Brigadoon (B or 3/4 stars)
I love musicals. Always have. And I'm finding some real gems from 1950s. Gene Kelly seems to find his way into a lot of these. And the medium was all-the-better for it. Here is my review for his 1954 effort, 'Brigadoon' (directed by the great Vincente Minnelli). The story - faerie tale, really - is fairly simple. Gene Kelly & Van Johnson play Tommy Albright & Jeff Douglas, 2 pushy Americans who are on a hunting trip up in Scotland. Jeff is a hard-drinking realist, while Tommy is a romantic dreamer. They get lost in the highlands & stumble upon an enchanted, old-fashioned village. It turns out that this 'magical' nowhere-on-the-map village of Brigadoon only emerges but once every 100 years due to a curse (vanishing into the dense Scottish mists after its 1-day resurgence has ended).
Tommy & Jeff have a real hard time believing all of this, but Tommy - as a dreamer - ends up having faith, especially when he falls for one of the town's bachelorettes, Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse, ahh). Drama enters the fray when Fiona's betrothed Harry (Hugh Laing), aggravated by Tommy's presence in his lass' life, threatens to leave Brigadoon ... an act that would spell certain doom for its residents. And so, Fiona & Tommy try spending as much time together as they possibly can before the town is to disappear for yet another 100 yrs. BUT, Tommy has a choice. Should he return to America and back into the arms of his fiancee (Elaine Stewart) for the rest of his life, or should he remain in this village with Fiona? If he stays, he would obviously never be able to see any of his loved ones again. Love is the operative word, here. Love wins the day (even amid some late-breaking tragedy). And everything culminates in one little miraculous finale.
So, 'Brigadoon' tells a charming little tale. I tend to enjoy lighthearted fantasy movies such as this. And it only helps that this is a lavish MGM musical. Thanks to some ingenious set designs (to make you feel like you're in the Scottish highlands), this is a gorgeous film that has a warm, infectious vibe from beginning to end. The lush outdoor scenery, while obviously shot in a vast studio, gives the film a whimsical, otherworldly feel. Now, the songs, while pleasant, are not all that memorable. I really enjoyed I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean, and Almost Like Being in Love. But by having legends like Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse in the production, it's the dance sequences that were always going to trump the songs/singing, anyway.
I find it interesting that the Tommy/Fiona dance scenes were in place of the usual getting-to-know-you conversations. They express their feelings for each other in dance; and since their dancing is full of beauty & passion, I was okay with it. Gene Kelly is charming, as usual. But it's not my favorite acting performance of his; nor is this my fave movie of his. Cyd Charisse is just a goddess. She's sweet, beautiful, elegant, & has legs that go on forever. But her acting performance is merely 'fine'. Even her singing was dubbed. That said, her presence is comforting; as is her dancing. Van Johnson is okay in his pessimist, 'non-believer in faerie tales' role. There's a scene when one of the town lasses falls in love with him & he gives her the cold shoulder. Nothing comes from this scene; so I found it odd that it wound up in the film in the 1st place. I much preferred him in The Caine Mutiny from the same year. The rest of the cast is chock-full of colorful characters.
Visually, 'Brigadoon' is very nice; with color cinematography, those sets, authentic Scottish costumes (kilts & all), as well as Gene Kelly's choreography. Other than the Van Johnson character, the rest of this film is delightful ... if minor. This is not a classic MGM musical. It's just not grand enough. Vincente Minnelli directs with high class, if not with his usual vitality, panache or flow. But I enjoyed the dreamlike quality to the proceedings. And while the story is made up of some faerie tale hokum, that dreamlike quality, as well as other various pleasantries, overrides the lesser aspects.
Tommy & Jeff have a real hard time believing all of this, but Tommy - as a dreamer - ends up having faith, especially when he falls for one of the town's bachelorettes, Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse, ahh). Drama enters the fray when Fiona's betrothed Harry (Hugh Laing), aggravated by Tommy's presence in his lass' life, threatens to leave Brigadoon ... an act that would spell certain doom for its residents. And so, Fiona & Tommy try spending as much time together as they possibly can before the town is to disappear for yet another 100 yrs. BUT, Tommy has a choice. Should he return to America and back into the arms of his fiancee (Elaine Stewart) for the rest of his life, or should he remain in this village with Fiona? If he stays, he would obviously never be able to see any of his loved ones again. Love is the operative word, here. Love wins the day (even amid some late-breaking tragedy). And everything culminates in one little miraculous finale.
So, 'Brigadoon' tells a charming little tale. I tend to enjoy lighthearted fantasy movies such as this. And it only helps that this is a lavish MGM musical. Thanks to some ingenious set designs (to make you feel like you're in the Scottish highlands), this is a gorgeous film that has a warm, infectious vibe from beginning to end. The lush outdoor scenery, while obviously shot in a vast studio, gives the film a whimsical, otherworldly feel. Now, the songs, while pleasant, are not all that memorable. I really enjoyed I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean, and Almost Like Being in Love. But by having legends like Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse in the production, it's the dance sequences that were always going to trump the songs/singing, anyway.
I find it interesting that the Tommy/Fiona dance scenes were in place of the usual getting-to-know-you conversations. They express their feelings for each other in dance; and since their dancing is full of beauty & passion, I was okay with it. Gene Kelly is charming, as usual. But it's not my favorite acting performance of his; nor is this my fave movie of his. Cyd Charisse is just a goddess. She's sweet, beautiful, elegant, & has legs that go on forever. But her acting performance is merely 'fine'. Even her singing was dubbed. That said, her presence is comforting; as is her dancing. Van Johnson is okay in his pessimist, 'non-believer in faerie tales' role. There's a scene when one of the town lasses falls in love with him & he gives her the cold shoulder. Nothing comes from this scene; so I found it odd that it wound up in the film in the 1st place. I much preferred him in The Caine Mutiny from the same year. The rest of the cast is chock-full of colorful characters.
Visually, 'Brigadoon' is very nice; with color cinematography, those sets, authentic Scottish costumes (kilts & all), as well as Gene Kelly's choreography. Other than the Van Johnson character, the rest of this film is delightful ... if minor. This is not a classic MGM musical. It's just not grand enough. Vincente Minnelli directs with high class, if not with his usual vitality, panache or flow. But I enjoyed the dreamlike quality to the proceedings. And while the story is made up of some faerie tale hokum, that dreamlike quality, as well as other various pleasantries, overrides the lesser aspects.