Royal Wedding

Typically enjoyable Fred Astaire vehicle from the 50's and if not on a par with the wonderful "The Bandwagon", "Royal Wedding" certainly deserves a podium position for its vibrant colours (in some scenes, you almost think you're seeing all seven colours of the rainbow in the shot!), fine cinematography (London is faithfully rendered with cobbled streets, red buses and postboxes, even a pea-souper before the "Clean Air" Act was passed later in the decade), topped of course by Astaire's superb dancing. Okay, he's way too old to be Jane Powell's brother and the plot is wafer thin as per usual with Fred's flicks, but his dancing both solo, including the celebrated "Dancing on the Ceiling" scene (later updated by director Donen in the 80's for pop star Lionel Richie's hit song of the same name), but including almost as good scenes dancing with the ship's gym equipment and in another scene, the room furniture, including his hatstand and in concert with the young vibrant Powell, he shines. She can dance by the way... The songs didn't quite connect with me apart from the riotously funny "How Could you Believe Me When I Said Loved You when You Know I've been a Liar all my Life"(surely a country and western song-title from heaven!), but then Fred hasn't the greatest voice and Powell's light operatic warblings don't move me much either. In the minor parts, a young Peter Lawford lords it up, improbably, as an - ahem - English lord, while Sarah Churchill, the great war leader's niece, no less, seems a tad plain both in appearance and her minimal dancing efforts. The humour, centring mainly on the different takes on the languages from the US and UK perspectives, is somewhat forced too but maestro Donen exerts a sure hand at the helm, from the stylish "wedding invitation" titles to the fly-away pan-out shot over London at the close. A pleasant underrated musical comedy with which to while away an afternoon or evening.

I've only seen two other Fred Astaire vehicles: "Top Hat" and "Swing Time", the more recent of which was made 15 years before this. The improvement is remarkable. At some time perhaps in the 1940s Astaire appears to have been given a charm transplant; in "Royal Wedding", instead of coming across, woodenly, as a bit of a cad, he's a perfectly decent fellow, with all of the human impulses it's easiest to like and intelligence to boot. It's as though he'd been taking lessons from Gene Kelly.

If the earlier dance spectacles are not to be judged too harshly for merely marking time between the breath-taking dance sequences – and I concur, they should not be judged too harshly for this – how much less should this one be judged harshly, with at least four sequences likely to get applause (all four DID get applause, at the screening I attended): the bit where Astaire "rehearses" when his partner doesn't show up by dancing with and around the gym equipment (again, this is exactly the kind of thing Gene Kelly would do); the scene in which he dances on the wall, then the ceiling, then the other wall, then the ceiling again – obviously within a set like the one used in "2001", but Astaire disguises this by finding a different, natural-looking transition from surface to surface each time; the over-the-top "I Left My Hat in Haiti" number; and the superbly performed (well acted and sung as well as well danced) "How Could You Believe Me … etc." routine. Any one of these would be reason enough to dust a mediocre film off and watch it at least once.

But this isn't a mediocre film. It's not just that there are four strong numbers and no weak ones; it's that it DOESN'T merely mark time between them. One thing that this has in common with Donen's other films is its desire to entertain at every moment. It's a light film, even a facetious one… yet we can feel for it, too. There's nothing contrived or pointless about the complication that threatens to thwart True Love. (Whether or not this really IS true love is of course beside the point.) Tom likes the lifestyle of a bachelor, Ellen wants to preserve her career; both characters are genuinely torn for perfectly legitimate reasons, and in fact, there's no way for them to resolve their difficulties except by simply choosing, which is why the sudden, simultaneous decision to get married to their respective partners at the end doesn't feel forced.

I go to watch films I've never heard of and expect very little from, all the time. Why? Because every once in a while, I strike gold.

Typical Fred Astaire,in other words great entertainment.Over the years the listing of favorite Astaire numbers has become a favorite pastime of many. This movie contains more than found in any other single show. The dance with clothes tree and using the wall and ceiling are precious. However there is another that is never mentioned that is on my list that delights me no end. How could you believe me when I said I loved you when you know I've been a liar all my life is one of the gems of American entertainment. To borrow an opinion from George Burns. the American musical composers and the theater and movie industry in which they showed their wares is America's greatest contribution to world culture.Royal Wedding is so typical of years of magnificent productions.

Jane Powell (as Ellen Bowen) was a surprisingly adept partner for Fred Astaire for those of us who know her best as a brilliant soprano songstress. She kept up with him, step for step. She's probably best known for her fabulous voice as showcased in SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, but she brought in the wonderful tune, "Too Late Now," here in ROYAL WEDDING. Astaire was his typical debonair self, and his role is reminiscent of that in THREE LITTLE WORDS.

The plot of ROYAL WEDDING is easy to follow and serves as a great backdrop for Astaire and Powell and their respective musical talents. And yes, Sarah Churchill is Winston's daughter. Worth seeing more than once.

So, basically everybody around the globe knows- and has seen the famous dancing sequence with Fred Astaire dancing on the walls and ceilings. But how many people actually know that, that sequence is from this movie? I'm surprised that a movie with such a famous sequence isn't better known.

In essence "Royal Wedding" is your typical MGM musical, with still a couple of extra pluses, that makes this movie distinct itself from the average, formulaic movie musical, from the same time period. Obviously the famous sequence with Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling is one of them but to me it also was the humor. Musicals really aren't best known for the well placed and original humor but this movie does a great job at providing a couple of genuine good and original laughs.

The story is kept simple and formulaic and above all also of course very predictable. The movie doesn't offer an awful lot of surprises but yet the story serves its purpose and that fits the genre just right.

There are a couple of great and likable characters in this movie, that help to make the movie an extra joy to watch. Fred Astaire of course steals the show with his acting and dancing but also Jane Powell as his sister was great. Not too happy about the casting of Sarah Churchill (Winston Churchill's daughter). No offense but she just isn't beautiful enough (she has got her daddy's looks, I'm afraid) for her part and also perhaps a tad too old. It just doesn't fit the genre.

The musical numbers are all well executed, mainly those by Fred Astaire. The sequences were however a bit too 'stagey' for my taste, although I should admit that the musical genre has just never been my favorite movie genre.

All in all an enjoyable to watch typical MGM musical, with a couple of more offerings in it than its fellow genre movies.

7/10

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