For some reason, it took me forever to finally watch this movie, which I can’t really explain, since White Christmas is one of my favorite holiday movies. And while watching Holiday Inn, it just made me want to watch White Christmas instead. Fred Astaire’s conniving woman-stealing character, Ted, is hard to watch, especially since his behavior is so easily accepted by everyone else in the movie, especially by Jim Hardy (Bing). And how can I care about Linda after she left Jim so easily for Ted? Jim is the only character I care about. I would have liked it more if Linda wasn’t so shallow. Sorry, but other than the iconic songs and Astaire's dancing (*not* his acting), I just don’t get the appeal for this movie. Also, the blackface number is a sign of the times, so I can excuse it, but I can’t ignore it. 5/10 in my book.
The last hotel-related film of the week was Holiday Inn, a 1942 musical with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and the film "White Christmas" was written for (it would go on to become the best-selling song of all time). The conceit is amusing, Crosby opens an inn that's only open on specific holidays, and so the action skips from holiday to holiday, which is no doubt why some were chosen over others. Otherwise, it's a love triangle between a singer, a dancer and a girl who can do both, giving structure to what is essentially a variety show (that includes, it must be said, a rather horrifying number in black face, but I'm perhaps even more put off by the 4th of July "our army at war" montage; both are products of their day). But an enjoyable experience nonetheless, with some interesting staging, especially the dance numbers - Fred Astaire is the Jackie Chan of musicals after all. It gets a little bit meta towards the end, which I always enjoy as well.
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TomReagan
For some reason, it took me forever to finally watch this movie, which I can’t really explain, since White Christmas is one of my favorite holiday movies. And while watching Holiday Inn, it just made me want to watch White Christmas instead. Fred Astaire’s conniving woman-stealing character, Ted, is hard to watch, especially since his behavior is so easily accepted by everyone else in the movie, especially by Jim Hardy (Bing). And how can I care about Linda after she left Jim so easily for Ted? Jim is the only character I care about. I would have liked it more if Linda wasn’t so shallow. Sorry, but other than the iconic songs and Astaire's dancing (*not* his acting), I just don’t get the appeal for this movie. Also, the blackface number is a sign of the times, so I can excuse it, but I can’t ignore it. 5/10 in my book.Siskoid
The last hotel-related film of the week was Holiday Inn, a 1942 musical with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and the film "White Christmas" was written for (it would go on to become the best-selling song of all time). The conceit is amusing, Crosby opens an inn that's only open on specific holidays, and so the action skips from holiday to holiday, which is no doubt why some were chosen over others. Otherwise, it's a love triangle between a singer, a dancer and a girl who can do both, giving structure to what is essentially a variety show (that includes, it must be said, a rather horrifying number in black face, but I'm perhaps even more put off by the 4th of July "our army at war" montage; both are products of their day). But an enjoyable experience nonetheless, with some interesting staging, especially the dance numbers - Fred Astaire is the Jackie Chan of musicals after all. It gets a little bit meta towards the end, which I always enjoy as well.MMDan
https://ok.ru/video/365640026787CrumbThumber
My second favorite movie with blackface.