Film Review
One of the most underrated of Fred Astaire's song-and-dance comedies,
A Damsel in Distress is an
exhilarating compendium of fun that not only features some sublime
musical numbers from George and Ira Gershwin but also boasts some great
comedy, supplied mainly by George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of
America's finest comedy double acts. The film is based on a novel
by the English writer P.G. Wodehouse, who wrote the screenplay during
one of his brief (and, according to the writer, massively overpaid)
stints in Hollywood. It was directed by George Stevens, who had
helmed the previous Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical extravaganza
Swing
Time (1937), one of the duos most highly regarded
collaborations.
The film is significant in that Astaire appears without a dancing
partner of equal stature, which may have been a conscious choice by the
actor/dancer to prove to an audience that he could carry a film on his
own, without someone as talented and glamorous as Ginger Rogers to
support him. Cast in place of Rogers was the 18-year-old Joan
Fontaine, an inexperienced actress who had no singing or dancing
experience to speak of but no shortage of charisma. Early on in
the production, Astaire became so frustrated with Fontaine's lack of
promise as a dancer that he mooted replacing her with Ruby
Keeler. Instead, Fontaine was retained but she was required to
dance in just one dance number (
Things
Are Looking Up, one of the most charming numbers in the film),
with some ingenious choreography and camerawork skilfully hiding her
shortcomings as a dancer. The film's other big dance numbers were
performed by Astaire, Burns and Allen, with Allen demonstrating
surprising flair as a dancer.
The centrepiece of the film is a lavish song-and-dance sequence (
Stiff Upper Lip) set in an Art
Deco-styled fun house. Not only does this sequence test the
skills of the three lead performers to the limit as they negotiate a
veritable obstacle course of funfair attractions, but it proved to be
just as challenging for the camera operators who somehow ensure that
the whole sequence flows effortlessly, despite the complexity and
confined nature of the set. The film's other great musical
number is
A Foggy Day, a
hauntingly beautiful ballad sung by Astaire in a fog-wreathed woodland
setting. Tragically, this was to be one of George Gerswhin's
final compositions - he died before the film was completed from a brain
tumour, aged 38.
A Damsel in Distress is far
from being Fred Astaire's greatest film - if only Ginger Rogers were in
it it would be perfect - but it has considerable charm and, bolstered
by a combination of Wodehouse's comic verve and the Gershwins' musical
genius, it has stood the test of time better than most musical comedies
of this era. The film was not a success when it was first
released - in fact it was the first of Astaire's films to lose
money. Today, it holds up remarkably well and is one of Fred
Astaire's more entertaining films - the comedy is superior to that of
his more successful musicals, and the song-and-dance numbers are not
too bad either. Not quite a classic, but an enjoyable romp all
the same.
© James Travers 2012
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Next George Stevens film:
Vivacious Lady (1938)
Film Synopsis
Everyone at Tottleigh Castle knows that Lady Alyce Marshmorton is about
to get married, but no one knows for certain who the lucky man will
be. When the servants hold a wager, houseboy Albert bets that
Lady Alyce will take as her husband a complete stranger, whilst the
butler Keggs is confident that she will select her mother's favourite,
a jazz-loving buffoon named Reggie. When it is discovered that
Lady Alyce has gone to London for a secret assignation with a young
American, Keggs is sent to retrieve her before the family name is
besmirched. In her attempt to avoid Keggs, Lady Alyce runs into
Jerry Halliday, a famous American entertainer who is doing his
damnedest to avoid his admirers. Determined to win his bet,
Albert slips Jerry a fake love letter from Lady Alyce. Without a
moment's hesitation, Jerry hastens to Tottleigh Castle, accompanied by
his press agent George and the latter's scatterbrained secretary
Gracie. Not knowing that Lady Alyce is in love with another man,
Jerry begins to court her, egged on by Lord Marshmorton. The
course of true love never did run smooth, but with Keggs and Albert
stirring the love pot an increasingly frantic effort to win their bet
anything appears possible. George may even end up marrying Gracie!
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.