Best movie of this year hands down!

I love this movie so much

To me, this movie is perfection.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Lucille Ball excellent. Cracking that whip. Dressed in pink. Those cats. Meow.Tap extravaganza with Astaire and Kelly. Too awesome. A pairing for the ages.Booze Skelton sketch delightful, and memorable.Two dollars. I always remember that one.Charise beautiful pointe ballet dancer. Also great pair dancers were Bremer and Astaire.O'Brien always excellent in her deadpan singing -- witness The Harvey Girls.William Powell great, as always. I liked the heavenly Shakespeare, Barnum and Ziegfeld motifs, as well as the dolls in the beginning. These dolls are so darling and lifelike.This movie was released the year I was born. The War -- World War Two -- was over, and people wanted to relax and enjoy life. The actual Ziegfeld had actually passed away the previous decade, the victim of bankruptcy and IMO the First World War taking away his audience and subsequently causing more people to leave the old ways behind (live performances) and prefer silent and then sound films.In real life, it is said that Ziegfeld's wife, Billie Burke, went back to work to pay Ziegfeld's bills -- he apparently was wiped out in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. He passed away a few years later. Billie had been a stage star in New York City for Charles Frohman pre-World War One, married Ziegfeld and retired from performing (to Frohman's disapproval and disgust). She had a daughter with Ziegfeld named Patricia. You will see Billie in some 1930s and 1940s films, including the blockbuster The Wizard of Oz -- portraying Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. She looked beautiful in her tall crown and pink gauzy gown in that movie, and in other movies she was well known for portraying her ditzy, comedic, goofy society matrons.This movie portrays the deceased Ziegfeld as living in the lap of luxury, but his real life ended, I feel, in near poverty. Still, I enjoyed the heavenly furnishings, etc., near the beginning of this film.I am an historian of theatre and film. I have a B.A. Degree in History. I am also a futurist, meaning that we study the past and discuss trends leading to the future. I have studied theatrical critiquing and cinematic techniques. I enjoy studying the lives of actors and actresses, in stage, film and television, both present and past, but especially in the past.I enjoy historical films, as well as song and dance musicals. This film fits these categories.10/10

ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1945), directed by Vincente Minnelli (along with several others for individual productions and skits) is not exactly a sequel to the studio's own Academy Award winning biography, THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (1936), but another by name only tribute to the legendary Broadway impresario, Florenz Ziegfeld (1969-1932). Unlike the original three-hour spectacle and its follow-up story ZIEGFELD GIRL (1941), which looked into the personal lives of three fictional Ziegfeld showgirls, ZIEGFELD FOLLIES contains no story. Technically an all-star musical revue with an ensemble of current MGM stars, it's a wonder why it wasn't titled ZIEGFELD FOLLIES of 1946 as originally intended or possibly THE NEW ZIEGFELD FOLLIES for that matter. The only story involved is its ten minute prologue featuring William Powell reprising his original role of "The Great Ziegfeld." While Ziegfeld dies at the finish of THE GREAT ZIEGFELD, ZIEGFELD FOLLIES keeps the original Ziegfeld alive through his "heavenly days," reminiscing about the "good old days" starting with his first Follies of 1907 that introduced his first discovery, French actress Anna Held, in her signature number, "It's Delightful to be Married." Rather than featuring actors re-enacting personalities of the past, other noted Ziegfeld discoveries of Marilyn Miller, Fannie Brice, Will Rogers and Eddie Cantor singing "If You Knew Susie," are cleverly presented as miniature caricature doll-like replicas through the creation of Bunin's Puppets. With the legendary Broadway shows "Sally," "Show Boat" and "Whoopee" behind him, Ziegfeld, looking down on Earth from the heavens in extravagant red robe, wonders what it would be like to produce just one more Follies. After selecting Fred Astaire the logical choice to introduce his new follies, the revue begins with Ziegfeld seen no more:ZIEGFELD DAYS: In his tribute to Ziegfeld and he "Glorifying the American Girl." Fred Astaire goes into his song, "Bring on the Beautiful Girls" followed by Cyd Charisse (ballet dancer), Lucille Ball (circus ring leader) and an assortment of beautiful girls. Virginia O'Brien finishes the number by singing to "Here's to the Wonderful Men." WATER BALLET: Esther Williams; NUMBER PLEASE (comedy skit) directed by Robert Lewis: KEENAN WYNN, with Grady Sutton; Giuseppi Verdi's LA TRAVIATA: With James Melton and Marion Bell singing "Liabiamo Nelieti Calici"; PAY THE TWO DOLLARS: (comedy skit) starring Victor Moore, Edward Arnold; THIS HEART IS MINE: A dance story starring Fred Astaire (The Imposter); and Lucille Bremer (The Princess); THE SWEEPSTAKES TICKET (comedy skit) directed by Roy Del Ruth: Fannie Bruce (Nora Edelman); Hume Cronyn (Monty Edelman); William Frawley (Mr. Martin, the landlord); LOVE, directed by Lemuel Ayres, sung by Lena Horne; WHEN TELEVISION COMES, (comedy skit) directed by George Sidney, with Red Skelton spoofing television commercials; LIMEHOUSE BLUES: Dramatic pantomime with Fred Astaire (Tai Long); Lucille Bremer (Moy Ling); THE INTERVIEW, directed by Vincente Minnelli, choreography by Charles Walters. Judy Garland (Movie Star) with ensemble of male dancers and reporters; THE BABBIT AND THE BROMIDE (music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin), with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; THERE'S BEAUTY EVERYWHERE (finale) Kathryn Grayson.While the top-name stars get to appear in only one stage performance, Fred Astaire gets the most of his four musical segments, two opposite Lucille Bremer. The most famous and admired happens to be "The Babbit and the Bromide," pairing Astaire with another legendary dancer, Gene Kelly. Though these two legends never team up again for an actual motion picture musical, they worked together once more as hosts for another MGM tribute, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II (1976). Judy Garland, one of the top stars of the MGM lot, would have been expected to appear in a few song numbers. Instead, she gets only one, THE INTERVIEW, which provides her with something unlike anything she's done before, that of a celebrity sophisticate. Lena Horne stands out in her solo number as does Kathryn Grayson for a grand finale with assortment of beautiful girls, in the great Ziegfeld tradition. Of the three comedy skits, the best comes from Fannie Brice, the only member in this revue who was part of original Ziegfeld follies. While Keenan Wynn's "Number Please" is best associated with comedian Lou Costello's phone segment from WHO DONE IT? (Universal, 1942), Costello and his teammate, Bud Abbott, would have made a hilarious pair for "Pay the Two Dollars," as performed by Edward Arnold (The Lawyer) and Victor Moore (The Client). In its present proceedings, the skit is well staged with Arnold and Moore getting the laughs here. Though it was nice having William Powell playing Florenz Ziegfeld again, his opening introduction in Heaven really wasn't necessary, though possibly the only way to get an outlook on Ziegfeld for the benefit of those unfamiliar of his name and accomplishments. Far from an original premise considering how movie musical revues of this type originated during the dawn of sound. MGM started it all with "The Hollywood Revue of 1929" which lead to imitators by other studios, including THE SHOW OF SHOWS (Warners, 1929); PARAMOUNT ON PARADE (Paramount, 1930) and Universal's THE KING OF JAZZ (1930). Since then, technology in movie making improved considerably, with carefully stage production numbers and lavish Technicolor being its main assets. Rather than the presence of master(s) of ceremonies, ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, does one better introducing individual acts through the turning of title pages of listed casting credits. Being more MGM than Ziegfeld, the goal for ZIEGFELD FOLLIES is entertainment, and it delivers in the best MGM style. Distributed to home video in the 1990s, and occasionally broadcast on Turner Classic Movies cable network, the DVD offering of ZIEGFELD FOLLIES offers some really interesting background and making of the movie, along with three surviving audio segments that never made it to the final print. That's entertainment. (***1/2)

