Yolanda and the Thief (1945) User Reviews

Vincente Minnelli unbound in garish, one-of-a-kind musical phantasmagoria

[bmacv · 5/10 · 20 May 2002]

If Yolanda and the Thief isn't the damnedest thing ever committed to film, it's hard to say what is. Vincente Minnelli took a wisp of whimsey from Ludwig Bemelmans and turned it into this overblown fantasy musical that pushes the flap of the envelope wide open.

Most musicals – the best of them, anyway – grow out of show business lore and derive their pluck and sass from the raffish traditions of show-must-go-on troupers. But Yolanda and the Thief invents a Latin-American Ruritania (called Patria, or fatherland) out of stereotypes which verge on the offensive but stay simperingly coy. It's a kind of squeaky-clean utopia of the clueless Lost Horizon sort run by a benevolent family of oligarchs called the Aquavivas.

Their only daughter (Lucille Bremer), having reached her majority, leaves the convent school where she is allowed to wear full Hollywood makeup. The vast family fortune becomes hers to administer with the help of a dotty aunt (Mildred Natwick, and the best thing in the movie). Alas, the good sisters have not equipped her to cope with the wicked ways of the world, as personified by a couple of American con-artists (Fred Astaire and Frank Morgan) who arrange an introduction and plan to abscond with a sizeable chunk of her assets. Astaire poses as an angel for the impressionable girl, and almost gets away with it, except he – inevitably – falls for her. Plus, on the fringes of the action, a real angel operates....

Harmless enough piffle, but get a load of the musical numbers. Full-tilt phantasmagorias that look like Busby Berkeley on acid or crystal or absinthe, they get bigger and more grandiose and ever loonier, with colors so brash that sunglasses are in order (was this the first head movie?). The set and costume designers must have had field day, what with Minnelli extending them a carte blanche they certainly never had before and would never have again until the debut of the music video. But the songs stay resolutely uninspired, which takes the starch out of the dancing (even much of Astaire's). It's safe to say nobody strode out of the theaters in 1945 whistling snappy tunes from Yolanda and the Thief.

It's not exactly fun to watch but you can't take your eyes off it, either. A one-of-a-kind Technicolor extravaganza, it makes you wonder how – not to say why – it ever got made. Astaire's reputation must have taken a nosedive after its release, and as for Bremer? She makes you long for Ginger Rogers – even the very late Ginger Rogers.

maybe just enjoy it anyway?

[ptb-8 · 7/10 · 25 May 2006]

Imagine if Pufnstuf married Mary Poppins at MGM in 1945. Hmmm. This eyegoggling Technicolor extravaganza set in South America is basically the movie version of the box of chocolates Forrest Gump's Mum warned us about. Unsuspecting viewers might be initially puzzled at the setting and the ideology of the characters. But if you are willing to be patient and be generous about the casting and look forward to a sumptuous feast of color MGM musical effervescence... Well YOLANDA is possibly one of the three top visual treats from that studio. WIZARD OF OZ and THE PIRATE are my votes for the other two. This puts us firmly in a fantasy mode of dreamy musicals with some bitter edges and sexual undercurrent. Read the other comments on this site for YOLANDA they quite well describe some odd things and mostly agree on the film's triumphs: the art direction and the 'Coffeetime' dance number. For me there is an extra musical bonus: The song called "I've An Angel": its breathtaking romantic excitement, the swoon-worthy sexual beauty of Lucille Bremer emerging from her bath to dress in ultra sheer imagery of famed Vargas Girl style.. and the song itself hummed and sung as she bathes, dresses, leaves the house and rushes through the night for a possibly breathless encounter. YOLANDA has many delights, like that chocolate box itself, and it is over ripe and heady. But I am so happy it exists, so delicious a cinematic fruit salad. It cost a mammoth $4million dollars in 1945 and did not return its cost. Made in the days when 'Art for Arts sake" the MGM motto on the ribbon over the growling lion logo, actually meant what it said. YOLANDA (and THE PIRATE) are both genuine art musicals. Know that and you will enjoy.

So much promise - so few rewards

[eschetic · 5/10 · 16 August 2005]

It's impossible to hate any film with Fred Astaire, Frank Morgan and Mildred Natwick giving their considerable all, but it's awfully hard to like any film with such forgettable songs (out of Harry Warren's bottom drawer), forgettable dances inspired by them from choreographer Eugene Loring (except for the promising percussive *introduction* to an ultimately dreary number called "Coffee Time") and a script that never pays off on a single one of its satiric possibilities.

At it's best, the old "studio system" of production by second guessing and committee could produce masterpieces. At its muddled worst, it produced things like YOLANDA AND THE THIEF and blamed them on the cast. Coming at about the middle of Fred Astaire's long film career, and early in Lucille Bremer's four year one, it couldn't ultimately hurt Astaire who would be back on top in three years with EASTER PARADE (interesting that his brief "retirement" in response to this turkey is not remembered in the same way Bette Davis's similarly motivated walkout from another studio is for his being "difficult"), but it did nothing to promote Bremer's career despite what looked like acceptable dancing and at least minimal acting skills and a certain homogenized beauty.

