A Dreamer, A Photographer, and a Funny Face - Welcome to the Blog

Hi there, everyone, and welcome to Musical Dreams, my home for my musical movie reviews! I've loved musical film all of my life. One of the first movies my mother took my sister and me to see in the theater was the 1983 version of Annie with Carol Burnett. When I went looking for movie blogs online, I found tons of general movie reviews sites, and sites that specialized in other genres, like horror or sci-fi, but none for musical film. I'd like to fill that gap.

I'll post every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with a review of a musical.You'll find all kinds of musicals here. Old musicals from as far back as the dawn of sound in film. The latest movie musicals just out of the theater. Animated musicals, originals, and musicals based on stage shows. Musicals that were hits, musicals that flopped, and musicals that are now considered to be "cult" oddities. I may even review the occasional television musical.

So slip into your dancing shoes and warm up your vocal chords, because we're going to explore the wide world of musicals, in all their forms, fantasies, and foliables.

And speaking of fantasy, that brings us to our first review...

Funny Face
Paramount, 1957
Directed by Stanley Donen

The Story: Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) is shocked when Quality Magazine invades her quiet Greenwich Village bookshop, looking for an intellectual backdrop that'll make their models appear more intelligent. She's more interested in philosophy than fashion and sees them as shallow. They finally shut her out...but Dick Avery, the photographer (Fred Astaire), sees a spirit and freshness in her that their other models lack. He convinces her to come to Paris for a big shoot. She's only interested in meeting her idol in "empathicalism," Professor Flostre (Michel Auclair), and hanging out at the local cafes with other radicals.

As Dick takes her from landmark to landmark, she becomes more self-assured, even giving him suggestions for the final shot. She and Dick seem to be enjoying one another's company and the fruits of their work...until she learns that Flostre's giving a lecture the night of an important gala event. She's late for the event and argues with Dick, then leaves when their fighting turns the gala into a disaster. He and Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson), the editor of Quality, go to Flostre's in search of her. Flostre, however, is not as noble as Jo believes him...and Dick may understand empathy a little more than she thinks.

The Song and Dance: This is partly what we today would call a "jukebox" musical, in this case for George and Ira Gershwin. Four of the songs were taken from their original 1927 Broadway Funny Face, but absolutely nothing else. (Including the remaining three songs, which were written by musical arranger Roger Edens.) Audrey Hepburn uses her own voice here, and while no opera diva, she sounds just fine, especially pairing with the equally imperfect but ageless Astaire on "He Loves and She Loves." It's also a joy to see Thompson, who was usually a musical arranger for MGM and today may be best-known as the author of the Eloise children's books.

Favorite Number: As someone who has always loved color, my favorite part of it may be how it's used to contrast the bright world of fashion with the dressed-down, drab world of the philosophers and beatniks. "How Long Has This Been Going On," with Hepburn swirling around the monochromatic book store in a brilliant green and yellow picture hat, is a prime example. "Clap 'Yo Hands," with Astaire and Thompson doing a wacky gospel spoof in a smoke-filled cafe while wearing the only colors in the place, is another. Hepburn gets to show off her early ballet training in a trio with two fellow philosophers in a smoky cafe.

What I Didn't Like: The parody of philosophy and what most would now call "hipsters" comes off as a bit dated today. While I find that the similarities in Astaire and Hepburn's airy personas transcends any age limitations, some may find the pairing of the 58-year-old dancer and the 20-something starlet to be a bit creepy.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Astaire, Hepburn, the Gershwins, Donen, or fabulous 50's fashion, this is one of the best non-MGM movie musicals of the 50's, with some lovely dance numbers an a few iconic Hepburn shots. Highly recommended.