Easter Parade (1948)

Why it's here:
I guess, to see Judy Garland and Fred Astair. Seemed like an odd pairing

Specs:
An hour and 45 minutes; COLOR with a capital "C" -- I guess with all caps.
Supposedly set in 1912 :)

Our family's average rating:
6.88

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This serves as an extraordinary exposition of Technicolor. Half the point of making this film must have been to showcase "color" -- deep lush velvet and silk fabric drapes in every color, enormous bouquets of flowers, gowns with sequins and fringe, all overdone in the most saturated tones imaginable.

Even at age 50, Fred Astair moves like a dream on a cloud. He must be the most graceful man to have ever danced. As we watched his dance scenes with Judy Garland - who is a lovely dancer, but primarily a singer, we could see the difference with his top-notch dancing skills. He moved with total fluidity. On the other hand, Judy sang with complete power, skill, style and talent. Fred couldn't hold a candle to her pipes. The movie benefits, oddly enough, by allowing each to shine in their own way and help showcase the other's complementary talent.

The supporting roles were enjoyable as well. Peter Lawford and Ann Miller play the alternate love interests and, up until the end, my younger son and I were sure that Judy would end up with Peter, and Fred with Ann. Jules Munshin, an actor I'd never heard of, gives a wonderfully funny performance as a waiter. His description of how he makes the salad was comic genius.

Rounding out the film were awesome Irving Berlin songs, which are now resonating in our heads,  some incredibly elaborate sets, a very cool special (dance) effect where Astair moves in slow motion relative to the background dancers filmed at normal time. This movie had to have had a big budget and, all in all, was very enjoyable - though we would have enjoyed it a fair bit more had it been about 15 minutes shorter. I think it's rating must have dipped at least a 1/2 point by lasting just that bit too long!

It irked me to no end that the picture was set in 1912 when almost nothing about the film (other than an occasional car or telephone) looked anything like it belonged in 1912. Not the hairstyles, nor the clothes, nor the furnishings, the music, dance styles or the male/female relationships gave any impression of 1912. In fact, though the picture was released in 1948 I thought it had a very 1950s look and sound.

Iconic shot:

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Why it's here:
This is often regarded as one of the finest musicals ever made. We wanted to see if that was true, and loved that it would showcase the talents of Judy Garland as a young adult a few years after we became familiar with her as Dorothy.

Specs:
Two hours, gorgeous TECHNICOLOR! We watched on a dvd from the library.
The film is set in 1903-04

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.88

More about the film and our reaction to it:
As my husband put it: "this really is, truly, just good entertainment."  Sometimes films are "great" just because of how well made they are. Its not the story, or even the acting, that is the hook, but rather, the production as a whole. It is clear that every little detail has been attended to. It benefits from beautiful cinematography in the camera angles, the movement, and the placement of objects -- are all just simply lovely. The costumes are wonderful and so colorful -- the color being sharp, intense, but very real and moving. It is an excellent piece of technicolor cinema. The songs are excellent and the whole thing just has heart. It is hard to explain why its so good. It just is.

The first moment Judy Garland sang is the moment my breath stopped and my heart leaped into my throat. She was an incredible talent and an emotional performer. You respond to her voice in a visceral way. Some of the songs in the film will be familiar, even if you aren't a fan of musicals (Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis... Bang Bang Bang Went the Trolly... even, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas).

The underlying story involves a family in St. Louis at the time of the Worlds' Fair. The two eldest daughters and their beaux, form the main story, but smallest sister "Tootie", played charmingly by Margaret O'Brien is a source of constant comic relief with her obsession with death. It is an unusual film that constantly feels different from what the viewer is used to. It sort of strikes out its own territory with light comedy and music, but some silly or almost surreal aspects and a deeper emotional drama too. The whole thing is filmed with such a tight strong vision that, as you are watching (like with Citizen Kane), you just get the feeling that you are watching someone's masterwork (here, Vincente Minnelli's).

Iconic Image:

Wizard of Oz (1939)

Why it's here:
Like most everyone, we've seen the Wizard of Oz many times. Its here in our festival, because we wanted to see it in its proper time.

Specs:
Just over an hour and a half. Color - with a black and white beginning and ending. Available on dvd with tons of special features.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.5

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Seeing The Wizard of Oz "in" 1939 in our festival made it just that much better. 1939 was a profoundly good year for film. In that year alone we watched The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Ninotchka, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stagecoach! With so much competition from these and other great films that year, it is perhaps not surprising that the Wizard of Oz did not actually take the world by storm when it was released. It was only a modest success.

However, its popularity endured and continued to grow after it started to be aired on TV every year. It is now probably the best known and most watched of all classic film and has been enjoyed by people for generations. What makes it so good? and so enduring? A mix of excellent musical numbers, a wonderfully appealing story, a fantasy element, an element of close friendship and the important bonds of family, along with a great plot full of danger, adventure and magic. And on top of all that, there are incredibly great performances from Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man and Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion  -- not to mention Margaret Hamilton's intensely frightening Wicked Witch of the West. These performances and characters are iconic for a reason.

At its core, the movie is great because the central idea is so compelling. The idea of a twister picking up a child and transporting her to a fantasy world is so appealing that it is bound to continue to enthrall for decades.

We enjoyed the film immensely -- especially the very clean, beautiful and painstaking restoration that has been done on it. The dvd we checked out from the library contained enough special features to keep a fan busy for many hours.

This is, obviously, the quintessential classic movie for families and not surprisingly rated as one of our very favorites in the festival. It is tailor-made for families to enjoy together.

Iconic shot: