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Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan ... see more see more... , James Mitchell , Robert Gist , Richard Alexander , Ernest Anderson , Leroy Daniels , Roy Engel , Al Ferguson , Bess Flowers , Ava Gardner , Thurston Hall , Sam Hearn , Al Hill , Judy Landon , John Lupton , Owen McGiveney , Peggy Murray , Julie Newmar , Emory Parnell , Elynne Ray , Frank J. Scannell , Lotte Stein , Jack Tesler , Jimmy Thompson , Dee Turnell , Herb Vigran , Bobby Watson , Smoki Whitfield , Betty Farrington , Stuart Wilson , Bert May , Paul Bradley

One of the most subtle and sophisticated of the musical comedies that came out of MGM's Arthur Freed Unit in the '40s and '50s, The Band Wagon stars Fred Astaire as Tony Hunter, a movie star whose car... read more read more...eer is in a downturn. Looking for a boost, Tony decides to try starring in a Broadway musical. His friends Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) have written a show they feel would be just right for Tony, and the three team up with Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan), a self-styled "genius" director, who gets the idea to turn the play into a revised version of Faust. Cordova's more pretentious ideas don't always sit well with the Martons, and Tony isn't too happy with his leggy co-star, Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse), whom he's convinced is too tall (then again, she thinks he's too old). But when the show proves a disaster in out-of-town tryouts, everyone realizes they have to put aside their differences if they want a show that will be on Broadway for longer than four hours. The Band Wagon featured a rare American appearance for British musical star Jack Buchanan, who does a fine soft-shoe with Fred Astaire on "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan." Astaire also shines in the numbers "Shine on Your Shoes" and "The Girl Hunt," a witty Mickey Spillane parody. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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78% liked it

4,296 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

14 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Vincente Minnelli

Release Date: August 7, 1953

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DVD Release Date: March 15, 2005

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Stats: 241 reviews

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The Band Wagon Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse The Band Wagon Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan Cyd Charisse
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Flixster Reviews (241)

  • FrizzDrop
    July 13, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    One of the best, BEST, scenes in all musicals, and the always lovely Cyd Charisse.
  • jennifxu
    September 12, 2007
    jennifxu
    Gene Kelly is a million times better than Fred Astaire. Sometimes it was really funny but the story in general kind of flopped. I really really liked the Triplets dance number though. Maaaagic!
  • moviewaffle
    May 1, 2012
    moviewaffle
    America has always suffered from an inferiority complex when it comes to "art", but in my mind the creative output of the country mid twentieth century ranks with anything Europe achieved in it's long history. Not many realised it at the time but in creating this unapologetic def... read moreense of American entertainment, Minnelli just may have. The irony is that across the Atlantic European critics were raving about film-makers like Minnelli, a technicolor respite from the stark tone of fifties European cinema. His use of color was particularly influential in Italy, a country whose neo-realistic cinema at the time was resolutely monochrome. Directors like Bava and Argento would adapt Minnelli's primary colors and elegant camera movement to fit the horror and thriller genres. The movie's finale was homaged by those other masters of musical comedy "The Muppets" in their comeback film of 2012. Even this year's Oscar winner "The Artist" owes much to this in it's tale of a fading star forced to auction his memorabilia.

    We begin with this auction where even the famous top hat and cane associated with Astaire fails to sell. Giving up on Hollywood he takes a train to New York and is humiliated by disinterested passengers and paparazzi. It's here we get the wonderfully melancholy song "By Myself", one of the quieter numbers but possibly the most memorable. Upon hitting 42nd Street he finds much has changed and we get the first rollicking dance number "A Shine On Your Shoes", a delirious mix of color, rhythm, song and Astaire's nimbleness, outrageous given he was 54 years old at the time. Astaire's co-star in the scene is Leroy Daniels, a real life shoe shine man who Minnelli found in Penn Station while researching the scene. It might not be as respected as the movie's famous closing number but as an example of choreography between man and camera this is unsurpassed.