Chief blame would appear to lie with Irving Brecher's script from Ludwig Bemelmans & Jacques Thery's nasty little fairy tale of a story. Trading on the worst stereotypes of the evils of a Convent education (not that a too sheltered education isn't a bad thing), Bremer's "Yolanda" is too naive to be believed and a victim looking for a crime. Only those ALMOST as naive in the audience will not recognize Leon Ames's "Mr. Candle" character immediately for what he turns out to be, and the simple (even expected) plot twists which could make his character and Mildred Natwick's "Aunt Amarilla" interesting are never forthcoming.

Only Natwick's self centered monologue when Bremer returns to her home from the convent rises above the rest of the script and is very funny - creating hopes for what follows that never pay off. The final scene of the film is so perfunctory you get the impression the studio told Minnelli to wrap up filming regardless of what was left to do - but fans of the British sci-fi sitcom "Red Dwarf" may be amused to note that the central gimmick of the scene (and the film's only moment of misdirection or real irony) was stolen years later as the basis for a Red Dwarf episode in its first season.

Among things which ARE of interest in the film: the man who went on to become the great Broadway dancer and choreographer, Matt Mattox, is buried somewhere in the innocuous mess as an unbilled "featured dancer." One wonders if the (uncredited) "Dilettante" played by an actor calling himself "Andre Charlot" is any relation to the great British producer who introduced Gertrude Lawrence and Beatrice Lillie to U.S. shores for the first time in the 1920's?

Technicolor steals the show!

[gregcouture · 12 January 2005]

I'd always been curious about this one, especially considering its rather unhappy reputation as a major disappointment in the Fred Astaire/Vincente Minnelli canon, and it's fairly easy to see why. Turner Classic Movies scheduled it recently and I tuned in to watch something that certainly made me glad Technicolor was invented but which fell somewhat short of its intended mark.

The story is absolute piffle, almost redeemed by Mildred Natwick's genuinely funny portrayal of a dotty aunt. (Check out the sequence where she welcomes Yolanda home from her years at a convent school.) M-G-M stalwarts Leon Ames and Frank Morgan (Was he in every single class "A" Metro production from the late Thirties through the early Fifties?) lend reliable support with the little they're given to do. And Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer get (only) two opportunities to display their dancing compatibility. Astaire, of course, managed to complement all of his dancing partners with his patented style and grace (even the miscast Joan Fontaine in "A Damsel in Distress") but, as a matter of personal opinion, I think that Ms. Bremer runs a very close second to the gorgeous Cyd Charisse as one of his most elegant and beautiful co-stars. She's too old for her role in this one, admittedly, but she's nevertheless quite charming and a prime object for the luscious Technicolor cinematography of Charles Rosher.

The real star of this misbegotten show, however, is the opulence of the very artificial art direction, set decoration, and costuming. It's Hollywood at its most baroque and Minnelli keeps his cameras gliding through it all as if on angels' wings. If you're not looking for one of the Arthur Freed's unit's bona fide musical classics, this one will provide a phantasmagoria of color and motion that's rarely been equaled.

Unusual and enjoyable

[aberlour36 · 7/10 · 25 June 2000]

This is an extraordinary film for 1945. The story, a fantasy, is sort of sappy and the music is forgettable. Frank Morgan and Fred Astaire play themselves. And yet there is an overall quality about the film, a box office disaster, that makes it highly enjoyable. Perhaps it's the way Vincent Minelli handled the production. Perhaps it's Lucille Bremer's almost dazzling beauty. The dance numbers are a whole cut above the usual tap dance routines we expect with Astaire. The special effects are haunting at times.

It's Astaire's "Invitation to the Dance." Well worth watching.

thief or angel?

[didi-5 · 6/10 · 20 July 2008]

A piece of Hollywood hokum, this musical has Lucille Bremer as an heiress who has been sheltered all her young life in a convent, and Fred Astaire as an enterprising thief who (stay with us here) presents himself, and is accepted as, Yolanda's guardian angel! Of course his aim is to get all her money and disappear over the border, but he's foiled along the way by fate (or is it?). The good thing about this hard to swallow fable is that there are two or three really enterprising dance numbers, and they are worth your time. But there are no real story surprises - the 'twist' you can probably see coming a mile away and of course, there is always a happy ending and a quick resolve in an MGM movie.

Worst movie musical ever?

