The 1960s threw up some interesting musicals, the last of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein/Lerner and Loewe offerings, rubbing shoulders with a new breed for the hippy generation. Perhaps no other movie musical seems more typically a product of the decade than this. Taking its plot from one of those trendy European movies (The Nights of Cabiria), it references the youth politics of the times, as well as the more explicit sexuality that was permissible with the breakdown of the production code.
Appropriately enough, the Cy Coleman score successfully blends the big brassy sound of burlesque with the melodic folky sound that was then en vogue. It's a score of rather mixed quality, with such mighty numbers as "The Rhythm of Life", "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" making up for filler material like "My Personal Property" and "It's a Nice Face". The arrangements here are very nice, with strong walls of sound and some wonderful harmony and counterpoint on "The Rhythm of Life".
This was the feature debut of choreographer-turned-director Bob Fosse. Fosse's approach here is typical of directors with a stage background – he seems a bit overawed by the possibilities of the camera, throwing pans and zooms all over the shop. His aim is at a fully musical form, but it is massively overdone, for example going into unfocused blurs for "My Personal Property". However his capability as an arranger of people is magnificent, using advanced musical technique to create asymmetrical dances. For "Big Spender", you can see the hand movements of the various women moving each doing its own dance, some on the beat, others in double time. At the beginning of this number, there's a shot of three women turning their heads not quite in unison, like the dance equivalent of an arpeggio.
Although Shirley MacLaine was an accomplished singer she did relatively few musicals. Her performance here is rather lightweight, all giggles and twee poses, rather embarrassing considering what she is capable of. As to her co-stars, John McMartin is not bad, just bland. It's nice to see Italian exploitation actor Ricardo Montalban in a Hollywood movie, but in this context he does rather have "We couldn't get Omar Shariff" written all over him. Sammy Davis Jr. is the most welcome sight here. Kudos to the old Ratpack star for putting on the psychedelic threads and grooving on down.
A major problem with Sweet Charity is its lack of structure and cohesion, a problem that probably stems most of all from the stage production. Although "The Rhythm of Life" is a great set-piece, it barely relates to the rest of the picture. The device of putting the intermission during the lift scene, cliff-hanger style, doesn't really work because this is actually one of the weakest scenes in the whole piece. It doesn't have the emotional high needed to carry us through to the second half. As a series of titled dances at the actors' party more or less formalises, the picture seems at last to be not much more than a showcase for Bob Fosse's choreography. And this is by no means a bad thing, especially when it's to the music of Cy Coleman. It's just a shame that the choreographer's camera acrobatics and paltry ability at directing dramatic scenes get in the way, padding this out to a somewhat dull two-and-a-half hours.
Appropriately enough, the Cy Coleman score successfully blends the big brassy sound of burlesque with the melodic folky sound that was then en vogue. It's a score of rather mixed quality, with such mighty numbers as "The Rhythm of Life", "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" making up for filler material like "My Personal Property" and "It's a Nice Face". The arrangements here are very nice, with strong walls of sound and some wonderful harmony and counterpoint on "The Rhythm of Life".
This was the feature debut of choreographer-turned-director Bob Fosse. Fosse's approach here is typical of directors with a stage background – he seems a bit overawed by the possibilities of the camera, throwing pans and zooms all over the shop. His aim is at a fully musical form, but it is massively overdone, for example going into unfocused blurs for "My Personal Property". However his capability as an arranger of people is magnificent, using advanced musical technique to create asymmetrical dances. For "Big Spender", you can see the hand movements of the various women moving each doing its own dance, some on the beat, others in double time. At the beginning of this number, there's a shot of three women turning their heads not quite in unison, like the dance equivalent of an arpeggio.
Although Shirley MacLaine was an accomplished singer she did relatively few musicals. Her performance here is rather lightweight, all giggles and twee poses, rather embarrassing considering what she is capable of. As to her co-stars, John McMartin is not bad, just bland. It's nice to see Italian exploitation actor Ricardo Montalban in a Hollywood movie, but in this context he does rather have "We couldn't get Omar Shariff" written all over him. Sammy Davis Jr. is the most welcome sight here. Kudos to the old Ratpack star for putting on the psychedelic threads and grooving on down.
A major problem with Sweet Charity is its lack of structure and cohesion, a problem that probably stems most of all from the stage production. Although "The Rhythm of Life" is a great set-piece, it barely relates to the rest of the picture. The device of putting the intermission during the lift scene, cliff-hanger style, doesn't really work because this is actually one of the weakest scenes in the whole piece. It doesn't have the emotional high needed to carry us through to the second half. As a series of titled dances at the actors' party more or less formalises, the picture seems at last to be not much more than a showcase for Bob Fosse's choreography. And this is by no means a bad thing, especially when it's to the music of Cy Coleman. It's just a shame that the choreographer's camera acrobatics and paltry ability at directing dramatic scenes get in the way, padding this out to a somewhat dull two-and-a-half hours.