Movie Review: Funny Face (1957)

Greetings, readers!

This is my last movie review for 2020. Itʼs so hard for me to believe! Even though parts of 2020 have crept along at a snailʼs pace, it seems like I just started with La Belle et La Bête (1946) a week ago. Iʼm ending with a musical that I hadnʼt see before, and in fact enjoyed quite a bit. Sit back, and enjoy my review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Funny Face (1957):

The magazine Quality is the height of fashion. For a photo shoot, the company randomly chooses a bookstore and causes some havoc much to the distress of the young shop attendant, Jo Stockton. The photographer, Dick Avery, stays behind to help clean up and is surprised by this girl and her talks of philosephy, especially empathy. Later he convinces Maggie Prescott-, the head of the magazine, that this girl would be great for their new model. The only way that Dick can convince her is that in Paris she could meet famous philosephers. Once they get to France, feelings start breaking out, and in the sweep of the moment they canʼt find Jo. Will she be where they want her to be at the right time?

“Every girl on every page of Quality has grace, elegance, and pizazz. Now, what's wrong with bringing out a girl who has character, spirit, and intelligence?”

Genre: Musical, Romance.
Length: approx. 103 minutes.
Script: 10, no bad words at all.

“Anything you donʼt understand you call ʻsmall talkʼ.”

Crew: Directed by: Stanley Donen. Written by: Leonard Gershe.
Starring:
Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton. “I have no illusions about my face, I think itʼs funny.” 

Fred Astaire as Dick Avery.
Kay Thompson as Maggie Prescott.
Michel Auclair as Prof. Emile Flostre.
Dovima as Marion.
Robert Flemyng as Paul Duval.
Jean Del Val as Hairdresser.
Virginia Gibson as Babs.
Sue England as Laura.
Ruta Lee as Lettie.
Alex Gerry as Dovitch.
Iphigenie Castiglioni as Armande.

Costumes: 9, this movie is all about a fashion magazine, so there are lots of costumes. There arenʼt any that I dislike. There is quite a lot of pink, and I was scandelized by comments like, “Burn the blue!”, but they all are fun.
Costumes designed by: Edith Head.

Cinematography: 9, Iʼm conflicted on this. If there was a word that I would use to describe it, that word is “unique”. Iʼve never seen cinematography like this. There are so many colors and changes! My favorite scene was one in a “dark room” for developing photos. The red lighting the whole time was perfect. Another time in a “café” in Paris you could tell that it was many takes stitched together as the cinematography changed every time the angle was shifted. Overall, I enjoyed the creative take for our viewing pleasure.

“Trees have beauty, why donʼt you photograph trees?”

Cinematography by: Ray June.
Music: 8, my favorite songs were “Bonjour, Paris”, and “Funny Face”!
Music by: Ida and George Gershwin.

Notes: I caught a reference to another Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday (1953). WARNING: In this movie there are spoilers for the book Anna Karenina - by Leo Tolstoy. It is one of my favorite books, so I advise not seeing this until youʼve read it, or if you already know the plot.
Quotability: N/A, as I just watched it so recently. I do have the feeling that Iʼll be quoting this line at least, sometime in the future:

“Iʼm so tired, itʼs an effort for me to say Iʼm so tired.”

Content: 8, there is smoking and mild kissing. A character gets into an uncomfortable situation for a second, but everything is fine.
Originality: 7, does this follow the typical “romance” structure? Yes, but the setting is still fun.

Good For: Fans of the actors, musical lovers.
Age Range: This is a movie that would be fine for any age. There is nothing too scary for a little kid. There are some scenes in a “café” which is more like a saloon which has a smoky atmosphere, but thatʼs all that I can think of that would bother a kid.
Overall Score: 8.5.
Worth watching?: Oui, oui! It was cute and I had fun. I really liked the message on having empathy for other people.