    Of course Minnelli was a master of choreography but not just in the musical sense. A scene set at a party involving conversations in three separate (and color coded) rooms is dazzling, characters opening doors just at the right time to hear a snippet of conversation.
    Broadway has changed too, with Buchanan's director insisting on twisting every show concept into something "meaningful". Astaire is skeptical but goes along for the ride, encouraged by the long legs of his young co-star Charisse, a rising ballet dancer. It's in the relationship between Astaire and Charisse that Minnelli demonstrates his point, that high art and entertainment can coexist. The movie's final number "The Girl Hunt Ballet" is one of the greatest ever expressions of this ideal. The American genre of the day was Film Noir and Minnelli gives us the most colorful Noir homage ever seen. He may resemble your elderly uncle but in this sequence Astaire achieves a level of cool that Dean and Brando could only dream of. It's a sequence famously homaged by Michael Jackson in his "Smooth Criminal" video.
    For fans of classic Hollywood the real punch the air number is "That's Entertainment" and as it's lyrics suggest, this is the art that appeals to the heart.
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    June 12, 2008
    Doctor0Quinzel
    Astaire! A fabulous musical that doesn't drag with long musical numbers. "Dancing In the Dark" sequence was so beautiful.
  • fb39107385
    February 29, 2012
    fb39107385
    This is a reminder to me as to why although there are some musicals which I genuinely love (Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music), overall I am not a fan of the genre. The numbers are interesting, but the plot is the same as so many other musicals (putting together some sort ... read moreof show) it's to the point where I'm beginning to feel that if you've seen one, you've seen them all.
  • jam233
    March 11, 2010
    jam233
    65/100. This is the kind of musical I have a hard time stomaching. All this singing in place of talking, and overblown and way too colorful musical numbers, a color so vivid it doesn't look natural. There are indeed some classic numbers in this film, but I just didn't think the f... read moreilm was ever going to end. Excellent sound, and the score is amazing. Nominated for there Oscars: best costume design, score and writing (story and screenplay). The costume design was good, but don't see it is Oscar good.The cast is fine, Fred Astaire is certainly talented, Cyd Charisse is wonderful but I thought the supporting cast was a little weak. I was never that crazy about Vincente Minnelli's musicals.
  • philpenny1
    February 22, 2009
    philpenny1
    I love Minnelli! If only the real world had his Technicolor touch.
    All-round good story but the Edens songbook is the star. Love the sidekick characters of Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray. Fashions and styles are exquisite.
  • PatriciaAnn
    November 4, 2008
    PatriciaAnn
    My favorite dance they do is the one when they are in the park and they find out that a tap dancer and a ballet dancer can dance together.
  • mattdlevy
    July 16, 2008
    mattdlevy
    Astaire and Charisse are great together. the movie was good, not as good as i had heard, but i still enjoyed it

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The musical becomes a frenetic meditation on pop art versus high art, coming down hard on the side of the former. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
August 15, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

A fun musical with creative choreography, but far too little substance. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 27, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Minnelli's best musical is sparked by witty allusions to real-life showbiz persona like pretentious actor Jose Ferrer and birlliant but aging dancer Fred Astaire, the film's star, who shines when danc... Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 18, 2005
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

On the whole it's one of the best musicals ever made. Full Review

John J. Puccio
March 23, 2005
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...it's hard to dislike something so cheerful and uplifting as this movie. Full Review

Jeremiah Kipp
March 14, 2005
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine

A love song for the narcissistic, and theater people are sure to eat up the film, commentary, extras, and first rate DVD packaging. Full Review

Ken Hanke
February 19, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

It has its moments and the stars are good, but it's really overrated.

James Sanford
July 29, 2002
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

"the undisputed highlight of Astaire's post-Rogers career"

Dennis Schwartz
January 1, 2000
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

If you like an old-fashioned Broadway musical, you can't go wrong with this one. Full Review

July 22, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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