[Bbxpert · 2/10 · 6 March 2021]

Ridiculous plot, every scene that looks like it is filmed on a soundstage, horrible songs, and embarrassingly bad dance numbers. Lucille Bremer looks nothing like the 18 year old she is supposed to portray. Garishly colored costumes and scenery. It's a good thing Astaire was already a big star or this might have killed his career before it started.

gorgeous, boring MGM musical fantasy

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 7 June 2007]

Lovely Lucille Bremer is Yolanda and Fred Astaire is the thief in "Yolanda and the Thief," a 1945 musical directed by Vincente Minnelli and also starring Frank Morgan, Leon Ames, and Mildred Natwick. Astaire and Morgan are con men in a Latin American country called Patria which is practically owned by the Aquaviva family. The heir to the fortune, Yolanda (Bremer) has just left convent school to take over the estate, and Johnny (Astaire) decides to get it away from her. He hears her praying to an angel statue how worried she is about all the money, etc., and decides to pose as an angel. This, of course, is in keeping with one of the major themes of the day during and after World War II - angels, the dead coming back to life, heaven.

This is a beautiful film to look at with some good dance numbers. Minnelli was a brilliant director, even with less than great material. Alas, the stunningly photographed Bremer wasn't much of a presence. She and Astaire are okay together but the whole thing never really gets off the ground. A few nice moments, but one expects more from both Minnelli and Astaire.

"That's it. I quit!"

[topitimo-829-270459 · 4/10 · 4 November 2019]

Fred Astaire wanted to retire in 1945. And can you blame the guy? MGM gave Gene Kelly something as youthful and energetic as "Anchors Aweigh" (1945) while Astaire was stuck in a plastic make-believe country with a terrible screenplay. I would have quit too, but thankfully the gorgeous "Blue Skies" (1946) was only a year away and would bring Fred back ready to start his 'second golden age'.

In "Yolanda and the Thief" (1945) Astaire plays a con-man who arrives in a fictional South American country because the country does not have an extradition agreement with the United States. There he meets a millionaire-heiress played by Lucille Bremer, whom he starts romancing. In the mid-40's there was clearly a South America boom in the US, which is visible in the successful films of Carmen Miranda, Disney's "Three Cabarellos", as well as Jose Iturbi's out-of-place appearances in "Anchors Aweigh" and other MGM films. "Yolanda" is a film dedicated solely for this craze, and therefore it is a very light narrative.

Which is fine. Fred could carry or even benefit from a light, dumb story-line, if the writing was at least funny, if the chemistry with the dance partner was good, if the dancing was his usual level, and if the songs were decent. Unfortunately, this is not the case with "Yolanda". I found Bremer to be one of Astaire's more-forgettable dance partners. Also the fact that the female lead is a schoolgirl at a monastery in the beginning of the film makes the romance kind of icky. In actuality, Bremer was ONLY 18 years younger than Fred, so he would by the late 1950's have more alarming age differences in his films.

In the dance sequences, there are many techniques visible that Minnelli would master in his later musicals, such as the way camera movements correlate with the changing scenery. The dancing itself was not very memorable, and I couldn't remember the songs even just a day after the viewing.

Has a lot to enjoy, but essentially a case of style over substance

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 1 July 2015]

When Yolanda and the Thief is good it is great, but when it is not so good it does significantly underwhelm, a case of having a lot of style and not enough substance. Like The Belle of New York, Yolanda and the Thief is one of Astaire's weakest films, but has a number of virtues that is enough for one to stick with it.

Yolanda and the Thief does look glorious, with positively exotic colours, lavish cinematography and opulent costumes. In this regard, the best and most interesting scene visually is the dream sequence, which looks really stunning. The songs are not enough and they are not the most memorable in the world, but they are pleasant and fun and don't drag the film down too much, the best song being the riotous Coffee Time.

Vincente Minnelli directs very imaginatively, his sense for storytelling has been much stronger in his other films but in terms of style and visual imagination he triumphs. Choreographically, Yolanda and the Thief dazzles as much as the visuals, especially in the dream sequence, which is very colourfully and elegantly choreographed and superbly danced, and Coffee Time, which has the most energy the film ever gets. Fred Astaire is in a different role to usual(very like Three Little Words, except his performance is better in that) and while it does seem like an ill fit at first, he plays it with real grace, suavity and charm while his dancing is magnificent as always. Lucille Bremer proves herself one of his most elegant partners and she dances exquisitely, while Mildred Natwick has fun as the Aunt.

The story however struggles to sustain the running time, is very predictable even for a 40s musical and strains credibility quite badly. The opening sequence is unnecessary and clumsily handled and the ending felt abrupt and under-explained. The script manages to be even thinner and the attempts at humour are leaden and unfunny, while the film shamefully wastes Frank Morgan and Leon Ames, two very reliable actors when with good material but their roles here do nothing for their talents at all. Outside of the musical numbers the film also struggles maintaining momentum, and while her dancing is delightful Bremer seemed very overtaxed and cold in her acting.

All in all, one of Astaire's weakest but has enough to partially recommend it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Bizarre....just plain bizarre.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 9 September 2012]

This MGM musical might just win the award for the weirdest musical of all time...or at least until the film "The Apple" debuted in 1980. It's a one-of-a-kind strange film...that's for sure.

