Fantastic!

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Hollywood Revue is an uneven and imperfect film and lacks the gloss of other musicals later on, however it is a very interesting historical document and I for one found it an entertaining film. Anyone who has a fondness for early Hollywood, MGM musicals, the numerous who's-who of talent on display and programmes high in variety are likely to get a kick out of Hollywood Revue, though understandably as seen with some of the reviews here there will be those who'll find it not to their tastes.The film does have crude editing in places, like in the Joan Crawford number Gotta Feelin' for You, and as with a lot of variety shows/revues not all the skits/scenes work. My least favourites were the ones with Joan Crawford and Marion Davies, Crawford looks painfully uncomfortable and Davies' is sung rather weakly and a little tedious, Your Mother and Mine is well sung but over-caked in sentiment and the song is on the dull side. Orange Blossom Time felt a little overblown and under-rehearsed. This is all personal opinion of course.On the other hand, Hollywood Revue has a lot to like, and most of the skits do work very well. A lot of it does look lovely, Singin' In the Rain's set is simple but looks lovely and there is some very clever camera work in I Never Knew I Could Do a Thing Like That with cute Bessie Love. Much of it is lavishly stage and expertly directed by Carl Reisner, while the dialogue still is humorous and while plot less the film has a great deal of fun and charm. Of the skits/numbers, personal favourites were the spectacular Singin' in the Rain, the rousing Strike Up the Band, the absolutely hilarious Tableau of the Jewels with Buster Keaton and the charming Fountain in the Park. Marie Dressler is clearly enjoying herself and is a lot of fun and while John Gilbert's bleaty voice is enough to make one wince the Romeo and Juliet number entertains with an alluring Norma Shearer and a fun Lionel Barrymore. Laurel and Hardy are a delight to see but their skit should have been longer.In conclusion, a film that is worth seeing for more than historical interest. It's uneven and won't work for a number of people but when it works it is very good and should provides much delight. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Just love the introduction and just love Joan Crawford no matter what unkind people say about her turn!! The person who did come off well was co-host Conrad Nagel. He had been in silent films but possessed a beautiful speaking voice and 1929-1931 were his busiest years. He often felt that he was put into so many films that he wore out his "talkie" welcome. In this movie he not only came across as relaxed in front of the camera but when he had to sing a duet with the beautiful Anita Page ("You Were Meant For Me") he pulled that off as well. The hosts were an uneasy blending of stage, screen and radio - I thought Jack Benny came off pretty good with his dry humor. Charles King (from the stage) was a personal favourite of L.B. Mayer, who had seen him in the Broadway show "Hit the Deck" and thought he would be a wonderful edition to MGM's new talking line up. At the time of this movie he had just scored a triumph in "The Broadway Melody" but his acting was wooden, his singing thin and reedy and his personality too lack lustre to make a big impression. He was given the very bland "Your Mother and Mine" and came back at the end for a Technicolor ballet featuring the Albertina Rasch Dancers and singing "Orange Blossom Time", which featured some overhead camera work.In it's day the movie was considered a big event - important enough to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award and was a huge success as people flocked to see all their favourite stars talk in the same movie. I just love early musicals with a passion but this one I thought heavy going. It was so long and in the middle there was even a 5 minute segment showing the orchestra warming up for an overture and because the movie was filmed with a head on camera, it meant that the band was shown along the bottom of the screen with a full view of the velvet curtains. At the time though critics went giddy with enthusiasm - "Everyone of it's sketches leaves one hungry for more" praised Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times, in a typical review of the day.I did like Joan Crawford - she was fresh faced, natural and didn't seem nervous (except when she had to slide up on the piano at the end). She had a nice low sounding voice, she sang "Gotta Feelin' For You" accompanied by the Biltmore Trio, then launched into a zany charleston/tap dance. After reading about different studio's revue movies and the treatment and rehearsal the stars received, it wouldn't surprise me it poor Joan had to make up her dance as she went along!! I also loved Ukelele Ike (he was the main reason I wanted to see this movie) and he didn't disappoint. He initially came on in a minstrel segment singing "Nobody But You" accompanied on the uke by three rows of snappy chorines (Ann Dvorak can be seen throughout the movie) and of course the wonderful "Singin' in the Rain" (the lilting Brox Sisters sang a verse as well). The finale was absolutely fabulous with the dancers all in raincoats tapping in the rain. Another segment I really liked was the "Tableux of Jewels" and an acrobatic Russian style dance performed by (I think) Natova and company. The surprisingly agile girl was flung about and held up in one hand while she performed pirouettes etc. Another star who I thought gave it her all was Bessie Love coming over with the same personality she had displayed as "Hank" in "The Broadway Melody" - peppy and full of beans. Her song "I Never Knew I Could Do a Thing Like That" didn't give her much of a chance to sing, it was a novelty number where she was relating all the things she had been asked to do in the movies - including a furious acrobatic routine with several chorus boys!!

Hollywood Revue of 1929, The (1929) ** (out of 4) Film buffs might eat up the chance at seeing some of MGM's biggest stars but even lovers of cinema will have a hard time taking this film in one long (116-minutes) dose. What we basically have here is a major studio wanting to show off their major talent and in some cases having this major talent look extremely bad by doing stuff we normally wouldn't expect to see them doing. Case in point, Joan Crawford who has to sing and let's just be kind and say that this wasn't her calling in life or at least one the day this scene was filmed. Jack Benny, John Gilbert, Conrad Nagel, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Bessie Love, Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Norma Shearer and Lionel Barrymore are among the A-list talent that show up here and the end results are mixed at best. A prime example of this would be Gilbert and Shearer doing a scene from Romeo and Juliet, which is followed by them talking and having fun "out of character" when Barrymore comes up to them with a few comments. On one hand, the acting in the R&J scene is pretty bad as neither actor appears to be taking it too seriously. The "out of character" stuff is mildly entertaining but what really makes this scene special is the fact that it was shot in 2-strip Technicolor. Most of the vaudeville like acts are poorly directed and executed and this includes the Laurel and Hardy bit, which comes off pretty badly without a single laugh to be found. The majority of the stars just show up for brief bits and none of them are all that memorable unless they're of the embarrassing kid (like Crawford). The biggest problem is that the film has a very slow pacing and it doesn't help that the thing runs nearly two hours and apparently it was even longer but many of these segments are now lost. So, on one hand it's rather nice seeing all of these legends but one can only wish that the film was better than it is. It's very hard to get through the entire thing and in the end this here is certainly for film buffs only.

This was a nice introduction to sound film put together by MGM with most of their biggest stars. Conrad Nagle starts as the master of ceremonies, but he disappears part way through the film and is replaced by Jack Benny. We never see Nagle again, and I've no idea why.The highlights are many, including a young Joan Crawford, splendid "gams" and all, singing a song. Buster Keaton is as fantastic as we'd expect. Some of the choral numbers in between the real performances tend to drag, but they were gunning for the two-hour mark.One part was somewhat troubling. Lon Chaney does not appear in the review, but there is a scene where an actor sings a warning to actresses portraying little girls, warning them that Lon Chaney, the actor, is going to sneak up at any moment and kill them all. I had read he was a gentleman in real life, but you go figure.If you enjoy old cinema, its studios, and most especially its stars, you should enjoy this as a step back in time.