Seeing this for the first time since its original release fifty years ago, I can gain perspective and see what holds up and what doesn't. So I want to concentrate on what is excellent and then look at what fails.
First off, the choreography by Gillian Lynne is extraordinary - there are six dances associated with six of the songs and the dancing is some of the best ever filmed, yet who has ever heard of Gillian Lynne??? And why not??? Second, there's Grover Dale as lead dancer, and is he ever fine!!!! Wish we had more of his work on film, but sadly for posterity he was devoted to the stage and made few films.
Third, the songs - the good ones - are all from the original show and there are five of them - All In The Cause of Economy, Half A Sixpence, Money To Burn, If The Rain's Got To Fall, Flash! Bang! Wallop!
There are eight others, three of them new for the film (I Don't Believe A Word of It; The Race Is On; This Is My World) and they are negligible. Five remaining flop badly: Long Ago; I'm Not Talking To You; She's Too Far Above Me; A Proper Gentleman; I Know What I am.
Now to the problems: Primarily Tommy Steele is an acquired taste. The Brits adore him, from rock star to song and dance man. He is a bit over the top - enough energy to light the entire electric world grid, and a smile with piano teeth that can be off-putting at times. Face it, he is quite homely, bordering on the ugly, but so sincere, and trying so hard to be entertaining, we must forgive him for his excesses. Then there is Julia Foster's Ann, a cruel, selfish, self- centered bitch we are supposed to care about. No, sorry - bad writing and acting there.
The musical at 147 minutes, timed from the DVD release, is unforgivable in one instance: it is dull, dull, dull beyond belief. The libretto is tres boring, the plot is limp, the one conceit seeming to be "don't try to rise above your station in life." Don't tell that to Eliza Dolittle, please!
The libretto condescends, but it does keep the British Upper Lip solidly in place! Nasty, that!
The DVD release in widescreen has not been "restored" digitally, so it looks fuzzy and out of focus. Someone didn't want to spend the money to give it a proper refurbishing.
I am keeping it for the half dozen brilliant song/dance numbers and will simply use the chapter feature to show these off to friends. They watch the entire film after that at their own risk.
First off, the choreography by Gillian Lynne is extraordinary - there are six dances associated with six of the songs and the dancing is some of the best ever filmed, yet who has ever heard of Gillian Lynne??? And why not??? Second, there's Grover Dale as lead dancer, and is he ever fine!!!! Wish we had more of his work on film, but sadly for posterity he was devoted to the stage and made few films.
Third, the songs - the good ones - are all from the original show and there are five of them - All In The Cause of Economy, Half A Sixpence, Money To Burn, If The Rain's Got To Fall, Flash! Bang! Wallop!
There are eight others, three of them new for the film (I Don't Believe A Word of It; The Race Is On; This Is My World) and they are negligible. Five remaining flop badly: Long Ago; I'm Not Talking To You; She's Too Far Above Me; A Proper Gentleman; I Know What I am.
Now to the problems: Primarily Tommy Steele is an acquired taste. The Brits adore him, from rock star to song and dance man. He is a bit over the top - enough energy to light the entire electric world grid, and a smile with piano teeth that can be off-putting at times. Face it, he is quite homely, bordering on the ugly, but so sincere, and trying so hard to be entertaining, we must forgive him for his excesses. Then there is Julia Foster's Ann, a cruel, selfish, self- centered bitch we are supposed to care about. No, sorry - bad writing and acting there.
The musical at 147 minutes, timed from the DVD release, is unforgivable in one instance: it is dull, dull, dull beyond belief. The libretto is tres boring, the plot is limp, the one conceit seeming to be "don't try to rise above your station in life." Don't tell that to Eliza Dolittle, please!
The libretto condescends, but it does keep the British Upper Lip solidly in place! Nasty, that!
The DVD release in widescreen has not been "restored" digitally, so it looks fuzzy and out of focus. Someone didn't want to spend the money to give it a proper refurbishing.
I am keeping it for the half dozen brilliant song/dance numbers and will simply use the chapter feature to show these off to friends. They watch the entire film after that at their own risk.