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Top Hat 1935 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Mark Sandrich
NR, 101 min. |
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Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Helen Broderick, Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore
Producers: Pandro S. Berman
Screenplay: Karl Noti, Allan Scott, Dwight Taylor
Cinematography: David Abel
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Released: 9.06.35 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Top Hat is widely considered one of the greatest of all musicals, and the best of ten films pairing the likable dancing duo of
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Although entertaining, especially if you enjoy musicals and dancing, it is not a great film.
Top Hat has a simple plot, shallow characters, and straightforward direction. However, there's something special about the
way Astaire and Rogers can light up the screen with seemingly one fluid motion while dancing and singing - you can't quite
take your eyes off them. They are a pair made for each other on-screen, and, when apart for too long, the film begins to
drag. Top Hat was loved by audiences, raking in over $3 million at the box office, and was RKO's biggest hit of the 1930s.
Jerry (Astaire) and Dale (Rogers) meet in a London hotel where an instant attraction ensues. It's not long before Dale mistakes
Jerry for her best friend's (Helen Broderick) husband (Edward Everett Horton). When the group travels to Venice, the case
of mistaken identity is played to the hilt, while Dale's pompous fashion designer (Erik Rhodes) makes his move for her
hand in marriage. Sprinkled throughout are the memorable dance numbers of Astaire and Rogers, culminating in an
extravagant finale.
The sets for the film are obviously rich and elegant in design and implementation, created as like a fantasy tale for the masses,
who at the time were suffering under the Great Depression. Astaire and Rogers use their creative talent to full use and
blend easily into the backgrounds of London and Venice. The dance numbers, highly choreographed by Astaire, are
captivating in the amount of practice time that must have been logged before filming started. I can't imagine how many
takes were necessary to arrive at the finished product, but it's entertaining to watch.
Although a musical, Top Hat has a surprising amount of dialogue and plot development. This is probably what hurts the
film the most, since the storyline is little more than amusing. The memorable dance numbers, however, including
"Cheek to Cheek" and "Isn't it a Lovely Day?", help to dissipate any lingering thoughts about the various subplots.
Top Hat was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, but eventually lost out to the much
superior Mutiny on the Bounty. Top Hat is a pleasant distraction on a rainy day, and definitely highlights the
popular careers of Astaire and Rogers.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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