Top Hat (1935)

reviewed by
Max Scheinin


A retropsective by Max Scheinin.
Copyright, 1997, Max Scheinin.
**** = perfection
*** = good, not great
** = not good, not bad - merely acceptable
* = not acceptable yet not horrid - merely very bad
ZERO = horrid - avoid at all costs
1/2 = icing on the cake

Released 1935, should be rereleased very soon A Mark Sandrich film, "Top Hat". Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Erik Rhodes, Helen Broderick, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, Lucille Ball Rating: ****

Top Hat, a superb Astaire-Rogers musical of the 30s is pretty damn hard to resist. I recently saw it on video and reveled in the singing and dancing, wonderful music and glorious acting. It's a sublime film, a real bliss-out. I'm suprised that with revivals of old films pouring in as they are, hollywood executives haven't came around to musicals, and in particular, Astaire and Rogers musicals. The sets are really teriffic, and I can tell that a big screen viewing would be in order. For now we can to make do re-watching this just plain wonderful gloriously realized old-fashioned film on video. My enthusiam is un-limited. Why? Sure, it's terrific fun to watch and sure, the acting is great and sure it's just...well...a great film, but why are you so enthusiastic? Because Top Hat sets standards for itself, says it will live up to those standards and does. That may seem like a silly reason to give a film a great review, but it's not really; Batman And Robin ( for example ) said it was going to be slick big spirited fun with terrific F/X. It wasn't. It fell flat on it's face as soon as the credits were over. What makes a great movie? Ambition, fun and high standards mixed well, with a dollop of talent. Top Hat has all those things, which is why it is such a classic and deserves to be. It's a reccemonded rental.

Top Hat runs 1:37, and every minute is heaven. It is not rated but would be a solid G and is totally appropriate for everyone. It's good family viewing. See it. Because of it's sense of good solid fun and slick performances, plus great music and the fact that it is really well made I am giving it all big ****. See it.


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