The film is set in the mythical South American nation of Patria. A young lady in a convent (Lucille Bremer) is about to reach her 18 birthday and assume control over a HUGE corporation that practically owns the nation. However, she's feeling completely overwhelmed and prays for divine assistance. Well, it happens that a devilish thief (Fred Astaire) heard her prayer and decides to become her guardian angel--and thereby rob her of her fortune. However, like you'd expect in an old time musical, Fred is torn and just can't bring himself to hurt poor Lucille. What's next? Well, I won't say but I will say it gets a lot weirder yet!! This is brainless fun...but clearly brainless. It's not a particularly good script and the film also suffers from a couple dance numbers that are too long and time-consuming--most likely to cover for the fact the film just hasn't got much of a plot. Worth seeing for Astaire lovers---all others be careful!

By the way, if you do see the film look at the opening number. This must be the most sexually repressed imaginary country on the planet, as the folks shower while dressed!! You wonder how (and IF) they make love!

A Very Kinky Musical

[michael-248 · 8/10 · 3 November 1999]

This one is a strange one. Set in a fictional South American Country, Fred Astaire plays a con man who impersonates a guardian angel to Lucille Bremer's innocent, convent raised character. While he is trying to get to her vast fortune, he of course falls in love with her.

The story is over-shadowed by the bizarre musical numbers. There is a dream sequence which is one of the longest, most mesmerizing musical numbers ever put on film (eat your heart out Salvadore Dali). The number `Coffee Time' looks like it was fun to film and the dance floor will cause you to,have optical illusions.

The sets are very opulent and the Technicolor is breathtaking. Over-all I rate this film highly because it is so off-beat. I read that this film cost 6 million dollars to make, and was a huge box office failure, and that Fred Astaire nearly retired because of his experience with it.

A treat for the eyes

[scanimal · 7/10 · 7 March 2008]

This film is vastly underrated. It is by no means the usual MGM Freed tune fest. But if you can happily suspend disbelief for a couple of hours and indulge all your fairy tale fantasies, watch this film.

I saw it on a DVD made from an old VHS (recorded from TV I suspect).

I hope someone will have the sense to release a remastered copy on DVD so modern audiences get the chance to forget about their cynical and worldly cares and wrap themselves up in the warm blanket of this Technicolour fantasy.

I wonder if the reason this film is largely forgotten is because it does not easily fit into any category. OK it was made by the Freed unit at MGM, but it is not a typical musical. Think of it as a visual fairy tale for grown ups.

Too painful

[Chamelea · 1/10 · 14 August 2003]

Extraordinary and ghastly, as though Eugene Ionesco had adapted "The Wizard of Oz" as an overlong "Touched by an Angel" movie-of-the-week special. Vapid music, tediously absurd characters, overheated mises en scène, and loathsome ethnic and religious caricatures unredeemed by any good dancing. Who'd have guessed that this stinker was hiding in Astaire's closet next to his top hat, tails, and that cute toreador outfit from "Broadway Melody of 1940"?

Minnelli in Paradise

[harry-76 · 22 January 2003]

Vincent Minnelli loves pure beauty, and in "Yolanda and the Thief" he's in heaven.

Here he has the unbridled luxury of reveling in rich colors, stylish costumes, imaginative dream sequences, and a carnival dance scene that's breathtaking.

With Arthur Freed and Harry Warren's tuneful songs, music supervision by Roger Edens and direction by Lennie Hayton, the score simply glows.

Right from the start, "This is a Day for Love" spans a colorful countryside, moving into a processional and to a lovely convent setting. At midpoint, there's a fantasy through cobblestone streets, to a "magical" pond (from which a remarkable "apparition" emerges) to a multileveled plane with assorted choreographic groupings.

This complex fantasy undoubtedly inspired Gene Kelly six years later in developing his great ballet sequence of "An American in Paris." The expansive MGM sound stages are fully utilized in both executions to their fullest.

Then the show-stopping "Coffee Time" choreography by Eugen Loring, and deftly danced by Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer and company, is a masterpiece of concept and execution.

Starting off with a lone female trio stepping and clapping off-beat in 5/4, a startling 4/4 song is suddenly superimposed upon the "ground"--with dance and clap movements clearly continuing in 5/4. To add to the "tour de force, a slower pas de deux emerges in the irregular meter, only to be followed by the corps' return to the regular, with everything "taken out" in combined meters.

It's really something to see this dance, which is obviously the result of many weeks of painstaking work from a number of departments, so smoothly executed. Astaire is on top of his form, with Bremer right there every step of the way. They make as beautiful a pair here as in the lovely "This Heart of Mine" number from "Ziegfield Follies."

As for Minnelli, he must have been ecstatic throughout this picturesque production. Mildred Natwick shines in her hilarious role as Aunt, and Frank Morgan and Leon Ames provide able support.

The script itself is a serviceable backdrop for the art departments' joining the music team in having a field day crafting a very beautiful production.

As for Minnelli, this was certainly among his happiest hours in filmmaking.

