I am not a dancer. I cannot judge whether the dancing in this film is better than other films featuring Ginger and Fred. Their dancing is ALWAYS wonderful to me. Consequently, my personal preferences are based upon the other aspects of their films. Although I must agree that the roller skate dance in Swing Time is incredible, some other aspects of this movie are a little sub-par.
The story is no better or worse than usual. At the beginning of the film Fred's "buddies" convince him that it wouldn't be proper to wear cuff-less slacks at his own wedding. Today this seems like quite a contrivance and much ado about nothing. Perhaps it was even ridiculous in the 1930's. However, the device causes Fred to be late to his wedding and places him squarely in the doghouse of his father-in-law-to-be. Thus begins the typical boy-meets-girl formula.
When Fred and sidekick, Victor Moore, use the same device at the end to cause Georges Metaxa to be similarly late for his wedding, it is less successful. Astaire and Moore's overly-hysterical laughter undermines this clever shoe-on-the-other-foot turn of events. A little more of the usual Astaire finesse would have been much more effective.
The film also suffers from the scene where Broderick taunts/dares Ginger to give Fred a big kiss, and the following scene where Ginger bashfully enters his dressing room to make good on the dare. The first scene is sophomoric. The second is sophomoric in the extreme. Fred's backing away from Ginger's romantic advance is entirely unmotivated and inexplicable! These scenes make both Ginger and Fred seem like immature middle schoolers. The dialog and antics are simply not up to the standards of the better Ginger and Fred films. For more mature dialog and less sophomoric antics, check out The Gay Divorcée, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, and even Roberta (where they are really second bananas).
The substitution of Victor Moore for Edward Everett Horton is not a good one. I always look forward to seeing Horton. Helen Broderick's performance also seems to suffer a little for the loss of Horton. She doesn't play as well off of Moore. Neither does Fred.
The better Ginger and Fred films are a wonderful combination of song, dance, romance, sophisticated costumes and simple plots. They have the flavor of their contemporary screwball comedies. Swing Time, too, provides a wonderful combination of song, dance, romance, sophisticated costumes and a simple plot. Unfortunately Swing Time is not nearly as screwball as it is just silly.
Still, the songs, the dancing, and Ginger's costumes make for an enjoyable musical experience. Ginger Rogers is so beautiful and talented that she is always worth watching. And, of course, Fred is also a legend.
The story is no better or worse than usual. At the beginning of the film Fred's "buddies" convince him that it wouldn't be proper to wear cuff-less slacks at his own wedding. Today this seems like quite a contrivance and much ado about nothing. Perhaps it was even ridiculous in the 1930's. However, the device causes Fred to be late to his wedding and places him squarely in the doghouse of his father-in-law-to-be. Thus begins the typical boy-meets-girl formula.
When Fred and sidekick, Victor Moore, use the same device at the end to cause Georges Metaxa to be similarly late for his wedding, it is less successful. Astaire and Moore's overly-hysterical laughter undermines this clever shoe-on-the-other-foot turn of events. A little more of the usual Astaire finesse would have been much more effective.
The film also suffers from the scene where Broderick taunts/dares Ginger to give Fred a big kiss, and the following scene where Ginger bashfully enters his dressing room to make good on the dare. The first scene is sophomoric. The second is sophomoric in the extreme. Fred's backing away from Ginger's romantic advance is entirely unmotivated and inexplicable! These scenes make both Ginger and Fred seem like immature middle schoolers. The dialog and antics are simply not up to the standards of the better Ginger and Fred films. For more mature dialog and less sophomoric antics, check out The Gay Divorcée, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, and even Roberta (where they are really second bananas).
The substitution of Victor Moore for Edward Everett Horton is not a good one. I always look forward to seeing Horton. Helen Broderick's performance also seems to suffer a little for the loss of Horton. She doesn't play as well off of Moore. Neither does Fred.
The better Ginger and Fred films are a wonderful combination of song, dance, romance, sophisticated costumes and simple plots. They have the flavor of their contemporary screwball comedies. Swing Time, too, provides a wonderful combination of song, dance, romance, sophisticated costumes and a simple plot. Unfortunately Swing Time is not nearly as screwball as it is just silly.
Still, the songs, the dancing, and Ginger's costumes make for an enjoyable musical experience. Ginger Rogers is so beautiful and talented that she is always worth watching. And, of course, Fred is also a legend.