[.ca] Silk Stockings

From Amazon.com:
Fred Astaire took one of his final musical turns in this delightful 1957 comedy, a cold war update of the classic Ninotchka. Cyd Charisse, having previously wrapped her endless legs around Fred in The Band Wagon, plays the Greta Garbo role: a humorless Soviet functionary who sternly refuses the allure of Paris… for a while, anyway. Like some of the first widescreen musicals, Silk Stockings feels a little slowed down by the horizontal format, but nothing can dim the sparkle of Astaire and Charisse, nor quench the razzmatazz of Janis Paige. Paige and Astaire assess the current state of movies by singing that films today need "glorious Technicolor, breathtaking CinemaScope, and Stereophonic sound!" In the hands of Cole Porter, that phrase becomes wonderfully musical--and by the way, it's nice to see the composer identified with so many breezy 1930s songs staying au courant in the age of Sputnik and television. --Robert Horton

Unersappreciated:
Yes, this is one of the last of the MGM musicals. Tis a pity. Now that CHICAGO is such a hit, they must release other MGM musicals just as good as this. THE BAND WAGON...THREE LITTLE WORDS...EASTER PARADE and SUMMER STOCK, just to name a few. SILK STOCKINGS is a remarkablly good film for it's genre. Nothing could beat CYD and FRED dancing, even if the plot isn't strong. Too bad there wasn't more of JANIS PAGE as one of her numbers seems to have been given the short shift. Otherwise, the film is a standout and a must for musical lovers. Any left? I think so. Give this one a try as well as the other Cole Porter releases. Thanks for these, but we want more!!!

Silk Stockings:
Fred and Cyd were never singers or actors; they should have stuck to what they knew best....dancing! Cole Porter was not at his peak when he wrote the score for this amateurish box office failure. And those accents!

Great Film - Poor Quality Master!:
Received this great musical on DVD the other day to enhance my collection and was disappointed to find the picture quality substantially inferior to my identical television recording and only a slight improvement upon an old video tape of the same film. Digital enhancement would appear to be needed in this particular case.

Fred and Cyd are Pure Silk!:
Here's an interesting Fred Astaire film from the late fifties that is both dated and timeless. The timelessness comes from Fred and Cyd Charisse in a great musical romantic comedy. The dated aspects are most of the digs at the Cold War Russians, but it's all part of the fun. In this retelling of "Ninotchka", lots of comedy mileage is gotten from the Cold War and the sad state of the Russian citizenry ("You mean you want to get IN to Russia? Of your own free will?!"). Three whole numbers are dedicated to the misery of being a Russian under Communist rule ("Siberia", "Too Bad, We Can't Go Back to Moscow", and "The Red Blues"). Some other tunes like "It's a Chemical Reaction, That's All" pit the Commie view of love against the good ol' red white and blue all-American view. Two numbers, "All of You" and "Silk Stockings", are both well worth the price of admission. There has never been a finer example of the pure grace in the art of dance than when Cyd and Fred perform in "All of You". In the "Silk Stockings" number, Cyd solos in a balletic dance showing how the Russian robot becomes seduced by the luxury and femininity of Paris. The Cole Porter songs are okay, but hardly his apex. "Ritz Roll and Rock" is an interesting curio if nothing else, as Porter and Astaire try their hand at rock n' roll. Even though the song is so-so, the dance number is pretty good, and when the curtain rises on Fred in this one, you know he and he alone owns the dance floor... before the dance even starts! "The Poet and Peasant Overture" is included as a short subject, apparently to show off the new miracle of the CinemaScope widescreen process. As an odd, but added treat, an early Bob Hope short "Paree, Paree", rounds things out. Bob gets second billing to the (now) forgotten actress Dorothy Stone in this 1934 musical tidbit. There's even a strange, Busby Berkeley look to the impromptu dance numbers, with a score of leggy dancers forming ever-evolving star and pinwheel patterns. A good disc by far for Fred fans, and a keeper, regardless.

"I Like the Looks of You...":
I love this movie. It is absolutely hilarious. Though I know the tradgedy and horror that existed in Communist Russia, this film still made me burst out laughing. The songs are beautiful and alluring. However, the dancing steals the show. Cyd and Fred look swell together. Fred and Janice Paige's number about modern films is hilarious. I also like "We Can't Go Back to Moscow." I find myself singing it every day. The plot is relatively good and has a cute love story. As always, love conquers all, even the iron curtain.