“Listen, no one could teach you to dance in a million years. Take my advice and save your money!” – Penny Carrol
You guys, I’m so excited for this one. Why you ask? I just absolutely love every Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie I have ever seen. One of my favorite movies is actually “Top Hat.” If you’ve never seen any of their movies, you are definitely missing out! I know the fact that the films were made in the 1930’s might be daunting, but guys, it was the “Golden Age of Hollywood!” These are the films that set the ground for movies today and are the ones we should be watching and never forget. Keep in mind that the oldest movie we have seen, thus far, is from 1942 (Yankee Doodle Dandy) and this one is another six years older. But, before I ramble on too much…
As much as I love Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, I have never actually gotten a chance to see “Swing Time.” I have, however, seen one of the early dance numbers from the film on YouTube. I didn’t know what movie it was from, I just wanted to see what else they had been up to together. I just absolutely love to watch them dance together, it’s amazing. Needless to say, again, I was very excited for whatever was in store.
Basic Premise of the Film: Guy heads off to NYC to make his “fortune”/enough for his future father-in-law to let him marry his beloved. Shenanigans ensue. Singing and dancing is involved.
Well, I’m sure you all will not be surprised when I say that I absolutely loved it. I really loved it. I don’t know how I went so far in life without watching it. What surprises me most about watching an 80-year-old movie (yeah, let that sink in for a hot second) is how funny it still is. You would think it’d feel outdated or something, but it doesn’t. I sometimes feel like I’m purposefully expecting some caveman like quality movie when it comes to anything made before 1940-ish which is why I probably always end up surprised. You guys remember that “100 Years…100 Stars” list I talked about during Yankee Doodle Dandy? Where James Cagney is #8? What number was Mr. Astaire? #5. That Fred Astaire was the whole package. He could act, sing, and dance. And quite excellent, I might add. I know there are a lot of people in the business that can do it all, but I feel that back in the day they had to be on a whole different level. Especially considering how fast movie studios would put out films; like one every other week. Mofo’s were busy. We can’t talk about Fred Astaire without talking about his better half (in this film at least), Ginger Rogers. She is simply beautiful and amazing. She was also the full package. Actress, singer, and dancer — all at the same time. She is also ranked on the “100 Years…100 Stars” list but at #14. Yes, she’s lower but let’s not forget that this list is technically titled “50 Greatest American Screen Legends” and is split into two lists of 25. People might not right away consider Rogers and Astaire screen legends, but when you look at the list and see the people who are above and below them, they’re definitely where they belong on that list.
Doing some quick research on the film before viewing, it was my understanding that “Swing Time” was peak Astaire and Rogers. Of all 10 movies they made together, this was their best and it is not hard to see why. The dancing is great. They have their big dance number towards the end of the movie and it is amazing. I seriously can’t find the words to say how wonderful they are together. To quote someone that was quoted on Wikipedia (I know, for shame) this movie contains “the greatest dancing in the history of the universe.” I already know one reason why this movie is so significant and why it should always be on AFI’s list through every update: it introduced the world to the song “The Way You Look Tonight.” Yeah. That’s your little fun fact of the day. I can just listen to Fred Astaire sing all day. I will say however this movie includes an extended dance sequence in which Fred Astaire has blackface on (see: Bojangles of Harlem). Yes, this is highly offensive today, but lets not forget that back then this was normal. I’m not defending or supporting the use of the blackface BUT it does help us see why it’s an important film since many films do serve as time capsule for all of us that know nothing about that life. I mean, he does some great tap dancing but I low-key couldn”t get over what I was seeing. The rest of the film is great though. When the list was first made in 1998, this movie wasn’t ranked — just like Sophie’s Choice and The Last Picture Show. Maybe they’ll decide to vote it out at the next update but based on “The Way You Look Tonight,” I think it deserves to stay on the list.
I watched this film on Daily Motion, FOR FREE!! CLICK HERE to watch. I know it’s on YouTube for rent but why rent when you can watch it for free.
And now for fun…
Here’s that big dance number I was raving about. Also, to all my ladies out there, let us swoon over that exquisite dress/gown Ginger Rogers is wearing. So beautiful and you know they’re still making dresses very similar to that today.
secret life of an almost "Grown-Up" 