The thief to Yolanda : "You have trouble with money, you say? I shall relieve you of it......ah.......the trouble, I mean"

[estherwalker-34710 · 7/10 · 14 April 2022]

Vincent Minnelli was coming off his success as director of the very popular musical "Meet me in St. Louis", of the previous year. Since then, he had directed some of numbers in the musical variety "Ziegfeld follies", which was a moderate success with audiences. His first musical: the all black "Cabin in the Sky", of 2 years previous, was also a critical and financial success. However, his luck would run out with present film and with the subsequent "The Pirate". In more recent times, "The Pirate" has risen in popularity. However, the same cannot be said of the present film. It remains much the least popular of his musicals, with a IMDB rating of 6.0. Does this mean that you should skip this film? Not necessarily.

In case you aren't familiar with Lucille Bremer, who plays the virtual princess : Yolanda, I will give you some background. She was a beautiful blue-eyed redhead, made for Technicolor, discovered by Arthur Freed, as a dancer in a nightclub. She was cast in 4 major MGM musicals from 1944-46. However, the present film is the only one where she was the leading lady in a non-variety musical. Actually, she had previously been paired with Fred Astaire in 2 dances in "Ziegfeld Follies", both directed by Minnelli. The one : "Limehouse Blues" is an example of Minelli's penchant for avant guarde dance productions(It's just plain bazaar!) One of the two dance productions in this film I would also classify as avant guarde, parts of it being weird. Fred doesn't cut any new ground in his dancing in this film. His dancing with Lucille was designed to emphasize her strengths, with lots of spins. However, they certainly, were a handsome dancing couple.

The film begins with a group of schoolboys singing the national anthem for the mythical South American country of Patria(Since llamas are plentiful and some women wear the traditional derby hats, we can assume that that Partria is located in the Peruvian or Bolivian Andes). The boy's singing is taken over by the girls of a nearby convent, where Yolanda: strangely much taller than the other girls, is graduating today, this being her 18th birthday. She is very nervous about her new role as the head of the vast Aquaviva financial empire, which owns practically every industry in this country worth owning. She looks to a guardian angel, represented by a statue in her courtyard, to guide her.

Incidentally, Patria, in Spanish, means fatherland or native country. It can also mean heaven, as the birthplace of all souls. Since the film emphasizes guardian angels, and the surroundings are heavenly, I think we can interpret its meaning either way. ............I should also mention that aquaviva, in Italian, means lively waters, or spring. And Yolanda, in Spanish, means violet or purple flower. Purple is generally regarded as the color of royalty. And since Yolanda is essentially a princess, that name fits.

Meanwhile, a pair of American con men : Johnny Riggs(Fred Astaire) and Victor Trout(Frank Morgan, of "The Wizard of Oz) are on a train to Patria, which has the advantage of not having an extradition treaty with the US. They read about Yolanda taking over administration of Aquaviva, and size her up as a sitting duck for exploitation. When they get to Yolanda's palace-like mansion, Fred overhears Yolanda praying to the angel statue. This gives him the idea of masquerading as the human form of this angel. Amazingly, he carries this off, gaining her confidence, so that she signs a paper giving him the power of attorney over her! More incredible, she opens the safe, and lets him gather all the securities, which he puts in his briefcase, ready to flee. Unfortunately, the briefcase is lost for a while. Until they see an American : Candle, carrying it, and claim it as their own, which they secure with a coin flip, and find all the securities still present. Based upon subsequent events, I'm sure the name Candle has symbolic significance as lighting the way in the darkness that Johnny and Victor soon find themselves in. .........Yolanda admits that she would be willing to marry Johnny if he weren't her guardian angel, which would be sacrilegious. Johnny agrees, and buys 2 train tickets out of the country. But, that's not the end of the story! However, I will stop my summary here, and let you discover the subsequent unexpected events.

The music composers were the very well established Harry Warren and Arthur Freed. The songs are mostly decent, although none would be regarded as 'keepers'. Lucille was known as a dancer, but not as a singer. Therefore, her singing was dubbed. Her 2 songs are : "Angel", which she sings while in a bubble bath, and "Will You Marry Me?" which is part of the first dance production, which, near the end, has her and Fred walking down the aisle, she in a wedding dress, with a tiara(mini-crown). Fred soon discovered that the whole dance production was a dream, he waking up in a sweat. I don't know why he would be afraid of marrying her, and thus legitimately becoming a rich man? But, as long as he claimed to be her guardian angel, he couldn't do that, and if he admitted that he actually was a thief, she wouldn't marry him either.......... Astaire only has one short song "Yolanda", which he sings while playing it on a harp. The other songs : the afore mentioned national anthem, "This Day for Love", and "Coffee Time", are all sung by various groups. Fred and Lucille dance to the last song, on a bizarrely decorated floor, with alternating black and white undulating stripes, giving a psychedelic feeling. Yep, that's Minnelli for you!