Will I watch again?: Oui, again. My older sister only caught the last half, so Iʼll try to watch the beginning with her again. Then again, my dad only saw the first half and was bored, so if heʼs interested Iʼll watch the second half with him.

“This is my second and last encounter with you lunatics.”

For the blogathon:
I know that itʼs crazy that this is my fourth review of a Fred Astaire movie this year. Iʼve done: Royal Wedding (1951), Silk Stockings (1957), and Holiday Inn (1942). Itʼs not just that Iʼm on a kick, most have been for blogathons, and this one is continuing the tradition.

 This is my entry in Michaela of Love Letters to Old Hollywoodʼs The Third Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Blogathon. It is hosted with best wishes for the other intended co- host, Crystal Kalyana, as she has been through some scary health problems and is currently in the ICU in a coma. Her family would appreciate it if you kept her in your thoughts and prayers.

Surprisingly, I have contributed to this blog party each year. The first time was a review of Fredʼs Letʼs Dance (1950), and last year I talked about Gingerʼs Monkey Business (1952), so it was Fredʼs turn again. Iʼve owned this movie for a long time but never watched it, so I wrangled my sister into enjoying it with me.

It could be said to be like the movie An American in Paris (1951), but I might just be thinking that because it features Americans in Paris and has one of the same songs. Note, while it is called Funny Face, it has a different story from the 1927 musical that also starred Fred Astaire.

If I really think about it I could make some connections between this movie and the one that I didnʼt like from this same year, Silk Stockings (1957). Because they are similar, do I not like this one? No. Why not? Well, Iʼm a little confused by that myself. It could depend on my mood. I watched this movie over two (accidentally spread apart) days, and on the first day I wrote down that I was “snorting” (I know, not a ladylike thing to do) so many times in the first 10 minutes by how ridiculous it was. On the second day, there were places that if I had been in the same mood I wouldʼve kept up the same mocking stance towards it. But I wasnʼt. I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole second time. Thinking about it, there were somethings that I normally would be insulted by, but it didnʼt matter to me.

“MC,” youʼre asking, “Why? Why do you like this better than Silk Stockings (1957)?”

Was it because I like Audrey Hepburn better than Cyd Charisse? I donʼt think that was too big a factor, but I could be mistaken. No, I think that Silk Stockings (1957) takes itself too seriously. Funny Face (1957) is just carefree. It is relaxed (or “chill” as I like to say), so I didnʼt mind anything that I would otherwise not cared for. For example, in the song “On How to be Lovely”, I would usually be groaning, but Kay Thompson and Audrey Hepburn seemed to be having so much fun, that I couldnʼt help smiling. Watching this movie was almost like going on a picnic; an enjoyable way to spend a day, leaving you with memories of laughter.

Itʼs not the most impressive role that Iʼm seen Fred in, but I liked it all the same. I canʼt think of anything bad to say about this movie, as Iʼm just so contented, that youʼll have to look somewhere else for a negative review. In the meantime, Iʼll be swaying along in time to the music to express myself.

Thanks to Michaela for continuing to host this! Check out all of the other entries HERE.

How are all of you doing? Are you tired of my Fred Astaire reviews? Does your mood affect your opinions when watching movies? Thanks for reading! For my next review, look in January 2021!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Roman Holiday (1953)

Salutations!

I hope that all of you are doing well! Today it's time for another review (because that is my main goal around here but it doesn't always happen)! I'll be talking about the first movie I saw a famous actor in. Are you ready to go on a vacation, or holiday? Maybe watching this movie will be enough of one. Enjoy my review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Roman Holiday (1953):

"Best thing that I know is to do exactly what you wish for a while."

After traveling to countless events in different countries without a break, Princess Ann is sick of it all. Hearing her schedule for the next day she breaks down believing that she can't handle it anymore. She decides to run away from it. A journalist, Joe Bradley, finds her and takes care of her but once he learns that she is the princess he decides to make the biggest story of his career. What will happen on this Roman holiday?

