On the Town (1949)

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

No need to echo consensus points or recap the plot. To me, the movie's not so much a musical as it is a post-war explosion of sheer energy. So who needs a power company to light up a city. Just plug in the first 20-minutes of the 3-sailors romping through NY, and there's enough energy to electrify a dozen metropolises. I was on the floor wiping sweat just watching them. No, this is not a musical in the conventional sense—the songs are mostly forgettable, big production numbers are limited, and there's even less plot than usual. Instead, it's a celebration of life, love, and community. In short, it's the good life that dances before audiences, and good-riddance to a war and a Depression that are at last truly over. It's that affirmation, I think, that connects movie generations.For a non-New Yorker, it's fun seeing the high-spot realities behind those well-known names. In fact, the many landmark shots are expertly blended with the flying feet. Plus, I'm still marveling at that nighttime cityscape from the skyscraper top. It's a memorable background, unlike any other I've seen. Production-wise, I don't know what they paid our 6-stalwart performers, but MGM should be re-initialed as KSM with our 3-highstepping ladies as talent scouts. Anyway, it's taken me 50-years to finally share the movie experience. So at last I see what all the fuss has been about. No doubt about it— Better late than never.

Observations: Loved this movie. Three couples dancing. Frankie a hoot. Sightseeing in New York City.I had one day there, myself. Thought of this movie. Took a sightseeing bus and saw several famous places. Marveled at all the characters did in this movie, in just one day. Meadowville. Nostalgic town. Liked the dance performed in this scene by Kelly and Vera-Ellen. Liked her costume. Both smooth dancers. Florence Bates great in her part; secret alcohol imbiber -- hilarious when she threatened Vera-Ellen. More observations. Great song sung by construction worker in the hardhat. Aggressive Brunhilde cabdriver. Betty Garrett a former Martha Graham dancer. Ann Miller a terrific tap dancer, and great green costume in the anthropological museum. 10/10

Initially I thought I'd seen this film before; it's a musical featuring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as a couple of sailors on shore leave, indulging in plenty of adventures in a vibrant and bustling city. Then I realised I'd seen the very similar predecessor, ANCHORS AWEIGH, of which this is a virtually identical follow-up.Sad to say I found this resultant film a bit of a letdown, even though Gene Kelly considered it his personal favourite. With no less than seven leading characters here, the genius of Kelly is lost in the mix a bit, and there's no stand-out scene like THAT dance-off with an animated Jerry from ANCHORS AWEIGH.Still, fans of film musicals will no doubt find this fun, if dated. The song and dance routines are as enthusiastic as ever, and Sinatra is always good value for money. But there seemed to be a greater emphasis here on comedy over music, and I confess that I found one of the female characters (Betty Garrett's) extremely irritating, which ruined my enjoyment a little. In addition, Jules Munshin's third sailor seems one too many, and I think this film would have been better off as a whole without him. Vera-Ellen is lovely, though.

On the Town (1949)There is so much going right with this movie--from the photography (yes) by Harold Rossen and the music (famously) by Leonard Bernstein, from the leading actors (Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly) to the directors (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)--it's hard to realize how dated or almost bad some moments have become. This is delightful, fantastic, and inspired stuff, total fun top to bottom. But it also has moments that are cringe inducing.And I like musicals.If you don't like musicals in particular, you should start with specimens with wider appeal, and higher standards: "Singin' in the Rain" and "West Side Story" would work for me, if we're talking classics. Throw in "Swing Time" or "Top Hat" if you want an Astaire classic, too. Or a Garland singing musical.This one is from the amazing run of polished hits by producer Arthur Freed. The choreography varies from excellent to wonderful. If it's choreographed dancing you like, check this out. Some of the format it is from the standard style of the Golden Age, where the characters break into song or dance in the middle of their normal doings--in this case, three sailors racing through Manhattan on 24 hour leave.Other parts have choreography, probably by Gene Kelly, that becomes abstract and cinematic, a Hollywood innovation (also seen, famously, in "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris"). The scenes, whether stylized or realistic, are fabulous. The standards are high--space, light, and control of color (Technicolor, of course) inside and out.What drags the movie down is some awful writing, both in the dialog and even in some of the songs. I know lots of musical lovers who don't give a hoot if the lyrics make sense or are especially good--they become secondary to the rest of it, and the artifice is part of the game. But I know others who, like me, prefer the clever, the lyric, the original. And there are some real wincing moments.And in fact, the movie as a whole is awkward, a series of vignettes that do eventually string together into a chronology, but they hardly have to. They survive, or struggle, independently. Some of the acting is forced and you may or may not like the sidekicks like the third sailor, who's just too comic and goofy for my taste. Even the lead actresses, Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen, are no match for Debbie Reynolds, let alone Judy Garland.Now, let's finally add--the best of the songs, and the dancing and photography, are top notch. For all musical lovers. The great final pieces at about 1:17 into the movie is amazing stuff.Note: Bernstein's music originated in a ballet, "Fancy Free," which turned into the Broadway play "On the Town" in 1944. But when this film was made, most of Bernstein's music was replaced with new stuff--some of which is the mediocre music that brings the production down a notch.At times the biggest star in the show is New York itself. Love it.