Surreal and Not Entirely Successful

[LeonardKniffel · 6/10 · 11 April 2020]

Fred Astaire plays a con man in a fictitious Latin American country who attempts to dupe a girl to get at her father's millions. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the film is best remembered for its surrealistic "Dream Ballet," with Astaire, costar Lucille Bramer, and others set against scenery reminiscent of artist Salvadore Dali. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

Very surreal

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 2 February 2020]

An American in Paris has become one of the most revered dance movies of the silver screen, but the more movies of that era you watch, the more you realize it's not that special or unique. Yes, it spent a lot of the studio's money, but it wasn't the first to do anything except introduce Leslie Caron. The famous 17-minute dream sequence ballet was, some argue, a direct copy of the 15-minute dream sequence ballet from Yolanda and the Thief. While I don't particularly like either movie, it's worth noting.

Fred Astaire takes the helm in this odd, artistic musical that will remind you far more of Salvador Dali than Fred's usual fare. The colors are intense, the art direction is bold, and the costumes and sets will set you reeling. The songs themselves aren't particularly memorable, and there aren't that many of them. If you appreciate artistry more than anything, this might be your favorite Fred Astaire movie. I didn't really like the experimental jazz and the surreal tone of the dance numbers. To each his own, but I will leave you with one more warning: if you tend to get seasick, you might want to avoid this movie, since it often attempts to hypnotize the audience at the same time Lucille Bremer is hypnotized by Fred's dancing.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie will not be your friend. During the "Coffee Time" number, the set designs include wavy lines that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Johnny No-Angel

[Lejink · 6/10 · 15 June 2022]

One of the less well-remembered Fred Astaire solo features, I was attracted to it for a number of reasons, its direction by Vincente Minnelli, it being shot in glorious Technicolour and just its intriguing title.

Fred is Johnny Riggs, a traveling conman, the brains of an almost "Of Mice And Men"-type duo with his slightly dopey partner Frank Morgan, who find themselves down on their luck in the mythical South American country of Patrea. Then, he chances upon a beautiful young girl, Lucille Bremer, a rich heiress who's just come of age and is about to take her place in society, under the waspish guardianship of her busybody aunt, Mildred Natwick, after years of growing up in a convent. When she expresses aloud a wish for divine assistance to help her manage her vast fortune, Fred happens to overhear her and sees a chance for a big con, promptly assuming the role of her living and breathing guardian angel who will take away all her financial worries by having her conveniently sign over all of her fortune to him. But naturally things don't go to plan as he starts to develop feelings for the young woman and just what is their interfering fellow-traveler Leon Ames up to as he seems to be forever getting in the way of Fred's master-plan?

Unsuccessful on first release, Astaire reportedly took more of a back-seat than usual in the making and in particular choreography of this film. For a musical, it doesn't actually have a lot of songs and one of those is a rather twee ensemble piece extolling the Shangri-La-type virtues of the place as sung by Bremer and her fellow convent students. Fred doesn't even get to dance until well over a half-hour into the movie and while it's not one of the super-inventive solo numbers with which he'd made his name, it compensates by being set in a magnificent Dali-esque blasted landscape. Of course, he and Bremer do later get to dance together and combine well when they do.

For me, besides the film's lack of musicality, the problems for me with it were firstly just how much of a heel Astaire's character actually is, as almost up until the very end he's still going all the way through with his deception and secondly, the rather pat ending which comes literally our of nowhere.

All that said, who couldn't be entertained by the sumptuous tableaus which Minelli presents here in what was Astaire's first colour feature. Miss Bremer has a nice screen presence to go with her dancing skills and it's a bit of a pity that her film career wasn't longer-lived. Natwick gets some funny lines at the beginning of the movie but rather disappears from view afterwards, Ames is suitably suave as Fred's apparent rival but Morgan only irritates as Astaire's bumbling sidekick.

Whilst not the best example of Astaire or Minelli:s work, that particular bandwagon would roll several years later, this easy-on-the-eye curio is still worth a look-in for fans of both screen legends.

As beautiful to look at as it is, this film proves that even in a musical, there has to be some appreciable content no matter how much visual style is on display.

Scamming The Aquaviva Fortune

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 28 May 2009]

One of Fred Astaire's lesser musicals from the Forties is Yolanda And The Thief. A charming film in spots, but somehow the whole package just doesn't ignite.

Part of the problem is Lucille Bremer. After a few films in the Forties she never caught the fancy of the movie going public. She sang beautifully with Trudy Erwin's voice in this film and was a graceful partner for Fred. But when not dancing and singing she was too cloying as the naive young girl from the convent and heir to the Aquaviva fortune.

Fred Astaire and Frank Morgan are a pair of likable grifters traveling by train through the South American country of Patria. They read about Bremer returning home from the convent where she was raised since her parents died. They decide she's an easy mark.

But what a scam they work, they hear Lucille in the garden praying for her guardian angel and Fred assumes the guise. But something works on his conscience and even more so on his libido. He's falling for the sweet young thing.

