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: Royal Wedding (1951)

Good evening to everyone!

As you have seen I haven't been blogging as recently as I usually do, and that is because I have been really busy. And I will continue to be busy for a couple of months, so while I will be popping in to review things from time to time, my usual schedule won't be back in place until May. Anyway, as tradition on this blog, I do a post on the 19th of every month and for tonight I will be reviewing the first Fred Astaire movie that I saw!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


Royal Wedding (1951):

A brother and sister dancing duo are going to preform in London around the time of the royal wedding. The sister, Ellen, has people admiring and falling in love with her all the time and meets a Lord who has the same problem. The brother, Tom, always makes fun of marriage, but in London he finds a dancer, Anne, whom he finds himself falling for. Ellen and Tom are determined to stay the team that they have always been, but will their hearts lead them elsewhere?

'"If you think nice things then doors open for you."

"Is that your message for the day."'

Genre: Comedy, Romance, (Musical? I actually really don't know what to call this. There is singing and dancing, but I wouldn't really consider it a musical? I don't know, I'll explain my strange brain and sorting system one day. Every movie back then had music, but it was almost always explained it by saying that they are performers.)
Length: approx. 93 minutes.
Costumes: 8, nothing in appropriate. The styles are fun to see.
My favorite:
Script: 10, no bad words!
"Let's walk a minute, get some nice clean fog."
Crew:
Directed by: Stanley Donen.
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner.
Starring:
Fred Astaire as Tom Bowen.

Jane Powell as Ellen Bowen.

Peter Lawford as Lord John Brindale.

Sarah Churchill as Anne Ashmond.

Keenan Wynn as Irving Klinger & Edgar Klinger. (He does such a good job at playing two roles!)
"This is a pretty box of pickles!"

Sadly, this was the best picture that I could find of him!

Albert Sharpe as James Ashmond.
Cinematography: 10. Okay, can we just talk about something for a minute? The fact that they had no CGI back then, but that they were able to make Fred Astaire do some insanely awesome things while he is dancing? Wowza! Really incredible. And they have good choreography in all of the dances.

Cinematography by: Robert Planck.
Music: 8, there are a ton of fun dance scenes with good music. A few of them are not my favorites (like "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life" [yes, that is the name of the song]), but I love the music for "Sunday Jumps" and whenever I hear "I Left My Hat in Haiti" I have to sing along.

This is from the one with the really long name. 

Music by: Burton Lane & Albert Sendrey.
Quotes: 8, "She's quiet, but also deep. At least I hope she's deep or else she's wasting her time being quiet."
Content: 8, there is some drinking, smoking, a suggestive thing, and a separated married couple.
[highlight for spoilers but they are shown as a possibility as getting together.]
Originality: 9, this is a cute little movie, and while I've seen lots of movies with dancing duos, this is the only one that I can think of who is a sibling team!
Good For: Fred Astaire fans, dancers, families.
Age Range: It is a fun movie for any age, with lots of dancing scenes to keep younger ones interested. I liked when I was little and my grandmother did, too.

Overall Score: 8.5!
"I always smile when I'm heartbroken."
Bonus thoughts:
As I said, this is the first movie that I remember watching with Fred Astaire. I know that I had seen tons of clips of his other movies, but this was the first one that I sat down and watched all the way through. So while a lot of people think of him and Ginger Rogers as a team, I always think Jane Powell. Once my sisters, grandma, and I watched it about once a week for two months and we were all so tired of it, but watching it again the other day I really enjoyed it. This was also my introduction to Peter Lawford who I absolutely love watching and can never find enough movies with him in it. So yeah, this is quite enjoyable way to spend some time! Actually, the dances are quite iconic!


What about all of you? What was the first Fred Astaire movie that you watched? Anyone else as big a fan of Peter Lawford as I am? Thanks for reading!

"Pip now!"

MovieCritic

A Memorial for Actors and Directors ~ 2019

Hello, everyone.

Here it comes, my last post of 2019, and as usual, I will be honoring and commemorating actors and actresses who are close to my heart in the different works that they've done.

