Category: Movie Musical Challenge!

Movie Musical Challenge – The Gay Divorcee

Posted April 12, 2016 by Charlotte in Movie Musical Challenge! / 3 Comments
Movie Musical Challenge – The Gay Divorcee

For this Movie Musical Challenge I’ve made a list of 15 musicals that I haven’t yet seen and probably ought to have. The challenge is throughout the year and once watched I’ll put my thoughts up on the blog. Today is the turn of The Gay Divorcee. So the fifth movie for the challenge is The Gay Divorcee (1934), starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I think this is the only black and white musical I have on my list. And it makes a nice change to see something different. And despite what may be considered a classic and old is not at all dated. I adored this film, it reminded me of my favourite Astaire and Rogers film – Top Hat – the story is similar but the roles are swapped around, which Astaire misunderstanding Rogers. And they have the perfect dance partnership, each keeping up with the other and balancing each other out. My favourite song was Cole Porter’s ‘Night and Day’ and while the other songs are good this is the stand-out for me. I wish that the film had kept some more […]

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Movie Musical Challenge – Guys and Dolls

Posted March 21, 2016 by Charlotte in Movie Musical Challenge! / 4 Comments
Movie Musical Challenge – Guys and Dolls

For this Movie Musical Challenge I’ve made a list of 15 musicals that I haven’t yet seen and probably ought to have. The challenge is throughout the year and once watched I’ll put my thoughts up on the blog. Today is the turn of Guys and Dolls. The third movie for the challenge is Guys and Dolls (1955), starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine.  I loved the music and the stylised dancing. All the songs in this show are pretty catchy, including ‘A Bushel and a Peck’, ‘ Luck Be a Lady’ and ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ to name a few! And I thought that the casting was pretty perfect,  Vivan Blain is perfect as Adelaide, and paired with Frank Sinatra as Nathan the duo are unstoppable. But it is  Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons, for me, as Sky and Sarah who steal the show. Theirs is a relationship I actually root for, and enjoyed more than Adelaide and Nathan, I wish there had been more of Sky and Sarah. I loved and hated this film at the same time. I loved the film […]

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Movie Musical Challenge – High Society

Posted March 7, 2016 by Charlotte in Movie Musical Challenge! / 3 Comments
Movie Musical Challenge – High Society

For this Movie Musical Challenge I’ve made a list of 15 musicals that I haven’t yet seen and probably ought to have. The challenge is throughout the year and once watched I’ll put my thoughts up on the blog. Today is the turn of High Society.   So the second movie for the challenge is High Society (1956), starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra. I have to admit that I’m not really sure I really liked this movie. There were a few enjoyable moments – e.g. when Tracy (Grace Kelly) becomes exceedingly drunk – but I have to admit for the majority of the time I was a bit bored. One of my favourite songs was “Well, Did You Evah!” but that was probably because I was reminiscing to my childhood and listening to Robbie Williams sing it, the other stand-outs were “Little One” (a very cute song) and “True Love”. But seeing as this is a musical filled with great musicians (lets not forget Louis Armstrong!) I was disappointed by the power of the songs. Also we have a very strange love-square going on […]

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Movie Musical Challenge – South Pacific

Posted February 8, 2016 by Charlotte in Movie Musical Challenge! / 3 Comments
Movie Musical Challenge – South Pacific

For this Movie Musical Challenge I’ve made a list of 15 musicals that I haven’t yet seen and probably ought to have. The challenge is throughout the year and once watched I’ll put my thoughts up on the blog. Today is the turn of South Pacific. So the first movie for the challenge is the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific (1958), starring Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr and Juanita Hall. There were quite a few songs that I knew, even though I hadn’t watched the musical before, including  “There Is Nothing Like a Dame”, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” and “Happy Talk”, which I think made the film better as I was looking forward to them and knew that, however badly, I could sing along to. South Pacific is set during the war, but it is only towards the end that we get any real impact that the war has. Instead South Pacific mainly deals with contentious issues of inter-racial relationships and racial prejudice, which was quite daring at the time and (hopefully!) sat as uncomfortable with the audience as it does now with […]

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Introducing: Movie Musical Challenge!

Posted January 25, 2016 by Charlotte in Challenges, Movie Musical Challenge! / 2 Comments
Introducing: Movie Musical Challenge!

Welcome to my first Movie Musical Challenge. I love musicals and so what better way, or what better excuse to watch musicals, than to set a challenge for the year, the challenge is run by Bookish Whimsy and anyone can join. Over the year I’m aiming to watch the 15 musicals below. I’m not watching them in any particular order but I do plan to review each musical as I watch them. And if you want to link back to my reviews you can on this page. I picked these particular musicals as they are a small selection of the ones I’ve yet to see.  I’m not watching them in any particular order but I do plan to review each musical as I watch them. 1. Oklahoma (1955) 2. South Pacific (1958) 3. Kiss Me Kate (1953) 4. White Christmas (1954) 5. Easter Parade (1948) 6. The Gay Divorcee (1934) 7. High Society (1956) 8. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) 9. West Side Story (1961) 10. Chicago (2002) 11. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) 12. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) 13. Guys […]

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