Naughty, Bawdy, Gaudy, and Sporty Indeed
Today's review: 42nd Street.
42nd Street is notable because it was the film that would define the shape of the musical for years to come. That alone is enough to get it onto a lot of “all time great movies” or “movies that changed cinema” lists. But unlike some movies that are on those lists, this one remains entertaining to watch.
Admittedly, the first forty-five minutes or so don’t really have that much of a plot. A Broadway producer (Warner Baxter) is desperate to have one last hit, and puts together a grand show. While there’s a small subplot about the leading lady (Bebe Daniels) being in love with her old vaudeville partner (George Brent), which could cause some problems for the production, the story primarily revolves around the endless rehearsals and all the difficulties that cast and crew have to put up with. In that respect, a lot of the movie sometimes feels like a documentary about what goes on behind the scenes of a play. It’s enough to hold your interest, but there’s nothing really spell-binding. Even the other subplot about a romance between a chorus girl (Ruby Keeler) and a supporting actor (Dick Powell) is cute but not really exciting.
But then we get to the show itself, and we’re introduced to the choreography of Busby Berkeley. Words cannot describe how much I am in awe of this man. It’s one thing for a director to decide to shoot from the ceiling to look down on the action; it’s another thing entirely when he can figure out exactly how many women, moving in exactly the right way, can create intricate patterns. He had to have conceived those shots in his head, and then went about trying to make it happen. Some routines are better than others, of course, but when you think about what must have gone into planning those shots, well, it’s hard not to want to salute him.
(Granted, if you think about them too hard, you realize they make no sense. The actual cost for such a thing in a simple Broadway show would be insane, not to mention that from the theater audience’s perspective, it would look like well-timed but also random choreography. But Berkeley is all about suspension of disbelief, and once you get a good look at his numbers, you’re only too happy to do so.)
Besides the positively amazing numbers, the other thing that I really like about the musical part of 42nd Street is that you can actually string together a plot for the musical, unlike later movies, where they would give you numbers that claimed to be part of a whole but made absolutely no sense. In this case, you can basically follow the story of a young newlywed who is disappointed in her marriage and eventually finds the right man for her in New York. There’s just enough hints, if you pay attention to the lyrics of the songs and who’s dancing with whom, that you can figure it out. I appreciate the extra effort that was put into it, especially since a lot of effort unquestionably had to go into the routines. It's always nice when filmmakers dedicate attention to all aspects of a movie, not just the parts with the most audience draw.
With 42nd Street, a new formula was born; the “Put on a show” musical. These would later evolve into “dancers fall in love” musicals and, still later, “musical land” musicals. But the very first real musical still has staying power despite the changing times, and that makes it something special.
42nd Street is notable because it was the film that would define the shape of the musical for years to come. That alone is enough to get it onto a lot of “all time great movies” or “movies that changed cinema” lists. But unlike some movies that are on those lists, this one remains entertaining to watch.
Admittedly, the first forty-five minutes or so don’t really have that much of a plot. A Broadway producer (Warner Baxter) is desperate to have one last hit, and puts together a grand show. While there’s a small subplot about the leading lady (Bebe Daniels) being in love with her old vaudeville partner (George Brent), which could cause some problems for the production, the story primarily revolves around the endless rehearsals and all the difficulties that cast and crew have to put up with. In that respect, a lot of the movie sometimes feels like a documentary about what goes on behind the scenes of a play. It’s enough to hold your interest, but there’s nothing really spell-binding. Even the other subplot about a romance between a chorus girl (Ruby Keeler) and a supporting actor (Dick Powell) is cute but not really exciting.
But then we get to the show itself, and we’re introduced to the choreography of Busby Berkeley. Words cannot describe how much I am in awe of this man. It’s one thing for a director to decide to shoot from the ceiling to look down on the action; it’s another thing entirely when he can figure out exactly how many women, moving in exactly the right way, can create intricate patterns. He had to have conceived those shots in his head, and then went about trying to make it happen. Some routines are better than others, of course, but when you think about what must have gone into planning those shots, well, it’s hard not to want to salute him.
(Granted, if you think about them too hard, you realize they make no sense. The actual cost for such a thing in a simple Broadway show would be insane, not to mention that from the theater audience’s perspective, it would look like well-timed but also random choreography. But Berkeley is all about suspension of disbelief, and once you get a good look at his numbers, you’re only too happy to do so.)
Besides the positively amazing numbers, the other thing that I really like about the musical part of 42nd Street is that you can actually string together a plot for the musical, unlike later movies, where they would give you numbers that claimed to be part of a whole but made absolutely no sense. In this case, you can basically follow the story of a young newlywed who is disappointed in her marriage and eventually finds the right man for her in New York. There’s just enough hints, if you pay attention to the lyrics of the songs and who’s dancing with whom, that you can figure it out. I appreciate the extra effort that was put into it, especially since a lot of effort unquestionably had to go into the routines. It's always nice when filmmakers dedicate attention to all aspects of a movie, not just the parts with the most audience draw.
With 42nd Street, a new formula was born; the “Put on a show” musical. These would later evolve into “dancers fall in love” musicals and, still later, “musical land” musicals. But the very first real musical still has staying power despite the changing times, and that makes it something special.