell dance number in LADY BE GOOD (1941), while the
final results are shown simultaneously on the opposite side of
a split screen. Outtakes scattered throughout the film include
Lena Horne's sexy song in a bubble bath, cut by the censors
from CABIN IN THE SKY (1942); Judy Garland's jazz number
eliminated from EASTER PARADE (1948); and Debbie Reynolds's
solo torch song dropped from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952). Best
of all is a reconstruction of director George Sidney's
brilliant ensemble number from THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946). (The
"Collector's Edition" of the film, available on videocassette
and laser-disk, includes additional outtakes, several of which
are quite fascinating.)
Unfortunately, while THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! III contains some
superior material, its technical and artistic methods are
questionable. It's curious, for example, that many of the
re-mastered prints in standard aspect ratio have been
re-photographed for widescreen, thus cutting off the tops and
bottoms of the images and thoroughly undermining the impact of
Howard Keel's section on widescreen technology. Many of the
excerpts also seem overly familiar (some even appeared in the
first two THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! films, as well as THAT'S
DANCING!, MGM's 1985 tribute to Hollywood dance films), and the
approach to history is both slight and inaccurate--just for
example, the narration identifies NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER (released
in 1949) as a film that provided escape during wartime. Most
bothersome, however, is the "seamless" editing style which
results in a surprisingly homogenized product. After so many
songs and dances, the spectacle becomes mind-numbing, and the
distinctions in directorial styles are blurred.
The only shift in tone comes during Lena Horne's segment, when
the star mentions that she had some "bad" experiences at the
studio and admits, "I didn't really feel like I belonged in
Hollywood." Unfortunately, this is as provocative and political
as THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! III gets.
". . .most of the scenes in this film never found their way into movie
theaters, and have languished for years, unseen, in the studio's vaults. The
result is a genuinely fascinating film, one that may tell more about MGM
musicals, and aspects of American society, than a film devoted to still more
highlights from musical numbers that did make their way into films."
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
(Eine weitere Beschreibung des Films in
englischer Sprache)
|
Musik-Titel :
Diverse aus den Filmen.
Bilder :
Aufzeichnungen :
Quellen / Credits
|
Druckversion
