Musicals are a relatively weak area for me. I've seen a bunch of the big ones, but certainly not all of them. Furthermore, my track record is very hit or miss, with a few that blew me away but a number I didn't like nearly as much as most people seem to. So I thought this tribute to MGM (the reigning studio of the genre) musicals would be a good way to sample some titles for possible future consumption. There were many that didn't appeal to me, but I did manage to put together a decent watchlist... made more difficult because many of the films, annoyingly, weren't identified. So now I look forward to checking out: Broadway Melody of 1940, Thousands Cheer, Good News, Two Weeks With Love, Zeigfeld Follies, The Barkleys of Broadway, Royal Wedding, Million Dollar Mermaid, and Summer Stock.
I don't know if I can comment much on the merits of the film itself, since I was using it mainly as research. The idea of experiencing a slew of highlights sounds good in theory, but doesn't entirely work in practice. Of course it's fun when you're enjoying the numbers, but although it has the benefit of whetting your appetite for those films, it also makes you wish you were watching them instead. There's a cringe-worthy Twiggy-era comment about "slightly overweight chorus girls" and Liz Taylor looks stoned out of her gourd. But it's an enjoyable overview and there's a candid willingness to discuss their failures.
I don't know if I can comment much on the merits of the film itself, since I was using it mainly as research. The idea of experiencing a slew of highlights sounds good in theory, but doesn't entirely work in practice. Of course it's fun when you're enjoying the numbers, but although it has the benefit of whetting your appetite for those films, it also makes you wish you were watching them instead. There's a cringe-worthy Twiggy-era comment about "slightly overweight chorus girls" and Liz Taylor looks stoned out of her gourd. But it's an enjoyable overview and there's a candid willingness to discuss their failures.