Every Sunday (1936)
10/10
A Must See
29 December 2008
As has already been noted, the short film "Every Sunday" (1936) could be considered the first music video. This was a happy accident resulting from MGM's need to crank out a variety of short films for exhibit with its feature length material. They had a couple fresh young singing talents (Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin) available and essentially slapped together a blend of music styles in a kind of Norman Rockwell concert in the park setting.

Who would have dreamed at the time that they would capture the best collection of images since Eisenstein's "Odessa Steps" sequence.

It's Sunday with some inattentive folks sitting around a small wooden band shell in the park while a tired looking ensemble play Strauss. Events unfold and the next Sunday Judy and Deanna save the day. The operatic Deanna sings "Il Bacio" (The Kiss) and Garland follows with the contrasting "Waltz with a Swing". The climax nicely blends the two styles into a duet of "Americana".

A must see.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed