The first film to pair Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, "Dance, Fools, Dance" is a pre-Code morality tale that is mostly forgettable, but it does contain some noteworthy moments.
Chief among these are the scenes of Crawford where she shows the beauty and fire of her youth. When Gable, playing a bootlegger, is attracted to her raw sexuality, it is believable (by any standards, but especially by the standards of the early thirties; she appears wanton).
Crawford is playing a lady of privilege who, due to the Great Crash, must now make it on her own. But she is not a mere cabaret dancer like Gable thinks.
Crawford's character is, above everything else, proud. She is an individualist and someone who will not marry for other than love, no matter her circumstances. It's the portrait of a character worth watching, but the script undermines this portrayal with its formulaic resolution.
Special kudos to Adrian, the designer who dressed Crawford and so many other MGM actresses in strikingly beautiful creations.
Chief among these are the scenes of Crawford where she shows the beauty and fire of her youth. When Gable, playing a bootlegger, is attracted to her raw sexuality, it is believable (by any standards, but especially by the standards of the early thirties; she appears wanton).
Crawford is playing a lady of privilege who, due to the Great Crash, must now make it on her own. But she is not a mere cabaret dancer like Gable thinks.
Crawford's character is, above everything else, proud. She is an individualist and someone who will not marry for other than love, no matter her circumstances. It's the portrait of a character worth watching, but the script undermines this portrayal with its formulaic resolution.
Special kudos to Adrian, the designer who dressed Crawford and so many other MGM actresses in strikingly beautiful creations.