"Life isn't always what one likes, is it?"

Genres: Romance, Drama.

Length: approx. 118 minutes.

Costumes: 9, they won Best Costumes at the Oscars that year. And really, can I have all of Ann's wardrobe?

Costumes by: Edith Head.

My favorite:

Script: 10, no bad language!

Crew: Directed by: William Wyler. Written by: Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton, & Dalton Trumbo.

Starring:

Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann. "Trouble? You're not what I'd call trouble."

Gregory Peck as Joe Bradley.

Eddie Albert as Irving Radovich.

Paolo Carlini as Mario Delani.

Hartley Power as Mr. Hennessy.

Margaret Rawlings as Countess Vereberg.

Tullio Carminati as General Provno.

Harcourt Williams as Ambassador.

Claudio Ermelli as Giovanni.

Paola Borboni as Charwoman.

Alfredo Rizzo as Taxicab Driver.

Laura Solari as Hennessy's Secretary.

Gorella Gori as Shoe Seller.

Cinematography: 9, it is pretty lovely. Plus, it was entirely filmed in Rome!

Cinematography by: Henri Alekan & Franz Planer.

Music: 8, now, I couldn't hum the score for you if I was asked, but watching it at certain moments I was thinking how well it went with the story.

Music by: Georges Auric.

Quotability: 7, it isn't the most quotable movie that I've ever seen, but not all films have to be, you know? I can see myself saying this line a lot (and even though it was used in annoyance in the film I'd be saying it with contentment.):

"Everything we do is so wholesome."

Oscars won: 3: Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn), Best Story, Best Costume Design (Black-and-White).

Content: 9, the only thing that stuck out to me was that there was some smoking. There could have been some suggestive moments but they kept everything perfectly decent. There was a time when one character thought that another was drunk, but the person wasn't actually.

"You know, people who can't handle liquor shouldn't drink it."

Originality: 10, since then this story idea (a princess runs away from her duties and someone finds her who thinks of a plan to make money) has been used, but this is one of the earliest that I can think of.

Good For: Fans of the actors, anyone needing a break or vacation.

Age Range: It's perfectly acceptable for any and all ages, but depending on the person if they are older they might find the story more interesting.

Overall Score: 9!

Worth watching?: Yes! I'll talk about this more in a minute, but this has such great characters and motivations and everything. Plus, it's a classic and lovely story.

Will I watch again?: I feel that it's one of those movies that grow on you every time you watch it. The first time I wasn't that invested, but this time I thoroughly enjoyed myself so I'm excited for the next time I watch.

For the blogathon:

Wait, MC, this is for a blogathon? Yes, half of the things I do around here are for blogathons. The blogathon this time is the Atticus and Boo Blogathon hosted by Taking Up Room. 

For those of you who don't know, Atticus and Boo are two famous characters from the book To Kill a Mockingbird - by Harper Lee. When they made a movie adaptation of the book in 1962 they cast Gregory Peck and Robert Duvall in the respective roles. This blogathon is celebrating those two actors!

Atticus Finch is my favorite role that I've seen Gregory Peck in, so I know that I wanted to participate. As I mentioned in my intro, I'm joining in with the first movie that I ever saw him in, Roman Holiday (1953)! The only other movie that I've seen him in is Moby Dick (1956) and I was really impressed with his talent, so I'm looking forward to seeing more movies with him. He may be on his way to becoming one of my favorite actors.

This time around watching Roman Holiday (1953) I was struck with how much it is his, Joe Bradley's, story. Of course all of the events happen because of Ann and she is our leading lady, but so much is determined by Joe. He is such a good character with helping people naturally before he knows their identity. In this rewatch he stole the show.

Thank you Rebecca for hosting this! Please go check out the other entries HERE.

Thanks to all of you for reading! Have any of you seen this movie? Tell me your favorite movies with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn! I wish the best for all of you!

MovieCritic