Yolanda And The Thief came from the Arthur Freed unit at MGM and Freed supplied the lyrics to a most forgettable score with Harry Warren's music. I will say the sets and color cinematography have an Oz like quality to them. I expected to see Judy Garland's companions pop up any minute. Another good thing about the film is the portrayal of Leon Ames as another stranger in this strange land who seems to be constantly popping up.

But Yolanda And The Thief ain't anything close to the Wizard Of Oz.

This film is primarily a product placement puff piece for . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 7/10 · 14 May 2021]

. . . Big Tobacco. Throughout YOLANDA AND THE THIEF, the first-mentioned title character's REAL Guardian Angel (aka, Mr. Candle) smokes like Chimney Rock on Pow Wow Eve. At one point this proponent of emphysema and cancer compels Johnny-the-Thief to light a half dozen cigarettes for him (one for each of his spider-like six arms). When he's not spreading terrible toxins from a mouthful of Coffin Nails, Candle is gassing his captive audience with the stench of his ubiquitous lung-clogging cigar. More fading stars of Mr. Astaire's generation died from being smitten and smote by smoking than in car, train and plane crashes combined. (Though Big Booze claimed more than its share of Tinsel Town luminaries, Demon Rum ran a distant second to the number succumbing to ball-and-chain smoking.) But as YOLANDA sings, "Smoke, smoke, smoke your butt; cut off your air stream . . . "

A Lighter than air story, yet one that fails to get of the ground.

[Scaramouche2004 · 5/10 · 27 October 2008]

My guess is that Fred Astaire was having a bit of a tough time in Hollywood in the early 1940's. The studios just didn't have a clue in what vehicles and what roles he should be cast in.

I mention this as it seems that in most of his offerings between 1940 and 1945, he is sadly miscast as rogues, liars, thieves, con-men, and friends who are so two-faced that they will stab you in the back at a moments notice.

Some examples of these miscast roles see Fred play a scheming back-stabbing trumpeter(Second Chorus), a man who is out to steal his best friends girl (Holiday Inn), and a flyer gone AWOL, lying through his teeth in order to get his way with a girl (The Sky's the Limit).

Even one of the 'sketches' in Zeigfeld Follies, has Fred playing a thief and a Pick-Pocket. I guess Hollywood casting executives must have seen a seedier side to Fred Astaire than his ardent fans ever did.

Yolanda and the Thief is no exception as once again Fred is cast as a con-man, trying to swizz Yolanda (Lucille Bremmer), a Latin American heiress out of her cool seventy-two million dollar fortune, by taking advantage of her religious beliefs and pretending to be her guardian Angel.

Of course the two fall in love...a little too quickly as to be believable I fear, which is why Fred finds redemption, returns her money and acts a noble hero. Its all so predictable. So predictable in fact that I knew who Leon Ames' character was meant to be from the first.

No surprises here and despite Fred's miscasting the story is passable and enjoyable enough to be successfully entertaining.

However, I always found that the story lines of these Hollywood musicals tended to be on the duff side anyway, and overall the one and only reason to watch was to see the stars do what they did best; sing and dance.

Yet unfortunately 'Yolanda' even fails here, with only 'Coffeetime' set during a street carnival, exciting enough to watch without drooling and snoring, and as it is the last of only three dances in the film there is little else to hold your attention.

About forty minutes in we are presented with a dream sequence that lasts forever and a day and just seems to go on and on without anything great happening. I felt that this sequence was so awful and prolonged that it would have felt more at home in a Gene Kelly movie.

I just felt that this wasn't Fred's thing. Give him a girl to twist, turn, lift and spin, he was the master, Give him an empty stage a hot beat, a prop or two and a pair of tap shoes, then you needn't invite anyone else to the party. But this?????

Two things really stand out in this film however and that is the glorious war-time Technicolour (this was Fred's first colour film) and Mildred Nantwich, who's scenes as Yolanda's aunt, are both funny and refreshing and a real treat to watch.

This film understandably bombed at the box-office and is considered by many to be one of Fred Astaire's career low points which may have influenced his decision to retire soon after, However after just two years of retirement he returned in 1948 for Easter Parade and with a new permanent home at MGM, he was at last given the roles he was suited to best; roles that had served him well throughout the 1930's and were destined to be just as kind to him for the remainder of the 40's and 50's

In short, this film is purely for avid Astaire completists.

DELICIOUS! DELIRIOUS!! DEMENTED!!!

[moondog-8 · 10/10 · 25 January 2003]

Vincente Minnelli was always fascinated with French culture; and just as French painters began to abstract their subjects and create incredibly nebulous confections supported by intelligent and insightful craft, so Minnelli does with the MGM musical in YOLANDA AND THE THIEF.

This movie has to be seen to be believed. From the first frame it invents its own universe and never for a second does it venture into anything that could be called 'reality'.