There are two main sorts of musical fans--those who really want to see singing and dancing and those who want a plot as well as SOME singing and dancing. I am definitely in the latter category and absolutely demand a strong plot to anchor the film. Because of this, "Ziegfeld Follies" is exactly the sort of film I do NOT like, as there really is no plot. It's much more like an MGM talent show with one skit after another tacked together. Each segment stands on its own and is either a BROAD comedy skit or a musical number.The film begins with what is supposed to be a plot--but it really isn't incorporated into the rest of the movie. The film begins in Heaven--with Flo Ziegfeld thinking how great it would be if he could do one last show--then the skits follow. They are all very pretty--with lovely sets, top actors and vivid color. But, on the other hand, none of the many segments is particularly good. No plot--just a nice looking MGM talent show.If you don't care about a complete absence of plot and don't mind watching second-rate dancing and singing and third-rate comedy, then by all means watch "Ziegfeld Follies". However, MGM made many, many musicals that are simply better--and with engaging plots. Not exactly my sort of film.By the way, there is an Esther Williams swimming number in this film that is SUPPOSED to be a stage show. How in the heck could ANY audience sitting in a theater really see an Esther Williams dance number?! This has always perplexed me about a lot of her films, as there is no way the audience could even see most of the water ballet in these numbers unless they are up on stage or sitting in the rafters!

Let's start with the negatives; arguably the weakest songs ever written by les freres Gershwin and Harry Warren; 'comedy' sketches that are just not funny - even in the mid forties I doubt anyone would have found the Keenan Wynn sketch funny, Red Skelton just about gets away with his Guzzler's gin routine, whilst Victor Moore and Fanny Brice respectively verge on the embarrassing. However, what we DO have is the brilliant Fred Astaire who shines in all four of his numbers. Astaire can make anything or anyone, a song, a dance partner, look good and he is called upon to do both in The Babbit And The Bromide, enhancing one, The Gershwin's weak song and two, Gene Kelly; while he actually makes Kelly look good he still leaves him for dead. Another plus is Virginia O'Brien, who, like Astaire, enhanced everything in which she appeared. The Harry Warren-Arthur Freed number Beauty Is Everywhere is total garbage and it doesn't help having Kathryn Grayson perform it - to be fair to her she knew it was garbage and initially refused to sing it. Even Judy is mediocre in her only appearance. Why they didn't use Sinatra, who was at the studio, is a mystery, so what we're left with is Astaire and O'Brien but luckily they are worth the price of admission alone.