Director Busby Berkeley was truly an auteur, and nothing illustrates that better than "Gold Diggers of 1935". The big production number of the film demonstrates he was a director of big ideas, who was able to indulge his creative impulses. Sometimes he would over-indulge and focus on the scale of his creations, creating scenes where the film principals were small specs in a panorama of sets or extras. And he would include some scenes that were not compelling just to illustrate his ability to create those scenes.
But this film is not all production numbers. The story which encompasses the song and dance extravaganzas is about a hotel and the guests who stay there. It is rather like "Grand Hotel" but peppered with comedy gags and populated with eccentric characters.
One such character is T. Mosley Thorpe, played by Hugh Herbert---a rich man who is working on a comprehensive compendium of decorative snuff boxes. Because of his money, he is the target of unscrupulous women with designs on his fortune, with or without his romantic intentions.
The film is also a romance, primarily about Dick Curtis (Dick Powell) and Ann Prentiss (Gloria Stuart). Powell and Stuart display their vocal talents, especially when singing the catchy "I'm Goin' Shoppin' with You." The orchestrations are a highlight; they sound inspired by Gershwin's "Rhapsody".
Berkeley might have overreached with this film, but his lack of editing just gives us an even broader collection of memories from the "bawdy' thirties. This film almost defines the state of the art with regard to song, dance, and special effects.
But this film is not all production numbers. The story which encompasses the song and dance extravaganzas is about a hotel and the guests who stay there. It is rather like "Grand Hotel" but peppered with comedy gags and populated with eccentric characters.
One such character is T. Mosley Thorpe, played by Hugh Herbert---a rich man who is working on a comprehensive compendium of decorative snuff boxes. Because of his money, he is the target of unscrupulous women with designs on his fortune, with or without his romantic intentions.
The film is also a romance, primarily about Dick Curtis (Dick Powell) and Ann Prentiss (Gloria Stuart). Powell and Stuart display their vocal talents, especially when singing the catchy "I'm Goin' Shoppin' with You." The orchestrations are a highlight; they sound inspired by Gershwin's "Rhapsody".
Berkeley might have overreached with this film, but his lack of editing just gives us an even broader collection of memories from the "bawdy' thirties. This film almost defines the state of the art with regard to song, dance, and special effects.