The film flopped with a musical ploy that fails, but the comedy makes it worthwhile

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 17 June 2022]

"Yolanda and the Thief" had a fine cast for a comedy musical, but its combination of fantasy, new or innovative dance efforts, and a fable setting doomed it from the start at the box office. Indeed, even many decades later and in the next century, the "artistic" and different dance and music sets and scenes seem strange. It was far from the modern, peppy and spirited dancing the Gene Kelly brought to the art. Something like it did survive, at least for a while as a fad on Broadway. But that type of modern or artistic stuff just hasn't been much of a crowd pleaser for entertainment. I think such expressionistic stuff works by itself in small theaters or on stage. But in stories or movies with any kind of plot, it clashes with the ongoing story. And that causes breaks in attention, focus, and enjoyment

So, this was a big box office flop, in spite of a significant cast. It apparently contributed to Lucille Bremer's career ending after she married. It's too bad, because the plot, even with some holes and needing some refining, is a very good one around which to build a very good musical comedy. Take out the fantasy and dream stuff, and put some numbers in the daytime and carnival life of the fictional country, and it could work.

I say that because of the script with some of the characters that make this a very funny comedy in places. And that raises it considerably. While all of the leads play the humor very well, one character stands out. Mildred Natwick as Aunt Amarilla is a riot in her comedic performance. This is a major supporting role that actually carries the film and keeps it from being a total flop. Others of the cast contribute nicely, especially Frank Morgan as Victor Trout and Leon Ames as Mr. Candle. His real identify wasn't hard to guess from the start, as I'm sure the producers intended.

Lucille Bremer was a very good dancer and a good actress; and when Fred Astaire doesn't even look great in dance numbers, one knows there's something wrong with the screenplay. All of the sheet waiving, garment fluttering and gimmickry in the dance routines are a terrible distraction and tend to quash what little real dancing there is. There is one very good scene when Yolanda surprises Johnny Riggs, who's posing as an angel under the name of Mr. Brown. She says it's to "remind him of his home," and the servant unveils a beautiful harp. Well, the musically trained and talented Astaire plays it and has a very nice dance routine around the harp.

So, the comedy alone, with some of the cleverness of the plot, carries this film so that many can enjoy it for the humor. Here are some favorite of many, many humorous lines in this film. Aunt Amarilla's constant state of confusion and her seeming indifference to it is sure to get many laughs or smiles.

Victor Trout, "Well, if that's her, this is the greatest retouching job on record."

Johnny Parkson Riggs, looking at Mr. Candle on the train, "The quiet one... I can't quite make out what his angle is. But he's the most dangerous of all. He's got an honest face."

Aunt Amarilla, "I wish to pay tribute here and now to others who deserve it. This gallant crew - they helped sail the ship while I, the captain, steered on the poop deck.... Or is it the bridge?"

Aunt Amarilla, "Emilio, can you ever forget that day 18 years ago when Miss Yolanda left?" Emilio, "I am sorry, Senora, but I have only been here for six months." Aunt Amarilla, "Yes, of course, I had you confused with him. You remember when Miss Yolanda left, don't you my good man?" Plumber (an unknown actor, unlisted character), "I do not belong here at all. I am only the plumber." Aunt Amarilla, turning to Yolanda, "Well, take my word for it - you left. But the main thing is, you're back."

Victor Trout, "You could be the greatest crook in the world, but not if you get mixed up with a woman."

Johnny Riggs, pushing the taxi, "We've traveled five miles and I've yet to get in the cab."

Johnny Riggs, "How much do you want for us to push you back to town?" Taxi driver, "I make you a flat rate."

Aunt Amarilla, to Yolanda, "You'll love the Blue Room." Housekeeper, "But, senora, you are already in the Blue Room." Aunt Amarilla, "You would have loved the Blue Room."

Aunt Amarilla, "Is he here?" Yolanda, "Yes and no." Aunt, "How can a man be here and not be here?"

Johnny Riggs, "What're you doing, having a nightmare?" Victor Trout, "Me? I was just about to float you back form wherever you were. When you have a nightmare, you sure keep busy." Johnny, "Oh! Oh what a jam I was in."

Yolanda, "I wouldn't try to stop Mr. Brown. If we wishes to enter this house, nothing can stop him - no walls, no doors, no,... no locks, nothing." Aunt Amarilla, "Oh, one of those, is he. Well, I know how to deal with him."

Aunt Amarilla, "Oh, my dear, you're just overwrought. A girl on the verge of being a bride is a frightening thing. I know. I've been on the verge constantly."

Aunt Amarilla, "I thought there was something strange about Mr. Brown. But I wouldn't be in any hurry to rush back to that nunnery, if I were you. This is one of the nicest love letters I've ever seen."

Johnny Riggs, "But she knows I'm a crook. The whole thing is impossible." Mr. Candle, "Young man, sometimes you try my patience. I've just made a flood, washed out a bridge, caused a train to turn back, and you have the nerve to sit there and tell me that something is impossible."

No wit, no intelligence, no script, gaudy visuals

[greenerjsa · 3/10 · 5 May 2021]

I love Fred Astaire...I can't imagine why he did this movie. Yikes. He acts as well as anyone can in this drivel.

The lead female has few lines and can't even begin to deliver them.

What was Minnelli thinking!?