Carol Channing: Actress
January 31st, 1921 - January 15th, 2019

Who could ever forget her? I love seeing her in the movie Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) (that movie is weird, but she is the best part about it) and I love hearing her voice in the movie Thumbelina (1994). Listening to her singing songs from Hello Dolly! is a joy. As soon as you hear her, you know that it is Carol Channing.


Albert Finney: Actor
May 9th, 1936 - February 7th, 2019

I was first introduced to Albert Finney in his role as Daddy Warbucks in Annie (1982). He plays Scrooge in one of my favorite versions of A Christmas Carol, the musical Scrooge (1970), but by far my favorite role of his is John Newton in Amazing Grace (2006). That is one of my favorite movies ever, and his lines are so powerful and amazing, no one else could have done it. I'm sad to see him go, but I am going to watch the movie Big Fish (2003) that has him soon, and I am looking forward to his performance.

Stanley Donen: Director
April 13th, 1924 - February 21st, 2019

I have to credit Mr. Donen here because he directed my favorite movie of all time, Singin' in the Rain (1952). Seriously, I love that movie so much, and it couldn't have happened without him. Other movies of his that I have seen are On The Town (1949) and Royal Wedding (1951). They have all been enjoyable, and looking at a list of all the movies he worked on I am looking forward to those that I haven't seen yet.


Peter Mayhew: Actor
May 19th, 1944 - April 30th, 2019

Ah, this is the man who played the famous Chewbacca. Star Wars is one of my favorite things, and Chewy is one of my favorite characters. Catherine Hawthorn and I already co-wrote a memorial post for him back on May 4th, which you can check out HERE.


Doris Day: Actress and Singer
April 3rd, 1922 - May 13th, 2019

I have not seen many things featuring her, but each one I have seen has been a treat! I first saw her in By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) which is very sweet and cute, but my favorite of hers has to be The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). She and Jimmy Stewart were brilliant together, but the highlight of the movie is her singing the Academy Award Winning song, "Que Sera Sera". My grandmother always used to say that to me, and to finally see that movie in 2018 was very special.

Cameron Boyce: Actor
May 28th, 1999 - July 6th, 2019

It was sad to hear that he died due to health complications when he was so young. I never watched any of the TV shows featuring him, but I really liked seeing him in the Descendants movies as Carlos. When I read the book The Isle of the Lost this year, I see how perfectly he played him.


I'm sad to know that all of these people won't be with us any more, but I have enjoyed being able to see their movies.

That's all for me in 2019, and this decade, I am looking forward to what is to come in 2020!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Singin' in the Rain

"Good Mornin'" Everyone!!
Today I am reviewing one of my favorite movies of all time, Singin' in the Rain!
For anyone who has seen this movie I don't know how it couldn't be a favorite.

Singin' in the Rain (1952):

 

This is a really fun movie that is great for everyone! Once again, this is one of my favorite movies of ALL TIME, so make sure to tell me your opinion too!!! 
This movie follows the actor Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and the movies going from silent to "talkies"! That is all I am going to say for now!
Genre: Musical, Romance.
BONUS: What shape is Lena Lamont's beauty mark?
Costumes: 9 There are some really nice costumes in here.
Favorite Costume: Lena's with the "Flowers"
Script: 10! There are so many great quotes in here!!! "Cos, call me a cab!"

Crew:
Directed by:
Gene Kelly
Stanley Donen
Produced by: Arther Freed
Screenplay and Story by:
Betty Comden
Adolph Green
Cast:
Gene Kelly, "Dignity, always Dignity."
Donald O'Connor
Debbie Reynolds
Jean Hagen
Millard Mitchell
Cyd Charisse
Favorite Actor: Donald O'Connor, I like the that his blue eyes really appear on screen.
These are the best actors for this movie!! They are doing the play version of it in our town and I can't go see it because how could you picture a different Lena Lamont, or Cosmo Brown!??
Music: 10!! 
Favorite dance number: Wow, this is really hard, I would have to say, I can't decide.
Good Quotes: 10! "Alright, you're a cab."
Story: 10! There are a few weird parts in the "Broadway Rhythm" section. Anyone who has seen this probably agrees with me. Tell me what you think!!!
Overall rating: 9!

Now, "I will rip myself away from you!"
Have a glorious day!

MovieCritic