Great Performances (TV Series) Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM (1996) User Reviews

Great musicals

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 22 January 2004]

This documentary about MGM producer Arthur Freed is very interesting. We learn a lot about him and the way he worked. Famous directors like Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly and Vincente Minnelli, who directed a lot of the musicals Freed produced, and a lot of others talk about this great person in movie history.

What made this documentary even more interesting are the great moments from great musicals like 'The Wizard of Oz', 'An American in Paris', 'Singin' in the Rain', 'The Band Wagon' and 'Gigi'. A very nice documentary about a man and his great musical movies.

The right man at the right place at the right time

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 29 September 2012]

This film does not have much about Arthur Freed the man, instead it is about the production unit that he headed at MGM for twenty years - from the late 30's to the late 50's - with almost complete autonomy. If Freed had left us only his own songwriting legacy it would have been substantial, but instead as head of his own production division he had access to some of the greatest directors and musical talent in the world at a time when the studio system had the power and money to deliver an A1 product, if the studio happened to be on your side.

And for some reason never adequately explained, MGM gave Arthur Freed pretty much whatever he wanted throughout his tenure, with the result being some of the greatest movie musicals ever made. Mr. Freed died in 1973, so this documentary relies on interviews with those that worked with him - Vincent Minnelli, Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, and Mickey Rooney among others. Not that we probably lost much by Mr. Freed not being available to tell his story - according to those who knew him, Arthur Freed was practically a monosyllabic man, which is quite unusual considering his artistic talent. What came through clearly from all of the interviews is that Freed was a man of great talent who could quickly spot great talent in others, that he would fight for a good idea if he believed in it, and that he encouraged creativity in the artists of his production unit.

There are plenty of clips from the musicals with which Mr. Freed was associated that accompany the interviews - everything from "The Hollywood Revue" and "Broadway Melody" in the early talkie years up through the Freed Unit's final triumph "Gigi".

The end of the Freed Unit is somewhat sad, mainly happening because of a combination of the managerial chaos at MGM and changing audience tastes. Betty Comden said that the staff was accustomed to seeing their musicals open at the best movie theaters, and were surprised when 1955's "It's Always Fair Weather" opened at numerous drive-ins! That's when they knew they were nearing the end of an era.

One particularly tragic victim in the ending of this era was a musical that Arthur Freed was preparing to make in the early 60's featuring the music of Irving Berlin entitled "Say It With Music". Every time they would be ready to start shooting, MGM management would change hands and shooting would be delayed. Ultimately the film was dropped altogether. It makes you wonder what could have been, but at least we have the 47 great musicals that actually were made from twenty magical years at MGM thanks to Arthur Freed and his talented band.

See this one!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 31 May 2013]

If you are a fan of the old MGM musicals, then you really need to see this one. However, oddly, this episode of "Great Performances" (a PBS show) is included as a special feature on the Turner/MGM release of "Singing in the Rain". I am not sure if it's available elsewhere--so find the bonus disc for this classic musical.

"The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM" is, not surprisingly, about Arthur Freed and his unit of musicians, choreographers, actors and dancers at MGM. The reason why I say this is one you need to see is that practically all the great old musicals were created by Freed and his employees--such as "Gigi", "Singing in the Rain" and "Meet Me in St. Louis" (among MANY others). It consists of LOTS of high quality clips from his films, interviews with various stars and workers from his group as well as some archival footage and interviews with Freed. Overall, it's a wonderful trip down memory lane--and a great film for anyone who thinks they are students of cinema. Also, exceptionally well made.

When the lion roared.

[sibisi73 · 28 December 2002]

An interesting documentary on a man of huge influence, about which little information is known. Arthur Freed's unit at MGM produced some of the greatest movie musicals of all time, a fact that is borne out by the numerous clips used in this film. Accompanying these are interviews with some of the leading figures from the studio at the time, actors, dancers, choreographers and colleagues. However, although the story of the Freed unit is entertainingly told we never really get to find Freed himself. It seems that even those who knew him found the man elusive. Still, there is plenty to enjoy here among the classic movies and the anecdotal evidence of a film studio at its peak.

Nostalgic excellence from the all-time greats

[Scaramouche2004 · 10/10 · 6 May 2005]

Being a particular fan of the golden age of Hollywood musicals, this 90 minute documentary came as an added bonus for me, as it was included with the special features on the 'Singin in the Rain' 50th anniversary DVD. It was so much of a bonus that I tend to watch this rather than the movie at about a 15 to 1 ratio.

It charts the musical career of Mr Arthur Freed, the songwriter turned producer who through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor brought us the biggest and best musicals throughout the 1940's and 1950's.

With rare archive footage and interviews, we hear first hand from the actors, actresses, singers, dancers, composers, directors, choreographers and scriptwriters just what it was like to make movie musicals in the movie musical heyday and how Arthur Freed and his unit managed to bring us one hit film after another. Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, Mickey Rooney, Anne Miller, Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen, Micheal Kidd, Andre Previn, Betty Comden and Adolph Green all speak candidly about their experiences and if this isn't a good enough reason to watch, then the film clips and dance numbers will be.

Almost all of Freed's movie career is covered with clips from such memorable films as The Wizard of Oz, Strike up the Band, Meet me in St Louis, The Harvey Girls, Zeigfeld Follies, Take me out to the Ball Game, The Pirate, On the Town. Royal Wedding, An American in Paris, Singin in the Rain, The Bandwagon, Its Always Fair Weather and Gigi, with superb song and dance routines featuring stars like Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Maurice Chevalier and Frank Sinatra.

It also takes an informative look at Arthur Freed the songwriter, who throughout the late 1920's and early 1930's with Nacio Herb Brown wrote some of the best known songs in American entertainment such as Wedding of the Painted Doll, Broadway Melody, Should I, Beautiful Girl and of course Singin in the Rain.

Any lover of classic musicals will adore this film as the main emphasis is on the musical performances, the songs and the dances. The story lines in these movies may have failed sometimes, but the musical routines were always the winning quality.

10 out of 10 for pure nostalgic excellence.

A time that no longer exist!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 7 June 2018]

All those great musicals made at MGM under the masterful Arthur Feed, through your management became true the best musicals ever had, all them a high class productions, the best dancers and best actors available at this time crowed by the best musical for all times "Singin' in the Rain" the high point at your long career, this doc range since early thirties until late fifties!!!

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First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7