| Roberta |
DVD |
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| List Price | $19.98 |
| Brand | Warner Brothers |
| Publisher: | Warner Home Video |
| Actor(s) | Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Helen Westley |
| Director(s) | William A. Seiter |
| Used & new from $10.58 |
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| Additional reviews |
| Fun's in fashion when Fred, Ginger, Irene Dunn and Randolph Scott enter the world of Paris fashions. Marvelous Jerome Kern music graces standards like Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and I Won't Dance. |
| When Huck Haines (Fred Astaire) and his jazz band of Wabash Indianians find themselves stuck in Paris without a paying gig, it's up to his buddy John (Randolph Scott) to appeal to his aunt, the legendary dressmaker Roberta (Helen Westley), for help. He also finds a Russian princess (Irene Dunne) working in the shop and a down-home American girl (Ginger Rogers) masquerading as a Polish countess because it's the best way to get a singing job. Roberta was the third RKO collaboration between Astaire and Rogers, and it's one of the more tepid, with too much time spent on 1930s Parisian fashion and the romance between Dunne and Scott. Dunne gets top billing and the best Jerome Kern ballads ("Yesterdays," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"), but as the second-banana couple Astaire and Rogers still get a tap battle, a romantic duet, and plenty of comic banter. In short, the Fred and Ginger magic is there, but not nearly enough of it. For more, watch the films immediately preceding and succeeding, The Gay Divorcee and Top Hat. --David Horiuchi |
| Customer reviews |
| As others have noted, the negative criticism of this excellent film is both uninformed and off-point. Randolph Scott is "wooden" because he's playing a former football player, contrasting with the irrepressible vitality of Astaire & Rogers, and the awesome talents of Irene Dunne, which must have taken some effort for Scott, who could be quite unreserved off-camera. It's also a film full of interesting historical perspectives, from emigre Russian aristocrats in Paris, to Astaire's aspersions against the outfits he's supposed to be selling in the fashion show, itself a staple of films of that time and after, e.g., "The Women" and "How To Marry A Millionaire." Yes, the dancing doesn't occupy quite as much time as it does in other Astaire-Rogers films, but with Dunne and Scott on the set, who cares? And then there's Jerome Kern's music, which should make any discerning mind wonder exactly what happened to American theatrical composition and popular song between his era and the present. But that's the stuff of a documentary, not the engagingly pure, multifaceted entertainment that "Roberta" offers. More than two thumbs up: this one gets a double high-five! |
| DVD arrived promtly and is in great shape. Fun movie, but about all those furs the ladies were wearing-ugh. |
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers share their spotlight with beautiful songbird Irene Dunne in this pleasant version of the Kern/Harbach musical theater hit ROBERTA.
When American football player John Kent (Randolph Scott) inherits his Aunt Roberta's fashion boutique in Paris, he finds himself falling in love with lovely assistant Stephanie (Irene Dunne, hiding Russian royal blood) and fighting off the clutches of a nasty former girlfriend (Claire Dodd). Also on board for the ride are fun-loving bandleader Huck Haines (Fred Astaire), and the phoney Polish cabaret sensation Comtesse Scharwenka (Ginger Rogers)!
The Otto Harbach/Jerome Kern score contains such delights as "Yesterdays", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "Lovely to Look At" (a new addition for the movie). Fred and Ginger trip the light fantastic with "Let's Begin", "I'll Be Hard to Handle" and "I Won't Dance".
The perfect movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon. |
I read the reviews you have. It seems no one picked up the Mae West bit that Ginger did with Randolph. Not too campy but obviously having some fun. There are a few other insider moments as when
Fred says he has to get out of the dressmaking business because his voice is going up an octave!! There are others which I will let you have the fun of discovering on your own. Irene Dunn is a class act and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is tops. I felt Randolph was a bit wooden, but nice to look at. Ginger and Fred have a free energy that is wonderful. |
"Roberta", the third film in the Astaire/Rogers canon, was released in 1935 as their stars were still rising. The film was based on a successful Broadway musical. In 1935, Irene Dunne was a big movie name so she had the lead. Hindsight makes us regret that Astaire and Rogers are not the primary focus but it made sense when the film was released. While Randolph Scott is merely adequate as the football hero paired with Dunne, the film has many highlights:
- "Let's Begin" is a terrific novelty number with Astaire paired with 2 comic dancers
- "Smoke gets in your Eyes", a number still recorded today, is sung by Dunne in her cool soprano. Dunne was a first rate actress and she uses her acting skills to interpret the song superbly.
- both Astaire and Rogers have some excellent comic bits and they shine with the dialogue.
- the fashion show is lugubrious but a very blonde and statuesque Lucille Ball can be glimpsed among the mannequins.
- Rogers dancing shows a distinct improvement from her previous films and she is fluid and sexy.
The print of the film is excellent and there are a few extras. The short film is a technicolour opus set at a resort with many stars appearing between mainly mediocre and boring musical acts. Marketing, 1935 style, comes from a radio program which promotes the film's Jerome Kern songs and the theatrical trailer. A cartoon is included too.
This is one of the least interesting DVDs in the Astaire/Rogers collections and best value if purchased as part of one of them. |
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